say / said vs tell / told
- say / said vs tell / told
To say v. Means to pronounce words or sounds, to express a thought, opinion, or suggestion, or to state a fact or instruction.
For example: "I often say the wrong thing."
Said v. is the past simple and past participle of to say. It can be used in direct speech:
For example: "I am sorry", said the criminal."
It can also be used in indirect (reported) speech (followed by that):
For example: "The criminal said that he was sorry."
Said adj. is used before the name of a person or thing you have already mentioned:
For example: "The said party denied the charges"
To tell v. means to say something to someone, often giving them information or instructions.
For example: "I often tell people how to practise their English."
Told v. is the past simple and past participle of to tell. It is normally used in reported speech, i.e. it is used to talk about what people say (followed by an object + that:):
For example: "I told him that I would be late."
When told has the meaning of "instruct", it can be followed by an object and an infinitive.
For example: He told me to leave.
English dictionary of common mistakes and confusing words.
2014.
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say / said vs tell / told — To say v. Means to pronounce words or sounds, to express a thought, opinion, or suggestion, or to state a fact or instruction. For example: I often say the wrong thing. Said v. is the past simple and past participle of to say. It can be… … English dictionary of common mistakes and confusing words
say / said vs tell / told — To say v. Means to pronounce words or sounds, to express a thought, opinion, or suggestion, or to state a fact or instruction. For example: I often say the wrong thing. Said v. is the past simple and past participle of to say. It can be… … English dictionary of common mistakes and confusing words
tell — W1S1 [tel] v past tense and past participle told [təuld US tould] ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(communicate something)¦ 2¦(show something)¦ 3¦(what somebody should do)¦ 4¦(know)¦ 5¦(recognize difference)¦ 6 tell yourself something 7¦(warn)¦ 8¦(tell somebody about… … Dictionary of contemporary English
tell — [ tel ] (past tense and past participle told [ tould ] ) verb *** ▸ 1 give information ▸ 2 order/advise to do something ▸ 3 recognize something ▸ 4 have clear effect ▸ 5 fail to keep secret ▸ 6 count something ▸ + PHRASES 1. ) transitive to give… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
say — 1 /seI/ verb past tense and past participle said /sed/ 3rd person singular says USE WORDS 1 WORD/SOUND (T) to pronounce a word or sound: “What did you say?” | “I m so tired” she said. | say hello/goodbye etc: She left without even saying goodbye … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
say — say1 W1S1 [seı] v past tense and past participle said [sed] third person singular says [sez] ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(express something in words)¦ 2¦(give information)¦ 3¦(mean)¦ 4¦(think that something is true)¦ 5¦(show/be a sign of something)¦ 6¦(speak the… … Dictionary of contemporary English
tell */*/*/ — UK [tel] / US verb Word forms tell : present tense I/you/we/they tell he/she/it tells present participle telling past tense told UK [təʊld] / US [toʊld] past participle told Get it right: tell: Unlike the verb say, the verb tell is usually used… … English dictionary
tell — /tel/ verb past tense and past participle told /tUld/ 1 SAY/INFORMATION (T) to give someone facts or information about something: tell sb (that): She wrote to tell me she couldn t come. | Don t tell me you ve forgotten my birthday again. | Police … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
say*/*/*/ — [seɪ] (3rd person singular says [sez] ; past tense and past participle said [sed] ) verb I 1) [I/T] to express something using words ‘Pleased to meet you, he said with a smile.[/ex] ‘When s he coming back? ‘He didn t say. [/ex] The committee said … Dictionary for writing and speaking English
say — I UK [seɪ] / US verb Word forms say : present tense I/you/we/they say he/she/it says UK [sez] / US present participle saying past tense said UK [sed] / US past participle said *** Get it right: say: Unlike the verb tell, the verb say is never… … English dictionary
