SAY and TELL

The differences between SAY and TELL are quite small, but still important if you want to speak correct English.

SAY

Form: SAY, SAID, SAID

Meaning: to pronounce words or sounds, to express a thought, opinion, or suggestion, or to state a fact or instruction.

Grammar: SAY usually takes a direct object. In each example below, the direct object is underlined.
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Examples:

1. I gave her a present and she said, “Thank you.” (note: here, the direct object is the actual words that she used.)

2. He said something about his job, but I can’t remember what it was. (note: here, the direct object is ‘something about his job’. As in example 1, this object relates to the words that were used.)

3. The teacher said that the students should study hard. (note: here, the direct object is a ‘that’ clause. A ‘that’ clause here has the same function as a noun. We often omit the word ‘that’ in these clauses, so we can also say “The teacher said the students should study hard.”)

4. The teacher didn’t say what we had to do for homework. (note: here, the direct object is a wh- clause. This is a clause beginning with who, what, where, why, which, when or whether. A wh-clause has the same function as a noun.)

5. He said to meet him at the station. (note: here, the direct object is the infinitive form, ‘to meet’. Another way to write this sentence is “He said to me that I should meet him at the station.”)

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TELL

Form: TELL, TOLD, TOLD
Meaning: to inform someone or to give someone instructions.

Grammar: Tell nearly always takes an indirect object, and that indirect object is a person. In each example below, the indirect object is underlined.

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Examples:

1. He told me about the party, but I couldn’t go. (note: we could also say here, “He said to me that the party was happening, but I couldn’t go.”)

2. He told me about his job, and that he was planning to resign. (note: we could also say here, “ He said to me that he was unhappy in his job and that he was planning to resign.”)

3. The teacher told the students to study hard. (note: here we can also say “The teacher said to the students that they should study hard.”)

4. The teacher didn’t tell us what we had to do for homework. (note: here we can say “The teacher didn’t say what we had to do for homework.”)

5. He told me to meet him at the station. (note: here we can also say, “He said to meet him at the station.”)

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Just for a brief explanation of the difference between a direct object and an indirect object, look at these sentences:

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He eats an apple. (note: here, apple is a direct object, because the verb ‘eats’ acts directly on the apple)

He gives an apple to me. (note: here ‘apple’ is the direct object, and ‘me’ is the indirect object, because the verb ‘gives’ acts directly on ‘apple’ and indirectly on ‘me’.)

He gives me an apple. (note: here, even though the sentence is arranged differently, the meaning is the same. So ‘an apple’ is still the direct object, and ‘me’ is still the indirect object.)

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Here are some examples of some common mistakes with SAY and TELL:

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1. He said me to meet him at three o’clock. This is wrong! The correct ways to say this are:

He told me to meet him at three o’clock.

He said that we should meet at three o’clock.

He said to me to meet him at three o’clock. (note: in this example, we can omit ‘to me’ and just say “He said to meet him at three o’clock.)

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2. He told that he was going on holiday. This is wrong! The correct ways to say this are:

He told me that he was going on holiday.

He said to me that he was going on holiday.

He said that he was going on holiday.

He said he was going on holiday.

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There are some fixed expressions with TELL that have their own grammar, but you will need to learn these separately. Examples are TELL A STORY, TELL THE TRUTH and TELL THE TIME.