{"id":3066,"date":"2022-02-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-20T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/?p=3066"},"modified":"2022-02-17T03:58:17","modified_gmt":"2022-02-17T03:58:17","slug":"say-vs-tell-how-to-explain-the-difference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-grammar\/say-vs-tell-how-to-explain-the-difference\/","title":{"rendered":"\"Say\" vs. \"Tell\": How to Explain the Difference"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-grammar\/say-vs-tell-how-to-explain-the-difference\/#1_%E2%80%9CSay%E2%80%9D_focuses_on_words_%E2%80%9CTell%E2%80%9D_focuses_on_information\" >1. &#8220;Say&#8221; focuses on words. &#8220;Tell&#8221; focuses on information.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-grammar\/say-vs-tell-how-to-explain-the-difference\/#2_%E2%80%9CSay%E2%80%9D_is_for_direct_and_indirect_reported_speech_%E2%80%9CTell%E2%80%9D_is_for_indirect_speech_only\" >2. \u201cSay\u201d is for direct and indirect reported speech. &#8220;Tell&#8221; is for indirect speech only.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-grammar\/say-vs-tell-how-to-explain-the-difference\/#3_We_tell_someone_something\" >3. We tell someone something.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-grammar\/say-vs-tell-how-to-explain-the-difference\/#4_We_say_something_to_someone\" >4. We say something to someone.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-grammar\/say-vs-tell-how-to-explain-the-difference\/#5_%E2%80%9CSay%E2%80%9D_and_%E2%80%9CTell%E2%80%9D_Have_Other_Meanings\" >5. &#8220;Say&#8221; and &#8220;Tell&#8221; Have Other Meanings<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-grammar\/say-vs-tell-how-to-explain-the-difference\/#%E2%80%9CSay%E2%80%9D_Also_Means_%E2%80%9CThink%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Say&#8221; Also Means &#8220;Think&#8221;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-grammar\/say-vs-tell-how-to-explain-the-difference\/#%E2%80%9CTell%E2%80%9D_Also_Means_%E2%80%9COrder%E2%80%9D_or_%E2%80%9CInstruct%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Tell&#8221; Also Means &#8220;Order&#8221; or &#8220;Instruct&#8221;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-grammar\/say-vs-tell-how-to-explain-the-difference\/#%E2%80%9CTell%E2%80%9D_Also_Means_%E2%80%9CTell_a_Story%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Tell&#8221; Also Means &#8220;Tell (a Story)&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-grammar\/say-vs-tell-how-to-explain-the-difference\/#%F0%9F%93%8C_Takeaways\" >\ud83d\udccc Takeaways<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>\"Say\" and \"tell\" \u2013 these two words are so simple yet so confusing. Today, let's review the main differences between them so we can better explain them to our students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"#Say-Words-Tell-Information\">\"Say\" focuses on words. \"Tell\" focuses on information.<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#tell-indirect-reported-speech\">\u201cSay\" is for direct and indirect reported speech. \"Tell\u201d is for indirect speech only.<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#we-tell-someone-something\">We tell <em>someone <\/em>something<em>.<\/em><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#We-say-something-to-someone\">We say something <em>to <\/em>someone.<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#other-meanings-of-tell-and-say\">\"Say\" and \"tell\" have other meanings.<\/a><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"Say-Words-Tell-Information\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_%E2%80%9CSay%E2%80%9D_focuses_on_words_%E2%80%9CTell%E2%80%9D_focuses_on_information\"><\/span>1. &#8220;Say&#8221; focuses on words. &#8220;Tell&#8221; focuses on information.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>At their core, \"say\" and \"tell\" mean different things. \"Say\" means \"to express a thought in words\" and focuses on the words people use when they talk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>How do you <strong>say<\/strong> this word in English? <em>[The speaker is asking about a word.]<\/em><\/li><li>English-speakers <strong>say<\/strong> \"cheese\" when they smile for photos. <em>[The speaker is explaining a word.]<\/em><\/li><li>Could you <strong>say <\/strong>that again, please? <em>[The speaker is asking someone to repeat some words.]<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, \"tell\" means \"to inform\" and focuses on the information that's shared. That's why we use \"tell\" to ask for directions: e.g. \"Could you <em>tell<\/em> me how to get to Big Ben?\" Here are some more sentences that only make sense with \"tell.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Tell<\/strong> us why you're interested in this job.<\/li><li>Please <strong>tell<\/strong> me how I can <span class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">improve my English<\/span>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"tell-indirect-reported-speech\"><mdspan datatext=\"el1644491245171\" class=\"mdspan-comment\">2. \u201cSay\u201d is for direct and indirect reported speech. \"Tell\" is for indirect speech only.<\/mdspan><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSay\u201d can be used in both&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/app\/lessons\/grammar-grammar-he-tells-me-that-he-cooks\/WL23XmFXEeel5KelFJV0-g?category_id=6r1fXsYHEeimuzOlcF_9gA&amp;course_id=1llXaMYPEeiWI9-YoYwf4A\" target=\"_blank\">direct and indirect reported speech<\/a>&nbsp;while \u201ctell\u201d is normally only used in indirect reported speech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Direct Reported Speech<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Raj <strong>said<\/strong> \"I'm sorry\" to Kim.<\/li><li>May <strong>said<\/strong> \"I love you\" to her mom.<\/li><li>Jim <strong>said<\/strong> \"I'll be late.\"<\/li><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Indirect Reported Speech<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\" id=\"block-f3d16427-f624-4e74-8760-d58ca8832366\"><li>Raj <strong>said<\/strong> that he's sorry.<br>Raj <strong>told <\/strong>Kim that he's sorry.<\/li><li>Mary <strong>said<\/strong> that she loves her mom.<br>Mary <strong>told<\/strong> her mom that she loves her.<\/li><li>Jim <strong>said<\/strong> he would be late.<br>Jim <strong>told<\/strong> me he would be late.<\/li><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>This difference has actually been shown in studies. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>A&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.semanticscholar.org\/paper\/A-Discourse-Analysis-of-Say-versus-Tell-in-Spoken-Park\/8d2a9f285a7d70c91f0e9db94e7a1372056f1f9e\" target=\"_blank\">study of American English<\/a>&nbsp;found that \u201csay\u201d was used around 80-90% of the time for direct reported speech, while \u201ctell\u201d was used only 1-3% of the time. <\/li><li>A <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1080\/00393277708587666\" target=\"_blank\">British English study<\/a>&nbsp;found that \u201ctell\u201d was around 10 times more likely to be used for indirect reported speech than for direct reported speech.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"we-tell-someone-something\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_We_tell_someone_something\"><\/span>3. We tell <em>someone<\/em> something.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Another big difference between \"say\" and \"tell\" is that when we use \"tell,\" we must state who the listener was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>She <strong>told the man<\/strong> her name.<\/li><li>May <strong>tells her mom<\/strong> she loves her every day.<\/li><li>My manager <strong>told me<\/strong> that I need to <span class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">improve my English<\/span> to get promoted.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, the listener is optional when we use \"say.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Raj <strong>said<\/strong> \"I'm sorry.\"<\/li><li>Raj <strong>said<\/strong> he was sorry.<\/li><li>Raj<strong> <strong>said<\/strong><\/strong> \"I'm sorry\"<strong> <strong>to<\/strong> Kim.<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>So encourage students to just use \"say\" if it's not necessary to mention the listener.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\" id=\"block-cc140d9a-e870-46d7-b586-5d8f3fd71622\"><li><mdspan datatext=\"el1643943106591\" class=\"mdspan-comment\">The news <strong>said<\/strong> that it's going to rain today. <em>[News reports provide information, but don't have specific listeners.]<\/em><\/mdspan><\/li><li><mdspan datatext=\"el1643943106591\" class=\"mdspan-comment\">A wise person once <strong>said<\/strong>, \"Be the change you want to see.\" <em>[It doesn't matter who was listening. It's the message that matters.]<\/em><\/mdspan><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"We-say-something-to-someone\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_We_say_something_to_someone\"><\/span>4. We say something <em>to <\/em>someone.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Since sentences with \"tell\" must always state the listener, the word has a directional feel. The message is definitely directed <em>at<\/em> someone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, this is not the case for \"say.\" So when we want to mention the listener, we must use it with \"to\" \u2013 a <a href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/app\/lessons\/a-fly-got-into-my-soup\/ElkNjEvGEeecPvPKXvSTsA\">preposition of direction<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Tom <strong>said <\/strong>\"Hi\" <strong>to<\/strong> Meg. <em><s>[Tom said \"Hi\" Meg.]<\/s><\/em><\/li><li>My manager <strong>said to<\/strong> me, \"You need to <span class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">improve your English<\/span> to get a promotion.\" <em><s>[My manager said me ... .]<\/s><\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"other-meanings-of-tell-and-say\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_%E2%80%9CSay%E2%80%9D_and_%E2%80%9CTell%E2%80%9D_Have_Other_Meanings\"><\/span>5. &#8220;Say&#8221; and &#8220;Tell&#8221; Have Other Meanings<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, \"say\" and \"tell\" have other meanings that are also related to talking. When they're used in these senses, they are not interchangeable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CSay%E2%80%9D_Also_Means_%E2%80%9CThink%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Say&#8221; Also Means &#8220;Think&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>\"Say\" is sometimes used to mean \"think.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>My dad thinks I should find a new job.  What do you <strong>say<\/strong>? <em>[= What do you think?]<\/em><\/li><li>I<strong>'d say <\/strong><em>[= I think]<\/em> there are about 500 people in this room right now.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>So if someone asks you, \"What does Sally say about the new restaurant?\" they want to know what Sally thinks \u2013 not what she said word for word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CTell%E2%80%9D_Also_Means_%E2%80%9COrder%E2%80%9D_or_%E2%80%9CInstruct%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Tell&#8221; Also Means &#8220;Order&#8221; or &#8220;Instruct&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>\"Tell\" also means \"to order or instruct (someone to do something)\": e.g. \"You're not my boss! You can't tell me what to do!\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When \"tell\" is used in this sense, it's usually followed by a verb in the infinitive (\"to\") form. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Tell<\/strong> Jim <strong>to<\/strong> go away. <em>[= Order Jim to go away.]<\/em><\/li><li>The English teacher <strong>told<\/strong> his students <strong>to<\/strong> repeat after him. <em>[= The English teacher instructed his students ...]<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Notice how \"tell\" in these sentences doesn't mean \"inform.\" For example, the first sentence isn't informing Jim of a fact. It's asking Jim to go away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CTell%E2%80%9D_Also_Means_%E2%80%9CTell_a_Story%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Tell&#8221; Also Means &#8220;Tell (a Story)&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>\"Tell\" is also used in the phrase \"tell a story.\" You might want to explain to students that \"tell\" is related to the word \"<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/app\/words\/word\/tale\/zga0ELstQmCjlQAAAAB9qQ\" target=\"_blank\">tale<\/a>\" \u2013 a type of story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, this is one of the oldest meanings of \"tell.\" As linguist <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.degruyter.com\/document\/doi\/10.1515\/9783111675886-013\/html\" target=\"_blank\">Albert H. Marckwardt<\/a> explains:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>The earliest recorded meaning of <em>tellan <\/em>in Old English was 'to recount', 'to enumerate', or 'to relate'. When so used, it referred to an extended narrative or to a series of associated facts.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>This is why English speakers say \"tell a story\" and not \"say a story.\" The same goes for phrases like \"tell a joke,\" \"tell the truth,\" and \"tell a secret.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Grandpa used to <strong>tell<\/strong> us stories every time we visited. <em><s>[Grandpa used to say stories ... .]<\/s><\/em><\/li><li>I have some good news to <strong>tell<\/strong> you: I got a job! <em><s>[I have some good news to say ... .]<\/s><\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Be careful when using \"tell\" in this sense, because unlike other senses of the word we covered, the listener can be omitted and the preposition \"to\" is sometimes used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>I told my sister a joke, but she didn't laugh. I need to get better at <strong>telling<\/strong> jokes. <em><em>[No listener in the 2nd sentence.]<\/em><\/em><\/li><li>Amy told Ben all her secrets. Ben <strong>told<\/strong> her secrets <strong>to<\/strong> everyone else in class. <em>[\"To\" used in second sentence.]<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%F0%9F%93%8C_Takeaways\"><\/span>\ud83d\udccc Takeaways<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><mdspan datatext=\"el1643943314054\" class=\"mdspan-comment\">Since that was a lot of information, here's a summary of what we covered.<\/mdspan><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>\"Say\" focuses on the words used in a message. \"Tell\" focuses on the content of the message. This is why \"say\" is used to quote someone while \"tell\" is used to share what someone said in your own words.<\/li><li>When we use \"tell,\" we must always state the listener (i.e. who the message is directed at). With \"say,\" the listener is optional. If we want to state the listener, we add \"to.\"<\/li><li>\"Say\" and \"tell\" have other meanings which are not interchangeable.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>We hope you now feel prepared to answer any questions about \"say\" and \"tell\" that come your way. Happy tutoring!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\"Say\" and \"tell\" \u2013 these two words are so simple yet so confusing. Today, let's review the main differences between them so we can better explain them to our students. \"Say\" focuses on words. \"Tell\"...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":137,"featured_media":3067,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"unified_meta_tagline_field":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-teaching-grammar"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>&quot;Say&quot; vs. &quot;Tell&quot;: How to Explain the Difference | Engoo Tutor&#039;s Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-grammar\/say-vs-tell-how-to-explain-the-difference\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"&quot;Say&quot; vs. &quot;Tell&quot;: How to Explain the Difference | Engoo Tutor&#039;s Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"&quot;Say&quot; and &quot;tell&quot; \u2013 these two words are so simple yet so confusing. 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