February 10, 2023
While “bring” and “take” have similar meaning, these verbs can’t be used interchangeably in most cases. Both words can be grammatically correct if used in the right way, but you’ll need to learn their unique meanings to incorporate them into your writing.
What do “bring” and “take” mean?
The verbs “bring” and “take” have nearly the same definition. However, there’s an important distinction between the two. Using them incorrectly can make your writing sound awkward and clumsy. Both words refer to something or someone changing its location with the aid of another person. The difference between “bring” and “take” has to do with direction and it’s important not to confuse the two words in your writing. If you’re moving something to a person, you should always use “bring.” On the other hand, use “take” when moving something away from a person.
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If someone asked you for a glass of water, you would bring it to them. After they’d finished drinking, you would take the glass away. Switching these two verbs would make the actions nonsensical; you can’t “take” something away when you’re trying to give it to someone.
How to use “bring” and “take” in a sentence
If you’re still not sure how to use “take” and “bring” in a sentence, take a look at how the verbs function in these example sentences. When used in the past tense, the word “bring” becomes “brought” and the word “take” becomes “took.”
- I asked her to bring an appetizer to the dinner party.
- She took her dog home from the park after the sun went down.
- Harry brought his goggles to practice, but forgot his swim cap.
- You shouldn’t take more condiments than you need.
As you can see from these examples, you usually can’t use these two verbs interchangeably, even though they have similar meanings. In the last sentence, changing “take” to “bring” would make the sentence confusing: “You shouldn’t bring more condiments than you need” doesn’t clearly describe the action at hand.
In some cases, you might be able to use these verbs in the same way, with some slight tweaking. While you might “bring” an appetizer with you to a dinner party, you could also “take” an appetizer from your home to the party. In this example, “take” describes the action of removing an item, the appetizer, from a location, your home. Even without adding the words “from your home,” to the sentence, the implied second location makes this sentence grammatically correct. When it comes to words like “take” and “bring,” perspective matters.
What about “come” vs. “go”?
The words “come” and “go” are two other verbs that represent movement and can’t be used interchangeably in most cases. These two words are often used in the same sentence as “bring” and “take,” but they have different meanings. While “bring” and “take” refer to an object or person being moved by another person, “come” and “go” should be used to describe a person’s own movement. For example, you would “go” to the store and “bring” home groceries. Whether you’re working on a research paper for school or sending emails to colleagues, following correct spelling and grammar rules will help set your writing apart.
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Learn How To Use “Bring” and “Take” Correctly
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“Bring” and “take” can sometimes be used interchangeably without causing much confusion. Other times, the use of one or the other alters the meaning of a sentence. We’ll explain what these words mean and how to use them correctly.
What’s the Difference Between “Bring” and “Take”?
Bring and take are verbs that refer to movement. Most of the time, bring implies movement toward something, while take implies movement away from something.
- ○ I will bring that back with me.
- ○ I will take the garbage out.
Bring and take are both verbs that have to do with the movement of someone or something from one place to another. Because of their similar definitions, bring and take are often used interchangeably, but is this correct? Let’s take a look at the following sentences:
Are you bringing anything to the party?
Are you taking anything to the party?
Which one is correct? As with many words in the English language, it’s all about perspective. We’ll explain below.
When To Use “Bring” or “Take”
There are some instances in which the correct use of either bring or take is apparent. However, there are some cases that aren’t as obvious.
Bring me that wrapping paper I left by the door, please.
Take me that wrapping paper I left by the door, please.
Bring means to “carry something toward the speaker.” That’s why in the examples above, bring is the word that best fits the sentence.
Can you take that away before guests arrive?
Can you bring that away before guests arrive?
On the other hand, take usually implies “carrying something along to another place, away from the place or speaker.” Because of that, take is the correct word to use in the example above.
Perspective Is Key
As we already mentioned, the correct use of bring or take often has to do with perspective. Consider this scenario: You’re going to a party. You’re already at the venue waiting for guests to arrive when you get a call from a friend. You answer and ask them if they are bringing anything to the party.
In this case, the best word to use would be bring because you’re asking your friend if they are moving something towards you and the party.
However, let’s say you haven’t yet arrived at the venue. When your friend calls, you ask if they are taking anything to the party. In this scenario, because you (and your friend) aren’t yet at the party, your friend would be taking something to the party.
It’s important to note that bring and take sometimes be interchanged without causing much confusion, especially if the direction of the movement is unclear or insignificant. It’s unlikely that the friend who calls for the party will object to you using one or the other.
Take What You Can
To summarize, sometimes the use of bring or take can completely alter your message.
Bring what you can.
Take what you can.
In the first example, bring implies you are taking something with you toward a certain location. In the second example, take implies you are moving something away from somewhere.
Other times, though, you can use either bring or take without confusing anyone. When the direction of the movement is clear and important, make sure to choose the right word. If it’s not, then either will work, especially in casual speech and writing.
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If your fiancé is in the kitchen and you’d like him to get some wine from the refrigerator for you, how would you ask?
Later, if you’d like your fiancé to return the wine to the refrigerator without you having to leave your spot on the couch, how would you ask him to do that?
Most Americans would say “Would you bring me some wine?” and “Take this wine back to the kitchen, please,” respectively. Notice, however, that these questions use different verbs to describe nearly identical actions.
The distinction hinges on usage patterns, rather than on strict grammatical rules. If these rules seem confusing or unclear, continue reading to learn more.
What is the Difference Between Bring and Take?
In this article, I will compare bring vs. take. I will use each word in a sentence to illustrate its proper context, and, I will give you a helpful trick to use when you can’t decide whether bring or take is appropriate for your writing.
When to Use Bring
What does bring mean? Bring is a verb that means to carry along with you. Like take, it can be literal or figurative.
For example,
- Don’t bring bean dip to the party, because nine other people already did.
- Bring Hannah with you when you come!
- Hurricane Matthew, raking Haiti and poised to slam into the Bahamas on Wednesday, could bring wind and heavy rain to the Mid-Atlantic this weekend. –The Washington Post
If you don’t quite see the distinction between bring and take, let’s take a closer look.
- Bring suggests motion toward the speaker or writer.
- Take suggests motion away from the speaker or writer.
This is why our beginning examples are phrased the way they are.
You would ask your fiancé to bring you a bottle of wine and then take it way when you are done with it.
When to Use Take
What does take mean? Take is a verb that means to carry away with you. It can be used literally to refer to physical objects or figuratively in a variety of contexts.
For example,
- Take the money and run!
- Take this small gift as a token of my appreciation.
- Nori needs you to take her to the airport tomorrow morning.
- Overruling the dean of the cathedral at the time, the suffragan bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York called the statue “theologically and historically indefensible” and ordered Ms. Sandys to take it away. –The New York Times
Take is sometimes a synonym for use, like in the examples below.
- Drilling each hole separately would take too long.
- Take 33rd Street to Hawthorne and turn left.
These examples are somewhat abstract. In the first sentence, drilling the holes separately could be said to use too much time. In the second example, the driver will use 33rd street to get to Hawthorne, at which point she will turn left.
Trick to Remember the Difference
Here is a helpful tip to remember take vs. bring.
Take and bring are verbs with very similar meanings. In situations where they both mean to carry something, they are differentiated by context, specifically, the implied direction of travel.
For instances when someone will be moving away from the speaker or a specified point, use take. For situations when a person will be moving toward the speaker or a specified point, bring is more appropriate.
You can use the phrase “take it away” to remind yourself to use take when the direction of travel is away from you. You would never say “bring it away from me.”
Summary
Is it bring or take? Bring and take are verbs that mean to carry something, but they have slightly different uses.
- In situations when the direction of travel is toward the speaker, bring is the correct word.
- In situations when the direction of travel is away from the speaker, the correct word is take.
If you aren’t sure whether you should use take or bring, remember the phrase “take it away.” This trick should help you remember that take is the better verb when someone is carrying something away from you.
Contents
- 1 What is the Difference Between Bring and Take?
- 2 When to Use Bring
- 3 When to Use Take
- 4 Trick to Remember the Difference
- 5 Summary
Использование bring и take оказывается сложным для многих студентов.
Выбор между bring или take зависит от расположения говорящего.
— Если оратор ссылается на текущее местоположение, то он использует bring.
Например, человек говорит о помещении, куда он пришел с чем-то.
Examples:
I’m glad you brought me to this shop. It’s great! — Я рад, что ты привел меня в этот магазин. Это здорово!
I’ll bring the map with me on the trip. — Я принесу карту для поездки.
— Если же говорят о чем-то, что было перемещено на другое место, то используют take.
Examples:
The coach took the boys to football field. — Тренер переместил мальчика на футбольном поле.
Jack took his laptop with him on his trip. — Джек взял ноутбук с собой в поездку.
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When to Use Bring and Take
Updated on November 25, 2019
The verbs bring and take both involve movement, but in different directions in relation to the speaker.
Definitions
In most cases, bring suggests movement toward the speaker («Bring it to me») while take suggests a movement away from the speaker («Take it to your brother»).
Here’s how Charles Harrington Elster illustrates the rule in The Accidents of Style: «[W]hen you go to a restaurant they bring the food to your table and take your money when you’re done.»
Where the point of view is uncertain or irrelevant, either verb may be used. In some cases, as mentioned in the usage notes below, idiom determines the choice between bring and take.
Examples
- Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (the title of a film directed by Sam Peckinpah, 1974)
- «Take Me Out to the Ball Game» (song by Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer, 1908)
- «Take This Job and Shove It» (song by David Allan Coe, 1978)
- «If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee.» (attributed to Abraham Lincoln)
- «Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.»
(attributed to Albert Einstein)
Usage Notes
Mignon Fogarty: I suspect that one reason people get confused about bring and take is that there are many exceptions to the basic rules. For example, idioms such as bring home the bacon and take a bath and phrasal verbs such as bring up, bring about, take down, and take after don’t comply with the rule that bring means to cause something to go to the speaker and take means to cause something to go away from the speaker.
Charles Harrington Elster: [B]ring is established in expressions like bring to light, bring to justice, and bring to the table, perhaps because there’s a figurative implication that the writer or speaker is in the light, at the seat of justice, or at the table.
Bryan A. Garner: The rule becomes complicated when the movement has nothing to do with the speaker—e.g.: ‘When my dad was courting my mom, a single mother of two, he used to take her a bag of groceries instead of flowers.’ In such a situation, the choice of bring or take depends on motion toward or away from whatever is being discussed. So in the previous example, bring would work as well if the point of view was that of the mother rather than the father.
Patricia T. O’Conner: [T]here are gray areas where the bringing and the taking aren’t so clear. Say you’re a dinner guest and you decide to tote a bottle of wine along with you. Do you bring it or do you take it? The answer depends on your perspective—on which end of the journey you’re talking about, the origin or the destination. ‘What shall I bring, white or red?’ you ask the host. ‘Bring red,’ he replies. (Both you and he are speaking of the wine from the point of view of its destination—the host.) Ten minutes later, you’re asking the wine merchant, ‘What should I take, a Burgundy or a Bordeaux?’ ‘Take this one,’ she says. (Both you and she are speaking of the wine from the point of view of its origin.) Clear? If not, pour yourself a glass, take it easy, and say what sounds most natural. You’ll probably be right.
Practice
- (a) We will _____ this pie to Grandfather Goosey Gander.
- (b) Dame Tuckett was kind enough to _____ us a loaf of bread.
- (c) «Buy the ticket, _____ the ride.» (Hunter S. Thompson)
- (d) You didn’t need to _____ me flowers.
Answers to Practice Exercises: Bring and Take
- (a) We will take this pie to Grandfather Goosey Gander.
- (b) Dame Tuckett was kind enough to bring us a loaf of bread.
- (c) «Buy the ticket, take the ride.» (Hunter S. Thompson)
- (d) You didn’t need to bring me flowers.