{"id":6129,"date":"2022-07-27T06:00:43","date_gmt":"2022-07-27T11:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/?p=6129"},"modified":"2022-07-25T17:00:22","modified_gmt":"2022-07-25T22:00:22","slug":"bring-vs-take","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/verbs\/bring-vs-take\/","title":{"rendered":"Bring<\/em> vs. Take<\/em>: What’s the Difference?"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Would you bring me to the train station?”<\/p>\n

“How much money are you taking to the concert?”<\/p>\n

You’ve probably said, read, or heard such expressions. Bring <\/em>and take <\/em>are common verbs in English, and we use them often in our daily writing and speech. But are the questions above correctly conveyed?<\/p>\n

Both verbs involve actions of movement. Many of us also might use them interchangeably, even if our applications are not precise: Most people will get the gist of what’s being said. However, as attentive and careful communicators, we recognize the opportunity to be exact by upholding intended word meanings.<\/p>\n

What’s the Difference Between Bring <\/em>and Take <\/em>for Motion?<\/h2>\n

Stated most simply, bring <\/em>expresses motion toward you, and take <\/em>involves motion away from you.<\/p>\n

Please bring<\/u> my sweater to me.<\/em><\/p>\n

Please take<\/u> my sweater to my brother.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Native speakers would quickly recognize the clashing sound of the alternate verb in the first example:<\/p>\n

Please take<\/u> my sweater to me.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We simply know it’s not right.<\/p>\n

In the second example, the distinction blurs a bit because of today’s interchanging colloquial use:<\/p>\n

Please bring<\/u> my sweater to my brother. <\/em><\/p>\n

Please take<\/u> my sweater to my brother.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

These sound closer in tune compared with the first example’s obvious dissonance. However, while we understand the core thought in both sentences, take<\/em> would be the verb with greater precision.<\/p>\n

The verbs can also have additional subtleties. Described further, to bring <\/em>is to convey something or someone to a place or person, and to<\/em> take <\/em>is to transfer something or someone from one place to a different one.<\/p>\n

Please bring<\/u> me my beverage. <\/em>(The beverage is being carried to me.)<\/p>\n

Please take<\/u> me to the train station. <\/em>(I am being transferred from my current location to the station.)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Now let’s say you live in Boulder, Colorado. A supply truck is delivering sweaters to retail stores on its route, and Boulder is one of its stops.<\/p>\n

If you write that the truck is bringing <\/em>sweaters to<\/em> Boulder, where you are, you are correct.<\/p>\n

Suppose another person in another location\u2014Provo, Utah\u2014is making the same observation about the delivery. Would she also be correct if she said the truck is bringing<\/em> sweaters to Boulder?<\/p>\n

The outside observer is describing an action that involves movement away from her vantage point as opposed to toward it. The movement also concerns the transfer of items from one place to another one. To be accurate, the outside observer would therefore state the truck is taking <\/em>sweaters to Boulder.<\/p>\n

Let’s consider another instance of movement to or away from a point. What if your friend asks how much money you are taking<\/em> to a concert? Is this correct verb use?<\/p>\n

It depends on where the concert is and who is going. If your friend will be at the concert, the motion will be toward the reference point and the friend as well as with the carrier (you), making bring <\/em>correct: How much money are you bringing<\/u> to the concert?<\/em><\/p>\n

On the other hand, if your friend is referring to a concert at a distant point where he will not be, the motion is away from him, and it involves transfer from one place to another, so the correct verb is take<\/em>: How much money are you taking<\/u> to the concert?<\/em><\/p>\n

If the difference between\u00a0bring\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0take\u00a0<\/em>should ever still feel uncertain, continue to focus on the perspective of the speaker and the direction of the motion in context. Consider these sentences:<\/p>\n

Take this disc with you.<\/em><\/p>\n

Bring this disc with you.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The speaker in both sentences is the first person (I<\/em>). I am also giving a command to\u00a0you\u00a0<\/em>(second person) in both.<\/p>\n

In the first sentence, I am handing you a disc and telling you to convey it with you (and away from me) to another location.\u00a0Take\u00a0<\/em>would be the correct verb since the motion will be away from me.<\/p>\n

In the second sentence, I am handing you a disc and telling you to convey it in a direction I will also be headed. For example, maybe we are both going to a meeting where the disc will be used. You will therefore bring the disc with you<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Bring vs. Take in English: Other Uses<\/h2>\n

So far we’ve covered the distinction between bring<\/em> and take<\/em> as it applies to movement. Both words also have other uses throughout English according to additional meanings, including in phrasal verbs<\/a> and idiomatic expressions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Examples<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Writing a book takes<\/u> time.
\nSarah took<\/u> her daughter by the hand.<\/p>\n

It might be a while before the idea takes<\/u> root with them.
\nTake<\/u> a right at the stoplight.<\/p>\n

Bringing<\/u> up a family involves both effort and joy.
\nWhy did you have to bring<\/u> that up?<\/p>\n

Sometimes much perseverance is needed to\u00a0bring<\/u>\u00a0about change.
\nThe noise from the party soon\u00a0brought<\/u>\u00a0the police.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Related Topics<\/h3>\n

Commonly Confused Words That Bring Bumps to Writing<\/a>
\nCommonly Confused Words Quiz<\/a>
\nDiving Back Into Different From and Different Than<\/a><\/p>\n

Pop Quiz<\/h2>\n

Choose the correct verb (bring <\/em>or take<\/em>) in each sentence.<\/p>\n

1. Would you please [bring \/ take] me the soup?<\/p>\n

2. You should probably [bring \/ take] your raincoat with you.<\/p>\n

3. [Bring \/ Take] those potato chips from me at once, for I shall eat no more!<\/p>\n

4. We should [bring \/ take] the stereo with us to college.<\/p>\n

5. The truck will [bring \/ take] the shipment from Miami to Seattle.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pop Quiz Answers<\/h3>\n

1. Would you please bring<\/strong> me the soup?<\/p>\n

2. You should probably take <\/strong>your raincoat with you.<\/p>\n

3. Take<\/strong> those potato chips from me at once, for I shall eat no more!<\/p>\n

4. We should bring<\/strong> the stereo with us to college.<\/p>\n

5. The truck will take<\/strong> the shipment from Miami to Seattle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Would you bring me to the train station?” “How much money are you taking to the concert?” You’ve probably said, read, or heard such expressions. Bring and take are common verbs in English, and we use them often in our daily writing and speech. But are the questions above correctly conveyed? Both verbs involve actions […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[53,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6129","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-idioms","category-verbs"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6129"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6129"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6129\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6135,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6129\/revisions\/6135"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}