Bring
Bringmeans moving something or someone. The movement is either from where the listener is to where the speaker is, or from the speaker to the listener.
Bringis an irregular verb. Its past tense and -edform are bothbrought.
In both of the following examples, the speakers are seeing things from A’s viewpoint – things will move to the place where A is:
A:Are you going to the bedroom?
B:Yes.
A:Can youbringme my grey sweater?It’s on the bed.
B:Yeah. (B will return with the sweater to the place where A is.)
Not:Can you take me my grey sweater?
A:Are you coming to our place on Friday night?
B:Yes. Do you want me tobringmy guitar?(B will carry the guitar to the place where A will be.)
Bringcan also mean moving with something or someone from another place to the speaker’s or listener’s location:
[on the telephone]
A:Did Laurabringyou anything for your birthday?
B:Yes. Shebroughtme some flowers and a CD. (Laura is C, another person, in a different place from A or B. She moved with something to where B, the listener, was.)
Take
Takemeans movement with something or someone from where the speaker or listener is to a different place:
[university assistant at a central faculty office, speaking to a student]
You have to fill in this form and thentakeit to the English Department to get it stamped.(the assistant and the student are at the central faculty office – the English Department is a different place)
Not: …and then bring it to the English Department
A:I cantakeyou to the station tomorrow. What time’s your train?(Neither A nor B is at the station; it is a different place.)
B:Thanks. It’s eight-thirty.
Bringortake?
| seen from the viewpoint of the doer –she |
| seen from the viewpoint of the receiver –him |
Fetch
Fetchmeans to go to another place to get something or someone and return with the thing or the person. We use it for people and things that are not here but that we need or are due to be here. We can usually usegetinstead offetch:
If you’re going to the garage, can youfetchthat green bag with the paintbrushes in it? Or Can you get that green bag …
Right. It’s five o’clock. I’d better go andfetchmy mother from the station.
See also:
Comeorgo?
Bring, takeandfetch: typical errors
We don’t usetakewhensomething isseen from the receiver’s viewpoint:
A:Are you and Josh coming to our party?
B:Yeah. Sheila invited us.
A:Good. Can youbringsome CDs? We’re a bit short of music.
Not:Can you take some CDs?
Broughtis the past tense ofbring.Boughtis the past tense ofbuy:
Angela was in Morocco and shebroughtus back a beautiful wooden tray.
Not:and she bought us back…