Peter Mangiaracina.

This presentation explains the main difference between say and tell. Say focuses on the words or information, while tell commonly includes the person who receives the information.

The lesson compares their object patterns, shows how to include a listener after say, and covers reported clauses, instructions with tell someone to do something, and common expressions such as tell the truth, tell a story, and tell a joke.

Important points

• Use say + something when the words or information are the focus.
• When naming the listener after say, use say + something + to + someone.
• Use say + (that) + clause to report information; that can be omitted in the lesson’s examples.
• Tell commonly follows the pattern tell + someone + something.
• For instructions, use tell + someone + to + verb; place not before the infinitive for a negative instruction.
• Learn common combinations including tell the truth, tell a lie, tell a story, and tell a joke.

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