Meaning & use
tell
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To give information to someone in words, speaking or writing.
Grammar: Needs a person: tell me the answer, not tell the answer.
Patterns
- tell someone something
- tell someone about something
- tell someone to do something
She told me the good news yesterday.
Tell him to call me tonight.
The sign tells visitors where to park.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To work out, recognize or distinguish something, often with difficulty.
Grammar: Often used with can or could: I can't tell the twins apart.
Patterns
- tell the difference between something
- tell A from B
- can tell if something
I can't tell which button is which in the dark.
It's hard to tell if he is joking.
Can you tell butter from margarine by taste?
verbintransitive
To have a noticeable effect, especially after a period of strain.
Grammar: Often followed by on: the stress told on him.
Patterns
- tell on someone
The long hours began to tell on her health.
Age will tell eventually.
Word forms
| third person singular | tells |
|---|---|
| past tense | told |
| past participle | told |
| -ing form | telling |
Common combinations
- tell the truth
- Please tell the truth about what happened.
- tell a story
- He loves to tell a story at dinner.
- tell the difference
- I can't tell the difference between them.
- tell time
- The child learned to tell time last year.
- tell a lie
- She never tells a lie.
- tell apart
- It is hard to tell the sisters apart.
Synonyms and how they differ
- inform
- Inform is more formal and often used for official news.
- say
- Say can be used without naming a listener, but tell needs one.
- instruct
- Instruct is stronger and implies a formal order or training.
- distinguish
- Distinguish is formal and focuses on spotting the difference.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: tell or say?
tell vs say
Say does not need an indirect person: she said hello; she told me hello is wrong. Tell usually needs one.
Practice
Which sentence is correct?
Choose one answer.
Tell takes the listener first: told me the story. Said does not take the listener directly.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tell”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.