Thursday, May 28, 2009

Take this away, then bring it back

I was just reading a web site that explains grammar questions. In this case, it was explaining "take" vs. "bring."

Take that horrible thing away, he said. Bring me some aspirin.

The web site says that "take" means to move something from a place close at hand to a place relatively further away; "bring" means to move something to a position closer at hand. This distinction is not always so clear, however, and often it doesn't matter which verb we use, simply because the distinction noted above is either unclear or unimportant. For instance, one could say, "We are going to visit our grandparents, and we are going to bring/take our cousins with us," we could use either verb.

Two observations: One, I'd take my cousins with me. Or I'd bring them home. Two, it's not further; if it's distance, it's farther.


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