Quiz time: say or tell?

Do you find it difficult to know when to use "say" and when to use "tell"? You are not alone - it's a common problem. Try my quiz and then learn the difference. 

​Quiz
Put "say" or "tell" into the sentences. Remember to think about the grammar and use the correct form as well.

1. He ____ that he wanted to go home.
2. He ____ me that he wanted to go home.
3. You should always ____ the truth.
4. Did you ____ sorry?
5. He loves ____ jokes.
6. Pardon? Did you ____ something?
7. I need to ____ you something.
8. I sent a message to ____ thank you.
9. My son is learning to ____ the time.
10. He asked me to marry him and I ____ yes!
11. Please ____ us a story!
12. It's time to ____ goodbye!

Now read the explanation and change your answers if necessary.

Explanation
The most important difference between "say" and "tell" is this:
We say something or we say something to somebody.
We tell somebody or we tell somebody something.
After "tell", there is a person. After "say", there is not.

More examples:
Daniel said, "I'm hungry!"
Daniel said (that) he was hungry.
​What did you say to her?
They told me to come back later.
Peter told Jane (that) he loved her.
​She told everyone my secret!

There are some other phrases just have to be learnt:
​

say
sorry
please/thank you
yes/no
hi/hello/goodbye/good morning
a prayer
a few words

tell
the truth/a lie
a joke
the time
a story
the difference
​

​He always smiles and says hello.
Every night, he says a prayer before he goes to sleep.
Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to say a few words. Thank you all for coming…

These shoes look the same to me. I can't tell the difference.
It's wrong to tell lies.
My parents taught me how to tell the time when I was six years old.

Now check your answers to the quiz.

Answers

1. He said that he wanted to go home.
2. He told me that he wanted to go home.
3. You should always tell the truth.
4. Did you say sorry?
5. He loves telling jokes.
6. Pardon? Did you say something?
7. I need to tell you something.
8. I sent a message to say thank you.
9. My son is learning to tell the time.
10. He asked me to marry him and I said yes!
11. Please tell us a story!
12. It's time to say goodbye!

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If you would like to know how to improve your English vocabulary and how to remember new words, get my Vocabulary Challenge e-book here:

English Vocabulary Challenge E-book

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