Learning English? Watch Out For These Common Verb Mistakes

At TextRanch, our editors correct hundreds of texts every day, from short work emails to full-length books. Over and over again, we see the same mistakes with verbs. Subject-verb agreement is the #1 issue, but another common problem is the incorrect use of verbs that seem similar but actually have different meanings or grammatical patterns.

Most of the time, you can still understand a sentence that has these kinds of mistakes, but the writing will probably sound or awkward. Verbs like “bring” and “take”, or “say” and “tell” are easy to confuse because their meanings overlap. However, they are not interchangeable.

Below are some common verbs that English learners often find confusing, plus a few simple tricks to help you remember the differences between them.

1: Bring, Take, Carry, Get, Fetch

These verbs all involve moving something, but they are used for different purposes based on the direction and method.

Bring vs. Take

You can usually think of these as opposites.

Bring = come toward the speaker/writer

Take = go away from the speaker/writer

Here are some examples:

• When you come to my party on Saturday, could you bring a few bottles of soda?
• Please take this file to Ami’s office across the hall.
• Melvin always takes his car to Bobo’s Auto Repair when it needs an oil change.
• “Be sure to bring your textbooks to class tomorrow,” said the professor. “We will be reviewing the first two chapters.”

Quick tip:
Bring = come here
Take = go there

Note: If you aren’t certain about the direction of movement, “bring” and “take” can be used interchangeably:

• Did you bring your laptop to the meeting?
• Did you take your laptop to the meeting?

Carry

Carry means to transport something physically in your hands, arms, or on your body. It can also describe the capacity of a machine.

• I can’t carry my little brother anymore. He’s too heavy!
• The elevator wasn’t working, so Theo and Kam had to carry their groceries up four flights of stairs.
• This drone can carry up to 100 kilos.

Get and Fetch

Both of these words mean to go to another location, collect something, and then return with that item.

• Would you like me to get you a coffee from that little cafe next door?
• Can you fetch some wood for the fireplace?

Tip:
“Fetch” sounds slightly old-fashioned. In modern contexts, it is most often used when training animals.

 

2: Hear and Listen

These two verbs are both related to sound, but they describe very different actions.

Hear = passive; the sound comes to your ears

Listen = active; you are paying attention to the sound

Hear

You hear something automatically. You are not trying to do it ; no effort is required on your part.

• Don’t worry if you hear the neighbor’s dog barking. He does that every day when the mail arrives.
• I think I hear thunder outside.
• John is able to hear a little, but his wife his completely deaf.
• Jian heard the girls at the cafe saying his name.

Listen

You listen when you are actively paying attention; it requires you to make an intentional effort.

• The teacher told the class to listen to his instructions because he was not going to repeat them.
• Isobel and Martika like to listen to other people’s conversations when they go to the cafe.
• Dion was listening to music on his phone when he got a text from his boss asking him why he didn’t come to work today.
• Hameed listens to British podcasts to improve his English comprehension.

Preposition tips:

We usually say:

• listen to music
• listen to a podcast
• listen to your teacher
• listen to advice

You cannot say:
❌ I listen music.
❌ I listen my professor.

These sentences are missing prepositions.

However, these sentences with “hear” do not need prepositions:
✔ I hear music.
✔ I hear my professor speaking.

Quick comparison:

• I heard the new Harry Styles song. (It reached my ears.)
• I listened to the new Harry Styles song. (I paid attention to it.)

3: Say and Tell

These are two of the most frequently confused verbs in English writing.

The basic rule:

• Say = focuses on the words
• Tell = focuses on the listener

Use “say” when you do NOT mention the listener

• My scout leaders say that we should be sure to clean up our campsite and never leave any garbage in the woods.
• The health department says everyone should get a flu shot.
• My supervisor said that the meeting was postponed.
• “I need to finish my homework,” said Isobel.

Use “tell” when you mention the person receiving the information

Structure: tell + someone + something

• Please tell the manager that we’re having problems with the email system.
• Did you tell Michael about the meeting next week?
• Martika told me she saw Jian at the cafe last night.
• Darnell told us to make our airline reservations for the conference tomorrow.

You cannot say:
❌ She told that she was hungry.
❌ He told the package had arrived.

Quick memory trick:

If there’s a person after the verb, it’s usually tell.
If there’s no person, it’s usually say.

Common fixed expressions with “tell”:

• tell the truth
• tell a lie
• tell a story
• tell a joke
• tell the difference
• tell time

“Can tell” and “could tell” are idiomatic expressions that show that someone has noticed something:

• I can tell that Grandpa doesn’t feel well.
• I can tell that the boss is not happy with the year-end report.
• Noah could tell that it was going to rain.

More frequently confused verbs

Here are links to three TextRanch blog articles that explain the differences between other verbs:

• Asking for Permission: Should You Use “Can” or “May”?
• Confused About “Lay” and “Lie”?
• Make vs. Do: How to Tell Which One is Correct

Are there any verbs that confuse you? If so, leave a comment below and we might include them in a future blog article!

Also, if you aren’t sure if you are using a verb correctly, click the blue box below. One of our TextRanch editors will review your text and make any necessary changes.