🤔 Grammar · Commonly Confused Words
Commonly Confused Word Pairs
Say vs tell, make vs do, borrow vs lend, bring vs take — the small switch that decides which word is right.
Grammar › Commonly Confused Words › Commonly Confused Word Pairs
The rule in one sentenceEach confused pair hides one small switch — a named listener (say/tell), creating vs completing (make/do), giving vs receiving (lend/borrow), or moving towards vs away from the speaker (bring/take) — and once you spot the switch, the right word is obvious.
What are confused word pairs?
English is full of everyday word pairs that mean nearly — but not quite — the same thing, and mixing them up is one of the most common mistakes at every level, from complete beginners to confident speakers. The trouble is that no single grammar rule covers all of them: each pair has its own private little switch, and the only way to learn it is to notice that switch again and again until it becomes automatic.
The good news is that four pairs cause most of the trouble, and each one has a genuinely simple test hiding inside it. Say vs tell: does the sentence name a listener? If yes, use tell. Make vs do: is something new being created, or is a task being completed? Borrow vs lend: are you the person receiving, or the person giving? Bring vs take: is the movement towards the speaker, or away from them?
🎬 Compare: “Paddington said he was sorry” (no listener named) vs. “Paddington told Mrs Brown he was sorry” (a listener is named).
Same idea, one small switch: name the listener, and “say” becomes “tell.”
None of these pairs can be fixed by memorising a long list — they’re learned by meeting real sentences again and again until the switch becomes instinct, which is exactly why watching a story unfold, rather than studying a table, works so well.
The rule for each pair
Say vs Tell
We say something; we tell someone something. The named listener is the switch — no listener, use “say”; a listener, use “tell.”
Aunt Lucy says she misses Paddington.
The Reverend Mother tells the family a strange story.
Borrow vs Lend
The receiver borrows; the giver lends. Same object, two sides of one action.
Hunter Cabot lends the Browns his riverboat.
The Browns gratefully borrow his boat for the trip.
Make vs Do
Make creates something new — food, a decision, a mess. Do completes a task or activity — a chore, an exercise, your best.
Paddington makes marmalade sandwiches for the journey.
Mrs Bird does the washing up every evening.
Bring vs Take
Bring moves towards the speaker or the place they mean. Take moves away from it.
Bring the map over here so Mrs Brown can see it.
The Browns take extra rope with them into the jungle.
When to use which
Say · Make · Lend · Bring
- Say: the exact words, with no listener named — Paddington said, “I’m terribly sorry.”
- Make: something didn’t exist before and now it does — food, plans, promises, noise.
- Lend: you are the one giving something, expecting it back — Hunter lends his boat.
- Bring: the object ends up here, with the speaker or listener.
Tell · Do · Borrow · Take
- Tell: a listener is directly named — Paddington tells Aunt Lucy about his new family in London.
- Do: a task, chore or activity gets finished — the packing, the dishes, an exam.
- Borrow: you are the one receiving something, planning to return it.
- Take: the object ends up away from here, somewhere else.
Quick collocations: words that travel together
Certain nouns almost always sit next to one word in the pair, not the other. Learn these and half the battle is won.
Say / Tell
Make / Do
Borrow / Lend / Bring / Take
Visual guide
Teacher Teddy’s illustrated guide to this rule is being drawn — the full swipe-through infographic will appear here soon.
Common mistakes
❌ She said me she was worried about Aunt Lucy.
✅ She told me she was worried about Aunt Lucy.
“Say” doesn’t take a person directly — a named listener always needs “tell.”
❌ Can you borrow me Mrs Bird’s umbrella for the walk?
✅ Can you lend me Mrs Bird’s umbrella for the walk?
The giver “lends”; “borrow” is what the receiver does, so it can’t take an indirect object like “me.”
❌ Paddington did a cake for the Reverend Mother.
✅ Paddington made a cake for the Reverend Mother.
Creating something new, like a cake, always takes “make,” not “do.”
❌ Judy Brown, take this map over here so we can look at it together.
✅ Judy Brown, bring this map over here so we can look at it together.
Movement towards the speaker’s own position needs “bring,” not “take.”
Exceptions & tricky cases
Three cases where the basic rule bends — knowing these takes you from A2 to a genuinely confident B1.
1. “Say” can take direct speech. Say does avoid a named person as object, but it happily reports exact words in quotation marks.
✅ Paddington said, “I do apologise.” (the quoted words are the object, not a person)
2. “Make” hides inside fixed expressions. Phrases like make an effort, make a decision, make an exception don’t create a physical object — they’re just fixed collocations to learn as whole chunks, not logic to work out each time.
3. “Borrow from” makes the giver explicit. You can name the lender inside a “borrow” sentence using “from,” without switching the verb.
✅ The Browns borrowed the boat from Hunter Cabot. (still “borrow,” even though the giver is named)
Practice: choose the right word
Eight quick questions. Pick the answer you’d actually say — you get the explanation either way.
1. Aunt Lucy ___ Paddington that she misses him terribly.
A listener is named (“Paddington”) → tell.
2. “I’m scared,” Paddington ___ quietly.
Direct speech, no listener named → say.
3. Mrs Bird ___ the washing up every evening at the Browns’ house.
A chore that’s completed, not created → do.
4. Paddington ___ marmalade sandwiches for the journey to Peru.
Creating something new (food) → make.
5. Hunter Cabot ___ the Browns his riverboat for their journey.
He’s the one giving it → lend.
6. The Browns gratefully ___ his boat to travel upriver.
They’re the ones receiving it → borrow.
7. Could you ___ the map over here so Aunt Lucy can see it too?
Movement towards the speaker, here → bring.
8. The Browns ___ extra rope with them deep into the jungle.
Movement away from the speaker’s position → take.
Movie spotlight: Paddington in Peru
Paddington in Peru (2024) is a warm family adventure built almost entirely from everyday, polite dialogue — which makes it an unusually good classroom for these four pairs. Aunt Lucy says she misses Paddington; the Reverend Mother tells the family a strange story. Paddington makes sandwiches while Mrs Brown does the packing. Hunter Cabot lends the Browns his riverboat, and they gratefully borrow it. Sandwiches get brought along the river, and extra rope gets taken into the jungle. All four pairs, both sides, in one gentle story.
Keep going
Related lessons in Commonly Confused Words:
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