Awesome 3 July grammar and vocabulary review Saint Louis School English Department Carlos Schwerter Garc í a

What is the difference in meaning between tell and say? Meanings of Tell and Say The meanings of these two verbs, tell and say, are similar. The main meaning of tell is to "say or write something to someone." The main meaning of say is to "use your voice to express something in words." However, there are some clear and easy rules to follow about when to use these two words, as shown below. Usage rules for Tell and Say Tell is used only to instruct or inform, and when the receiver of the information is included as an object of the verb. Do not use for quotes. Has she told you the good news, yet? Please tell us your name and occupation. The police officer told him to stop. [NOT The police offer told him, "Stop."] Can you tell me what happened? Say is used for exact quotes, and when the receiver isn’t mentioned in the sentence: “Good morning,” said the woman behind the counter. I just stopped by to say hello. I said three words before he interrupted me again. Say is also used to express opinions: I wouldn't say that he's a great guitarist [=I don't think he's a great guitarist]. They say that you should drink eight glasses of water a day.

Reported questions When we report what people say, we usually change the tense of the verbs to reflect that we are reporting – not giving direct speech. This pattern is followed when we report questions and there are also other important changes between direct questions and reported questions. Yes/no questions Direct question: “Do you like working in teams?” Reported question: He asked if I like working in teams. When we report yes/no questions we use ‘if’ or ‘whether’. Direct question: “Did you enjoy the party?” Reported question: She asked me whether I’d enjoyed the party. The tense of the verb changes as it does in reported speech but we don’t use auxiliary verbs. The word order is the same as in an affirmative sentence. Questions with a question word Direct question: “What time does the train leave?” Reported question: He asked what time the train left. When there is a question word (what, where, why, who, when, how) we use that question word in the reported question but there is no auxiliary verb and the word order is like an affirmative sentence (‘what time the train left’ not He asked me what time did the train leave.) Look at some more examples: Direct question: “Who did you see?” Reported question: She asked me who I’d seen. Direct question: “Where did you go to school?” Reported question: He asked me where I’d gone to school. Direct question: “Why are you crying?” Reported question: She asked him why he was crying. Notice that the reported questions do not have a question mark at the end.

Verb, object, to + infinitive Verb, object, to + infinitive We use this structure to report requests, advice, encouragement and warning. Certain verbs may be followed by an object and then by an infinitive with to – I told you to do it. The negative infinitive is formed with not – I told you not to do it.