Bring vs. take

Question:

Are bring and take interchangeable? If not, could you tell me how to use these two words?

Answer:

For two simple words, they sure can complicate our lives! The definitions of bring and take are so similar that most English speakers do not know the difference.

Strictly speaking, the verb bring indicates movement toward the speaker, whereas take indicates movement away from the speaker (who is not necessarily the subject).

For example:

• June brings pie with her whenever she visits.
• Lily likes to take her puppy with her to the store.
• You can take my sleeping bag with you; just remember to bring it back.

A simple way to decide whether to use bring or take is to ask yourself whether the thing or person in question is going "from there to here" (bring) or "from here to there" (take), always using the speaker as the point of reference.

The distinction between bring and take is not always observed, especially in spoken English, and some would argue that this practice is becoming the norm.

For now, when you are writing, we suggest you stick to using bring and take according to the direction of the movement. That way, you can please even the harshest grammar critic!