Troubleshooting say tell
| Correct Form | Common Errors |
|---|---|
| He said he could not come to the party. He told me he could not come to the party. |
He |
| Tell is normally followed by a personal direct object (here = me) and is not often used for direct speech. See next item. | |
| He said, 'I cannot come to the party.' | He |
| Say is more often used to introduce direct speech (when the writer wishes to indicate the exact words used, as in novels). Tell is not often used to introduce direct speech, but it can be used, for example, to introduce a command or instructions. There were a lot of people in the street so I told my daughter: 'Stay near me. You won't get lost that way.' |
|
| It's not true. You're telling lies. I like it when Bob tells a story. He's a great storyteller. |
It's not true. You're I like it when Bob |
We do not use say with certain expressions:
|
|
| It's snowing. I knew it would and I said so. It's snowing. I knew it would and I told you so. |
It's snowing. I knew it would and I said it.. It's snowing. I knew it would and I told you it. |
| It is better to use so rather than it in these situations. It is certainly more common. | |