Bring or Take?
Explore “bring” and “take” in everyday messages. Follow movement toward or away from the person speaking.
Preview
Questions with solutions-
1. Fill in the blank.
I'm in the kitchen. Please ___ your empty cup here.
- bring
- take
Where does the cup's trip end?
Show solution
I'm in the kitchen. Please bring your empty cup here.
Use “bring” for movement toward the speaker. “Here” points to the speaker's place.
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2. Fill in the blank.
I'm staying inside. Please ___ these dirty shoes outside.
- bring
- take
The shoes are leaving the speaker's place.
Show solution
I'm staying inside. Please take these dirty shoes outside.
Use “take” for movement away from the speaker. The speaker is staying inside, and the shoes are going outside.
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3. Choose the correct answer.
Where should the water go?
Maya: “I'm at the picnic table. Bring the water here.”
- To the picnic table
- Away from the picnic table
Maya tells you where she is.
Show solution
- To the picnic table
“Here” can be any place where the speaker is, not just home.
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4. Choose the correct answer.
What movement does “take” describe here?
Noah: “I'll stay in the office. Take this box to the garage.”
- Movement toward Noah's place
- Movement away from Noah's place
Noah stays behind.
Show solution
- Movement away from Noah's place
The office is the starting place. The box goes somewhere else while Noah stays there.
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5. Fill in the blank.
I'm waiting by the pool. Please ___ your little brother to me.
- take
- bring
The brother will come to the person speaking.
Show solution
I'm waiting by the pool. Please bring your little brother to me.
You can “bring” a person as well as a thing.
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6. Choose the correct answer.
What does “take” mean in this message?
Ms. Lee: “I'm staying in this classroom. Please take these chairs to the hall.”
- Move the chairs to another place
- Keep the chairs as your own
The message gives a place for the chairs to go.
Show solution
- Move the chairs to another place
“Take” does not always mean “keep.” Here, it means move something away to another place.
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7. Fill in the blank.
I'm at home with the cat. Don't ___ the dog here today; the cat is scared.
- bring
- take
Think about the direction of the trip that should not happen.
Show solution
I'm at home with the cat. Don't bring the dog here today; the cat is scared.
“Don't” says not to make the trip. The direction is still toward the speaker, so the verb is “bring.”
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8. Choose the correct answer.
“Brought” is the past form of which word?
Ella: “I stayed at home yesterday. My dad brought me some soup.”
- take
- bring
The soup moved toward Ella.
Show solution
- bring
The past form of “bring” is “brought,” not “bringed.”
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9. Fill in the blank.
I stayed in my office yesterday. Sam ___ the broken chair to the repair shop.
- took
- brought
The chair left the speaker's place yesterday.
Show solution
I stayed in my office yesterday. Sam took the broken chair to the repair shop.
The past form of “take” is “took.” It describes the chair's trip away from the office.
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10. Fill in the blank.
I'm at the bus stop. You're walking toward me with my bag. You're ___ it to me.
- taking
- bringing
The bag is getting closer to the speaker.
Show solution
I'm at the bus stop. You're walking toward me with my bag. You're bringing it to me.
“You're bringing” describes movement toward the speaker that is happening now.
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11. Choose the correct answer.
Why does Nora use “bring”?
Nora: “Tomorrow I'll be at the lake, waiting for you. Please bring me a towel.”
- The towel will go away from the place where Nora will be.
- The towel will come to the place where Nora will be.
Think about Nora's location tomorrow.
Show solution
- The towel will come to the place where Nora will be.
“Bring” can point to the speaker's future location, not only where the speaker is now.
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12. Fill in the blank.
Eva lent me this book. I'm staying at home. Please ___ it back to Eva at school.
- bring
- take
“Back” means a return, but where is the speaker staying?
Show solution
Eva lent me this book. I'm staying at home. Please take it back to Eva at school.
“Back” does not always go with “bring.” Use “take back” when the return trip goes away from the speaker.
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13. Fill in the blank.
Ben, at the store: “I'll stay here. Can you take the bread home?”
Ana, at home: “Yes, please ___ the bread to me.”- bring
- take
Ana is speaking in the second message.
Show solution
Ben, at the store: “I'll stay here. Can you take the bread home?”
Ana, at home: “Yes, please bring the bread to me.”Follow the person speaking in each message. The bread leaves Ben's place but comes to Ana's place.
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14. Choose the correct answer.
Why do the two speakers use different words for the same trip?
Person outside: “I'll stay outside. Take this box to the person inside.”
Person inside: “Bring the box to me.”- They are talking about different boxes.
- They are speaking from different places.
Find each speaker's location.
Show solution
- They are speaking from different places.
The same trip goes away from one speaker's place and toward the other speaker's place.
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15. Fill in the blank.
I'm staying at home. First, bring the package to me so I can check it. Then ___ it to the post office.
- take
- bring
There are two trips. Focus on the second one.
Show solution
I'm staying at home. First, bring the package to me so I can check it. Then take it to the post office.
The first trip ends at the speaker's home. The second trip starts there and goes away, so it uses “take.”