Irregular verbs  Regular verbs

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tell, tells, telling, told

Synonyms: narrate, inform, state, recount, report

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Antonyms: listen, ask, question, conceal, withhold

The Verb Tell – Definition, Usage, and Clarification


The verb tell is a very common irregular verb that means to communicate information, a story, or a fact to someone in spoken or written words.


VERB FORMS


■ Base Form: tell
■ Past Simple: told
■ Past Participle: told
■ Present Participle/Gerund: telling


USAGE AND CONTEXT


'Tell' is a core verb of communication, often involving a direct address to a person.


1. Communicating Information to Someone
This is its primary use. Unlike 'say,' it usually takes an indirect object (the person being told).


■ Information: 'Tell me what happened.'
■ Story: 'My grandfather used to tell us stories about the war.'


2. Distinguishing or Recognizing
This refers to the ability to identify or perceive something.


■ Perception: 'Can you tell the difference between these two pictures?'
■ Sensation: 'I can tell you're not happy about this.'


3. Instructing or Ordering
This use is for giving a command.


■ Command: 'I told you to clean your room.'


ℹ IMPORTANT: 'TELL' VS. 'SAY'


This is one of the most common points of confusion in English.


■ Tell: Focuses on the content and the listener. It is almost always followed by a person (an indirect object).
■ Structure: tell + person + (that/what/etc.)
■ Correct: 'She told me that she was tired.'
■ Incorrect: 'She told that she was tired.'


■ Say: Focuses on the words spoken. It is not followed by a person without the preposition 'to.'
■ Structure: say + (that) or say + 'to' + person
■ Correct: 'She said that she was tired.'
■ Correct: 'She said to me that she was tired.'
■ Incorrect: 'She said me that she was tired.'