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Tenacious Learner Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

Direct speech. Say and Tell

Hi teachers,
Are all the answers correct?
What did the old woman say to Alex?
a) She said, 'What are you doing in my house?'
b) 'What are you doing in my house?' she said.
c) She said to him, 'What are you doing in my house?'
d) 'What are you doing in my house?' she said to him.

What did the old woman tell Alex?
a) She told him, 'What are you doing in my house?'.
b) 'What are you doing in my house?' she told him.

Thanks in advance.
  

Top answer

Don't use 'tell' with questions. Tell' is for giving information. Use 'ask'.

— Clive

  • Don't use 'tell' with questions.
  • Tell' is for giving information.
  • Use 'ask'.
  • 'Say' is also OK
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4 Answers
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Don't use 'tell' with questions. Tell' is for giving information. Use 'ask'.
'Say' is also OK
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CliveDon't use 'tell' with questions. Tell' is for giving information. Use 'ask'. 'Say' is also OK
Hi Clive,
Thanks for your help.

TL
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(b) and (d) have a story-telling feel, and I wouldn't myself use this style to answer a comprehension question (which I assume this is). However, it would be very harsh to mark these answers as wrong.
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GPY(b) and (d) have a story-telling feel, and I wouldn't myself use this style to answer a comprehension question (which I assume this is). However, it would be very harsh to mark these answers as wrong.
Hi GPY;
Your assumption is right. Thanks for your interest.

TL
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