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Difference Between Bring And Take
In yet more words that English speakers frequently misuse in their writing are the verbs “bring” and “take”. While they may appear to do the same thing, the two are actually not interchangeable (regardless of tense) and actually carry very different connotations.
“Bring”, used correctly, is an action that indicates carrying a particular object from a different location to the place where the speaker is (usually “here”). “Take”, on the other hand, connotes carrying it from the speaker’s location to another place. The difference is very subtle and, although most folks will accept switching their usage, it causes a certain amount of incongruence when read you through the text. In fact, using them incorrectly usually leads to that nagging feeling that something is wrong, even though you can’t exactly pinpoint it (though, hopefully, your English language software can).
Take these incorrect uses of the word “bring” for instance:
“I will bring the laptop to the shop tomorrow.”
“Don’t you bring the dog to that park again!”
While both sentences may sound fine, using “bring” actually breaks the intent of the word. Instead, you should use the verb “take”, as in:
“I will take laptop to the shop tomorrow.”
“Don’t you take dog to that park again!”
See how that small change makes both sentences sound so much better? On the other hand, the following usage of “bring” should be correct:
“Bring the laptop back here after you take it to the shop.”
“Sorry, I forgot to bring the book I promised.”
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