Say vs Tell — Intermediate Practice

At intermediate level, the say vs tell distinction becomes more complex because both verbs are used heavily in reported speech. When reporting what someone said, "say" introduces the words without mentioning the listener: "She said she was tired." "Tell" introduces the words with the listener: "She told me she was tired." Notice that in reported speech, "that" is optional: "He said (that) he would come" and "He told us (that) he would come" are both correct. The verb tense shifts back as normal in reported speech.

Tell also has an important pattern with infinitives for instructions and orders: "tell someone to do something" — "The teacher told the students to be quiet," "My doctor told me to rest." The negative is "tell someone not to do something": "She told him not to worry." This structure does not work with "say" — you cannot write "She said him to be quiet." When reporting commands, always use "tell" with the infinitive pattern. Another useful pattern is "tell someone about something": "He told me about the accident" (he described it to me). These reported speech patterns are essential for B1 Preliminary writing and speaking examinations.