You’re in a bustling city market, haggling with a vendor. He quotes a price, you counter with a lower one. The vendor, looking dubious, says, “You’re telling me stories!” And you laugh, realizing that in English, we use the verb ‘tell’ in more ways than simply recounting a tale. We can tell someone the time, tell a joke, tell the truth, and yes, even tell stories. This is the beauty of English collocations, they breathe life into language by adding flavor and context. So, how about we dive in and unlock the many stories you can tell with the verb ‘tell’?
In this guide, I will walk you through 29 important English collocations with Tell that will make your English sound more natural and fluent.
1. Tell the truth: to state facts.
Example: It’s always better to tell the truth.
2. Tell a lie: This is the opposite of telling the truth.
Example: She never tolerates anyone who tells a lie.
3. Tell a story: to narrate an event or series of events, real or imagined.
Example: My grandfather used to tell us stories every night.
4. Tell a joke: to share a funny anecdote or pun.
Example: He told a joke that had everyone laughing.
5. Tell the time: to state the current time.
Example: Can you tell the time?
6. Tell the difference: to distinguish between two or more things.
Example: I can’t tell the difference between these two colors.
7. Tell a secret: to reveal confidential information.
Example: She told me a secret and made me promise not to share it.
8. Tell someone’s fortune: to predict someone’s future.
Example: The old lady in the fair claimed to tell fortunes.
9. Tell the future: This is another way of predicting what’s going to happen.
Example: No one can tell the future with absolute certainty.
10. Tell tales: to gossip or spread rumors.
Example: He has a bad habit of telling tales.
11. Tell on someone: to report someone’s bad behavior.
Example: The child told on his brother for taking his toy.
12. Tell someone off: to reprimand someone.
Example: The teacher told off the student for not doing his homework.
13. Tell apart: to distinguish one person or thing from others.
Example: The twins are so alike that it’s hard to tell them apart.
14. Tell the truth: to be honest and truthful.
Example: Always tell the truth, no matter how hard it may be.
15. Tell a white lie: to tell a lie that is not harmful, often to avoid hurting someone’s feelings.
Example: I had to tell a white lie about her cooking.
16. Tell someone’s future: This refers to predicting someone’s future, often associated with fortune tellers.
Example: She claims to be able to tell your future.
17. Tell the way: This refers to giving directions.
Example: Could you tell me the way to the nearest bus stop?
18. Tell by: to know or understand something because of something else.
Example: You can tell by his smile that he’s happy.
19. Tell someone hello: This is a formal or polite way to greet someone.
Example: Please tell your mother hello from me.
20. Tell it like it is: to speak honestly and frankly.
Example: He’s the kind of person who tells it like it is.
21. Tell the whole story: to give a full, detailed account.
Example: The evidence doesn’t tell the whole story.
22. Tell in advance: to inform someone about something before it happens.
Example: I wish you’d told me in advance that you were coming.
23. Tell of: to describe or narrate something.
Example: The book tells of a young girl’s journey to self-discovery.
24. Tell against: to have a negative effect on someone or something.
Example: These mistakes will tell against you in the final assessment.
25. Tell from: to be able to understand or know something because of certain information or evidence.
Example: You can tell from his accent that he’s not from around here.
26. Tell someone’s fortune: to predict someone’s future.
Example: The fortune teller at the fair offered to tell my fortune.
27. Tell one’s beads: to say prayers, especially using rosary beads.
Example: Every morning, she would sit quietly and tell her beads.
28. Tell tales out of school: to reveal secrets or confidential information.
Example: He was fired for telling tales out of school.
29. Tell the world: to make something widely known.
Example: She couldn’t wait to tell the world about her engagement.
So, that’s our collection of 29 popular English collocations with Tell. Learning and using these collocations can significantly enhance your English communication. Remember, language is all about telling your story in your own unique way, so why not do it with some new collocations?