Image by THAM YUAN YUAN from Pixabay
In our post about speak, talk, say, and tell, you saw that you tell a story. There are several other, more specific verbs related to tell. Let’s take a look at them now.
Narrate
Narrate is pretty close in meaning to tell, but it’s only used to mean tell the story of something, to give an account of something that happened. Narrate sounds more precise and structured than tell. The noun form is narration, as in to give a narration.
- In the book, the author narrates in detail the events that led to the disaster.
- The main character of the film narrates different adventures from her life.
- During the trial, the witnesses each gave a narration of the events they experienced.
Report
Report is also used to mean tell, as in to share information, especially information that someone is waiting for. Journalists (or reporters) report the news. Report is typically used in more official circumstances, like meetings, but you can also use it (a bit jokingly) in everyday life. The preposition is on: you report on something. Report is a noun as well, as in to give a report.
- Mary will report on the club’s finances later in the meeting.
- Before we end the call, does anyone have anything else they’d like to report on?
- I’ve tried the new Thai restaurant, and I can report to you all that it’s really great.
Recount
Recount also means tell, but it literally means tell again, so it’s usually used when people talk about something that happened to them personally and firsthand. Recount is also a noun, as in to give a recount (of).
- Whenever our aunt returns from one of her trips, she recounts her adventures in exotic places.
- In his blog, Bob recounts his experiences selling real estate in the city.
- The reporters asked people to give their recounts of the accident.
Relate
Relate means to tell a story about a sequence of events, especially when you include details and description.
- My neighbor related the heartwarming story about how she found her lost dog.
- The police officer related stories about terrible car accidents to show the kids how dangerous it is to text and drive.
- If you witnessed anything, you should relate it to the investigator.
Relay
Relay is very similar to relate, but it emphasizes the idea that information or a story is being shared or passed from one person to another.
- One of my colleagues relayed an interesting story he’d heard.
- Don’t tell Jim any secrets. He’ll just relay everything you say to everyone else.
- I’ll relay everything I hear.
Recite
Recite means to tell or say from memory. You usually recite things like poetry or anything else that has been written, and that you can say from memory.
- In my Russian class, we had to recite Pushkin poetry.
- Can you recite any Shakespeare?
- Gloria perfectly recited every line, word for word.
Learn English with the Language Garage!
If you’re interested in ESL/EFL lessons, please check out our English courses. We have private lessons, lessons for you and a friend or colleague, or small groups. Or see our other posts on English grammar, vocabulary, and more.
