Word Pairs English Learners Mix Up
Borrow and lend, bring and take, say and tell, make and do — the pairs that stay wrong for years unless you fix them deliberately.
These pairs are not difficult. They are just rarely explained, so learners guess — and a guess that works half the time never gets corrected.
Borrow and lend
Borrow = take from someone. Lend = give to someone.
- Can I borrow your pen? (I take it)
- Could you lend me your pen? (you give it)
Direction test: borrow from, lend to.
❌ Can you borrow me €10? ✅ Can you lend me €10?
Bring and take
Relative to where the speaker is: bring = towards here, take = away from here.
- Bring your laptop to the meeting. (I'll be there)
- Take an umbrella — it's raining. (you're going out)
Say and tell
Tell needs a person. Say does not.
- He told me the news. / He said the news was bad.
- Fixed: tell a story, tell the truth, tell a lie, tell the time
- Fixed: say hello, say sorry, say a word
❌ He said me he was leaving.
Make and do
Make = create or produce something. Do = perform an activity.
| make | do |
|---|---|
| make a mistake | do homework |
| make a decision | do the washing-up |
| make progress | do business |
| make an effort | do research |
| make a noise | do a favour |
These are collocations — learn the pair, not the rule.
Other high-frequency pairs
Fun and funny. Fun = enjoyable. Funny = makes you laugh (or strange).
The party was fun. His story was funny.
Look, see, watch. See happens to you; look at is deliberate; watch is deliberate and over time.
I saw an accident. I looked at the menu. I watched a film.
Remind and remember. You remember by yourself; someone else reminds you.
Remind me to call her. / I can't remember her name.
Lose and miss. You lose an object; you miss a train, a person or an opportunity.
Learn and teach. You learn from a teacher; a teacher teaches you.
Test yourself
The quiz below uses these pairs in ordinary sentences. Watch the direction.