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Old 21-Oct-2004, 02:16
Anonymous
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Default told vs. said

Why do Americans say "I told a lie" rather than "I said a lie?"

What's the difference between told and said?
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Old 16-Apr-2008, 09:44
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Default Re: told vs. said

To be honest, i have never heard people say "say a lie". It's always "tell a lie", it's considered a set-phrase, like "tell the truth".
I may be wrong though.
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Old 16-Apr-2008, 09:55
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Default Re: told vs. said

Quote:
Originally Posted by MashUK View Post
To be honest, i have never heard people say "say a lie". It's always "tell a lie", it's considered a set-phrase, like "tell the truth".
I may be wrong though.
You are not.


Here are a few more fixed phrases with tell. We cannot use say with these phrases:
tell (someone) a story
tell the future (= to know what the future will bring)
tell the time (= know how to read a clock)
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