bring /take

[Winwin2011]

I read the following from a book:

Dear parents,

Our school will have a school picnic soon. Please see the details below.

Please bring a bottle of water,.... and...

Yours faithfully,
Principal

I wonder if it is correct to use "take" in the above context.

Thanks.

 

[probus]

Bring is better than take. We bring things with us when we come, and take them with us when we go. The Principal implies "Please bring a bottle of water when you come to the school picnic."

Except that today's generation seems to have forgotten "take" entirely. They never take at all, they only bring. I have tried to argue this with my children. They look at me blankly, and are just as sure that I don't know how to speak English as I am that they don't!

 

[SoothingDave]

Either is probably fine. You bring something with you. You take something somewhere.

 

[Grumpy]

Yes, but it largely depends on the context.
If you ask people to bring something with them, it generally means that you want them to come with that object to a place where you [that is, the person or organisation asking] will be. For example, "Please bring your homework, so that I can mark it".
Asking people to take something with them does not imply that they will be coming together with the person or organisation making the request - or, indeed, with anyone else at all. For example, "Please take a torch with you when you go out after dark".
In the case you quote, the school picnic is obviously a communal event, and the Principal will be there, so I think "bring" is more appropriate - although "take" is not wrong.

 

[emsr2d2]

If you were planning a visit to a place where night-time walks are an attraction, you might be advised: "Bring a torch with you. Remember to take it with you on the night walks."

 

[Winwin2011]

I read the following question from a forum as follows:

What can i bring to japan? - Yahoo! Answers
Resolved Question

What can I bring to Japan?

i know you cannot bring A laptop/cellphone, but is there anything else i can/cannot take there? ^_^ Any type of answers will be good -if they are helpful-! thank you!

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

1. You can take a laptop and a phone, only the phone probably won't work.
There is a huge list of things you cannot take into Japan, mostly drugs, medications, and food stuffs.

2. You can bring laptops and cellphones. the phone probably won't work, but the laptop will work normally with or without the internet (depending on whether you can get it.)

3. There's some food stuffs you aren't allowed to take, like fresh fruits / vegetables, foods that aren't factory sealed.

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From the above forum, I saw some people use "bring" and some use "take". If we are tourists who want to go to Japan, do we use either "bring" and "take" in the above context?

Thanks for your help.

 

[BobK]

As has been said, either works, depending on context. As has also been said bring is to come as take is to go. If I go to Japan, I will take my golf clubs. But When you come to Japan, don't forget to bring your golf clubs. ;-) (I won't, by the way.)

When I was a student, invitations to parties would not only say 'RSVP' but also 'BaB' - Bring a bottle.

b

 

[SoothingDave]

That's BYOB (bring your own bottle) in AmE.

 

[emsr2d2]

In BrE, we don't bother with the final B for that. It's just "BYO".

 

[BobK]

The memory's fading. ;-)

b