can I use "draw" instead of "produce"?

[chance22]

She (produced/drew) some sweets from her bag and insisted they be shared among her friends.
I'm to make a choice between produce and drew. The answer is "produced". But then I wonder if drew can also be used here. Sometimes we say to draw some money from the pocket. So is "drew" also acceptable in the above sentence? Hope you can help me, thank you.

 

[Raymott]

She (produced/drew) some sweets from her bag and insisted they be shared among her friends.

It would be an uncommon use of 'draw'. And 'produced' goes better with 'insisted' (both Latin derivatives) - not that that's a major factor.

 

[LeTyan]

It would be an uncommon use of 'draw'. And 'produced' goes better with 'insisted' (both Latin derivatives) - not that that's a major factor.

"produce some sweets from her bag" also seems uncommon to me. Is it used formally in here? Because "She took out some sweets from her bag" seems the most common.

 

[chance22]

It would be an uncommon use of 'draw'. And 'produced' goes better with 'insisted' (both Latin derivatives) - not that that's a major factor.

Thank you. Then is the expression "draw some money/notes from the pocket" natural?

 

[Matthew Wai]

It would be an uncommon use of 'draw'.

The Longman dictionary says "draw" means "to take something out", why is it an uncommon use? Do dictionaries sometimes include uncommon usage?
See definition 14 of draw - Definition from Longman English Dictionary Online

 

[Rover_KE]

Do dictionaries sometimes include uncommon usage?

They do that all the time; it's one of their main functions. That's why it's definition #14 and not one of the first five or ten.

 

[emsr2d2]

In BrE, we tend only to use "draw" with that meaning when we say "I'm going to draw some money out of the bank". Even then, most people would use "take" or perhaps "withdraw".

 

[Matthew Wai]

Is it common to say "draw a gun/sword"?

 

[emsr2d2]

Is it common to say "draw a gun/sword"?

In the 18th century, I'm sure it was quite common. They're not phrases I've ever had cause to use! In the last news case here of a police shooting, I seem to recall the papers saying that the victim had "pulled a gun" and then brandished it.

 

[LeTyan]

It's only common when you say "draw a card".

 

[LeTyan]

Again, I don't quite get why "produce some sweets from her bag" is common. Is "produce" used formally in here? Because "She took out some sweets from her bag" seems the most common. How often do we hear people say"produce something from his bag"?

 

[emsr2d2]

I find "produced" relatively uncommon there. It suggests to me that something was taken out as a surprise or with a flourish. We say that magicians "produce rabbits out of hats". I, too, would say "She took some sweets out of her bag [and offered them to people]".

 

[Raymott]

I find "produced" relatively uncommon there. It suggests to me that something was taken out as a surprise or with a flourish. We say that magicians "produce rabbits out of hats". I, too, would say "She took some sweets out of her bag [and offered them to people]".

Yes, but she "insisted" they be shared with her friends. This is a bit ridiculous, like producing a rabbit from a hat. If she was going to insist that her friends eat the sweets, she probably did produce them with a flourish. This is a situation that doesn't necessarily call for the "most common" usage. You may insist that the sentence you've produced is superior because it's natural, but naturalness is not always the only criterion by which one chooses what words to use.

 

[Rover_KE]

Can I just remind everybody that we're only discussing 'produced' and 'drew' because chance22 was not allowed to use the verb every native speaker would use in real life — 'took'.

 

[chance22]

So to "draw some money from the pocket" is also uncommon?

 

[Rover_KE]

Yes. You draw money from a bank or ATM.

 

[SoothingDave]

Yes. You draw money from a bank or ATM.

That would be odd here. You withdraw money from an ATM.

 

[emsr2d2]

In BrE, we often say "I drew fifty quid out of the machine earlier" or similar.

 

[konungursvia]

"Draw" as in pull out is not so uncommon, it's just getting a bit old fashioned. We still say 'draw a card' for example, and 'draw your revolver,' but for candies in bags, we usually just say take one out.

 

[Matthew Wai]

"Draw" as in pull out is not so uncommon.

That would be odd here.

Whether it is common or odd is a regional question, may I say so?