Difference Between Bring and Fetch

Today’s English
February 20th, 2017

You cannot ask your student to bring chalk or your book from the department.  Why?

The word “bring" means “to come with something/somebody from the listener’s place to the speaker”  whereas the word “fetch" means “to go to a place mentioned, get and return with that to the speaker" If the listener has the book with him, you can say “bring your book" and if you direct him to go somewhere, pick and then bring it, you have to say “fetch my book from the department”.

1. What’s that in your hand? Bring it here.
2. Can you do a favor for me? Please fetch my bike key that is upstairs. (Not bring….)
3. Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. (Not bring…)
4. She’s not at home. She has gone to fetch her kids from school. (Not:  to bring her kids)

The common phrases we generally use with the word “bring" are “brings you here", bring forward, bring back, bring to an end and bring A and B together.

1. Hey Ramya! What brings you here? (= I’m surprised to see you here.)

2. The meeting is brought forward from 4p.m. to 2p.m. (= preponed, conducted in advance)

3. I don’t know who will bring the agitation to an end.

4. Please bring back all your library books within two days. (= return)

5. I couldn’t bring Ramya and Revathi together.  They are still in conflict with each other.

"If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you."    - Jesus Christ, the Gospel of Thomas