tell

verb

1 give sb information

ADVERB

▪ bluntly, curtly, flatly

▪

She told me bluntly it was my own fault.

▪ gravely, seriously

▪ smugly

▪ honestly, truthfully

▪ gently, quietly, softly

▪ falsely

VERB + TELL

▪ want to

▪ be going to

▪

I was going to tell you—I just didn't get around to it.

▪ try to

▪ hate to

▪

I hate to tell you this but I've broken your phone.

▪ let sb

▪

I tried to tell them but they wouldn't let me.

PREPOSITION

▪ about

▪

I told him about the money.

▪ of

▪

No one had told her of the dangers.

▪ to

▪

He told the story to all his friends.

2 order sb

ADVERB

▪ firmly, sternly

▪

‘Calm down,’ he told her firmly.

Tell is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑Bible, ↑clock, ↑common sense, ↑conscience, ↑document, ↑ear, ↑email, ↑expert, ↑expression, ↑eye, ↑film, ↑gauge, ↑history, ↑inscription, ↑instinct, ↑instruction, ↑intuition, ↑judge, ↑letter, ↑message, ↑notice, ↑sense, ↑sign, ↑source, ↑statistics, ↑strain

Tell is used with these nouns as the object: ↑anecdote, ↑briefing, ↑court, ↑difference, ↑fib, ↑fortune, ↑gag, ↑hearing, ↑history, ↑interviewer, ↑joke, ↑journalist, ↑judge, ↑juror, ↑jury, ↑legend, ↑lie, ↑news, ↑news conference, ↑police, ↑press, ↑press conference, ↑reporter, ↑secret, ↑story, ↑superior, ↑tale, ↑time, ↑trial, ↑tribunal, ↑truth, ↑viewer, ↑way, ↑world, ↑yarn