Meaning

Bring is a versatile verb primarily meaning to transport or move something from one place to another. It also functions figuratively, such as “bringing an idea to life” or legally, as in “bringing charges against someone.”

Pronunciation & Stress

IPA: /ˈbɹɪŋ/
Stress: First syllable (BRING).

Morphology

– **Present tense:** bring (e.g., “She brings groceries.”)
– **Past tense:** brought (e.g., “He brought water.”)
– **Past participle:** brought/broughten (e.g., “They’ve brought supplies.”)
– **Present participle/gerund:** bringing (e.g., “Are you bringing food?”)

Grammar Notes

– Irregular verb (past tense “brought” does not follow -ed rule).
– Can be transitive (needs an object) or ditransitive (requires two objects: “She brought him a meal”).
– Dialectal forms like “broughten” are archaic or regional (e.g., North American English).

Interesting Facts

– Etymologically, it shares roots with “bring” in Dutch, German, and Welsh (“hebrwng”).
– In baseball, “to bring” slangily refers to throwing a powerful fastball.

Learning Tips

– Use “**brought**” in a timeline: “Yesterday I **brought** the documents.”
– Pair with collocations like “**bring about** change,” “**bring up** a child,” or “**bring in** someone.”
– Contrast with “take” (away) using mnemonics: “Bring = closer to me,” “Take = away from me.”

Cultural Context

– **Idioms:** “Bring home the bacon” (earn money), “Bring to book” (punish).
– **Proverbs:** “Everything comes to him who waits,” but “you have to **bring** something to the table.”

Examples

Simple: “Please **bring** your passport.”
Medium: “The project **brought** innovation to the team.”
Complex: “She **brought about** a revolution by introducing sustainable practices.”

Word Relationships

Synonyms: carry, convey, lead, contribute
Antonyms: take away, remove, withhold
Common Combinations: bring in, bring up, bring back, bring along

Mini-Tasks

Task 1: Write a sentence using “bring about.”
Task 2: Find a synonym for “bring” in a thesaurus and use it in a sentence.