«Uses of words that change due to location»

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A big problem in English can be caused by either the location of the speaker or the listener. If I am at the top of a set of stairs, do I go down the stairs or come down the stairs? If I am in a room, do I tell a person to come in or go in? The choice is mandated by not only where the person who is speaking is located, but also where the listener is.

In the examples above we would say I go down the stairs. But if I was already at the bottom of the stairs and a friend was at the top of the stairs, I would tell him to come down the stairs. Also, if I was in a room I would tell my friend to come in. But if I was outside the room myself, then I would go in to the room.

Another tricky one is the difference between bring and take. Bring means to carry here, whereas take means to carry there. For instance, I bring my bag to school from my home when I come to work. Then, I take my bag home again when I go home. A very easy way to remember the difference is when you buy take away food from McDonalds or another fast food place. You take the food from them and go to another place. You don´t bring food to them.

There is an even simpler solution for the problems associated with come in and go in and come down and go down. You can replace the words come in or go in with the all purpose word «enter». Now, your location is not a problem as enter can mean both things. You can stand outside a room and then enter it, or you can be inside the room and tell your friend to enter the room. This is much easier.

The same is true for come down and go down. You can simply replace them with the word descend. There is now no need to understand your location. If you are at the top of the stairs, you can descend the stairs and if you are at the bottom of the stairs you can tell your friend to descend the stairs. This way you only have to remember one word and the use does not vary depending on your location. Much easier.

There are a few other words that can be used in this same way that we can look at in another blog. But until then, practice using the different words depending upon your location.

K. Charles

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Kym Charles

Profesor в Callan School

Nacido en Adelaida, Australia Meridional, Kym, profesor de Callan sénior, enseña en Callan Barcelona desde septiembre de 2013. Anteriormente, había estudiado su curso TEFL en Praga (República Checa). Kym es un viajero muy experimentado y ha estado en más de 30 países en todo el mundo, incluidos 22 en Europa. Ávido senderista, ha recorrido toda la península ibérica desde Pamplona hasta Granada, e hizo el Camino de Santiago en 2018. También le gusta escribir y tocar la guitarra.

Born in Adelaide, South Australia, senior staff member Kym has been teaching at Callan Barcelona since September 2013.  Previously, he studied his TEFL course in Prague (Czech Republic). Kym is a very well-seasoned traveller and has been to over 30 countries worldwide, including 22 in Europe.
An avid hiker, he has been all over the Iberian peninsula from Pamplona to Granada, and did the Camino de Santiago in 2018. He also enjoys writing and playing the guitar.

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