Bring It In?

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Bring It In?

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Hi, there.

I faxed the original copy of a prescription to a pharmacy and later I will bring the prescription with me when I pick up the medicine.

Is it Okay to say ," I will bring it (the prescription) in when I pick up the medicine"?

Thanks.

Oct 26 2011 23:35:27

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Thanks, MalRey.

A pharmacy means any pharmacy. I didn't mention which pharmacy I was going to; therefore I used "a pharmacy" instead of "the pharmacy" in the context.

'To take it with me' sounds better than 'to bring it with me' in the context. I wonder why? Can you explain?

Oct 27 2011 01:47:39

meantolearnA pharmacy means any pharmacy. I didn't mention which pharmacy I was going to; therefore I used "a pharmacy" instead of "the pharmacy" in the context.

This is indeed the way the use of articles is usually explained but in this case a native speaker will almost always say "the pharmacy" not "a pharmacy." Why? It's just the way we say it, I guess. You will find the same thing with "the hospital" versus "a hospital" whether or not a specific hospital is known native speakers will almost always say "the hospital."

Here is a brief dialog to illustrate:

A: Did you hear that Joe went into the hospital last night?

B: No. Which one, I'd like to send him a card.

Oct 27 2011 01:55:20

meantolearn'To take it with me' sounds better than 'to bring it with me' in the context. I wonder why? Can you explain?

There's no real reason. In part it depends on what part of the US one is in. In some regions "bring" is the most common word, in others "take" is more common. In part it's how the speaker thinks of the action.

There's a very informative discussion of the whole "bring/take" controversy in Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage. It starts on page 200, here's the link to the Google books version:

http://books.google.com/books?id=2yJusP0vrdgC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=take&f=false

Oct 27 2011 02:02:18

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Hi, MalRey.

Thanks for the examples you gave. I appreciate them.

Oct 27 2011 05:20:03

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Thanks, MalRey.

A pharmacy means any pharmacy. I didn't mention which pharmacy I was going to; therefore I used "a pharmacy" instead of "the pharmacy" in the context.

'To take it with me' sounds better than 'to bring it with me' in the context. I wonder why? Can you explain?
meantolearnA pharmacy means any pharmacy. I didn't mention which pharmacy I was going to; therefore I used "a pharmacy" instead of "the pharmacy" in the context.
This is indeed the way the use of articles is usually explained but in this case a native speaker will almost always say "the pharmacy" not "a pharmacy." Why? It's just the way we say it, I guess. You will find the same thing with "the hospital" versus "a hospital" whether or not a specific hospital is known native speakers will almost always say "the hospital."

Here is a brief dialog to illustrate:

A: Did you hear that Joe went into the hospital last night?

B: No. Which one, I'd like to send him a card.
meantolearn'To take it with me' sounds better than 'to bring it with me' in the context. I wonder why? Can you explain?
There's no real reason. In part it depends on what part of the US one is in. In some regions "bring" is the most common word, in others "take" is more common. In part it's how the speaker thinks of the action.

There's a very informative discussion of the whole "bring/take" controversy in Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage. It starts on page 200, here's the link to the Google books version:

http://books.google.com/books?id=2yJusP0vrdgC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=take&f=false
Hi, MalRey.

Thanks for the examples you gave. I appreciate them.

MalRey · Accepted Answer · 2011-10-27T1:31

If this is what you mean then yes it's fine:

I faxed the original copy of a prescription to a pharmacy and later I will bring it with me when I pick up the medicine.

You could also say this, which sounds better to my ear:

I faxed the original copy of a prescription to the pharmacy and later I will take it with me when I pick up the medicine.

Bring It In?

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