A Frequently Overused Word in Prose and Poetry: Bring

How often do you depend on bring, brings, brought, and bringing?

Let’s review the Dictionary.com definition of bring: to carry, convey, conduct, or cause (someone or something) to come with, to, or toward the speaker.

It’s an easy word to replace.

“Bring me the stick, Buddy,” said the dog’s owner.

“Fetch me the stick, Buddy,” said the dog’s owner.

Fetch is a common command given by owners to dogs, and it’s more appropriate in this situation than bring.

The courier said he would bring the package before 5 p.m.

The courier said he would deliver the package before 5 p.m.

When you think of a courier, doesn’t deliver evoke a better image than bring?

Walter brought his daughter to the picnic.

Walter piggybacked his daughter to the picnic.

Walter could have driven his daughter to the picnic, but piggybacked shows a happy interaction that will engage readers.

The driver brought the bride to the wedding in a stretch limo.

The driver chauffeured the bride to the wedding in a stretch limo.

Chauffeured + limo = perfect match.

“Be sure to bring a warm coat,” Mom said. “It’s freezing outside.”

“Be sure to wear a warm coat,” Mom said. “It’s freezing outside.

Besides replacing bring with a more appropriate verb, wear provides alliteration, an engaging technique when applied with caution.

Dennis always brought a pile of paperwork with him to our lunch dates.

Dennis always lugged a pile of paperwork with him to our lunch dates.

Do you think Dennis realizes the lunch engagements are dates? Maybe he needs a slap upside the head. Lugged implies a heavy pile of paperwork.

Robyn grabbed her coat. “Bring me home. Now. I’ve had enough of your lies.”

Robyn grabbed her coat. “Drive me home. Now. I’ve had enough of your lies.”

A simple verb change provides detail without adding to word count.

Exercises and story prompts.

Before you revise your WIP, try these exercises. Edit out all forms of bring. Massage at will for story prompts.

Exercise 1. “I’ll never bring Bertram to another company picnic,” said Mary. “He ate all the chili then started a farting contest with everyone in Accounting.”

“That’s not so bad,” Danielle answered. “My date sat on the lasagna I brought. Then he peeled it off his butt and ate it!”

Exercise 2. Three times every solar year, Venture IV brought a fresh supply of honey-garlic barbecue sauce to Asteroid Anastasia. The Vortonese couldn’t get enough of the stuff. Their alien biology converted the sauce into excrement of pure saffinirium, the most efficient power source in the galaxy.

Exercise 3. Leon scuffed up dust as he searched the roadside for bottles. Every night he brought a sackful to the recycle depot and collected his paltry take.

But today wasn’t like every other day. A glimmer in the ditch caught his attention. He stooped to scrape the gravel off what turned out to be a coin with strange glyphs circling the silhouette of a unicorn.

He brought it close to his wondering eyes for a thorough inspection, and rubbed it to a soft shine.

A dust devil swirled around him. The trees disintegrated, reforming into jagged shapes that jutted into a green-tinged sky with triple moons.

His eyes bulged. “What the —”

Exercise 4. Tabitha brought me a mouse and dropped it at my feet. Even from my six-foot-two height, I could hear her proud purring.

“What did you bring me, kitty-cat? Another present?” With a grimace, I crouched to retrieve it. The miniscule creature was still warm. “Damn!” This was no mouse. Smaller ears. Bushy tail. It could have passed for a miniature squirrel.

The creature twitched as I turned it over to study its abdomen. Its eyes flickered open, and a thin voice squeaked, “Bring me to your leader, human.”

Exercise 5. “I’ll bring you roses and chocolates,” crooned Josh as he twirled Alvina around the damp basement, “and diamonds too. ’Cause I know I’ll never find another woman like you.” He dipped her, brought her back up, and kissed her on the forehead.

“Well,” she said as she stomped her stiletto heels, “I’d be more likely to believe that if you brought me [Insert something scary or funny. Is Alvina a kidnap victim playing a part to avoid being murdered? A disgruntled girlfriend? Josh’s mother? A hallucination?]”

Exercise 6. Paisley extended her chubby fists. “Here, Daddy. I brought this just for you.”

Howard’s eyes widened. He brought one palm to his left shoulder and collapsed onto the floor.

Exercise 7. A searing sun scalded the landscape, bringing death to everything it touched. Roamer-538 hummed through dead trees and under rocky crags, keeping to shadows wherever possible.

Anatole scanned the cockpit readouts. Even with environmental controls brought down to maximum cool, the in-ship temperature had climbed beyond comfort levels.

Stumped for Bring Alternatives?

Check this list. Each word provides a different nuance. Choose carefully or exploit the words as idea generators.

B to G
backpack, bear, carry, cart, chauffeur, come across with, come up with, contribute, convey, deliver, distribute, donate, drag, draw, drive, escort, ferry, fetch, fork over, furnish, guide

H to R
hand over, haul, heave, heft, hump, lug, move, pack along, pass (on), piggyback, pilot, portage, provide, pull, relay, relocate

S to W
schlepp, scrape up, ship, shoulder, steer, supply, take, take along, tote, transfer, transmit, transport, truck, tug, walk, wear