Tell a lie means to say something that isn't true. In the plural, tell lies means lying in general, out of habit: He tells lies all the time. Often the verb alone is enough instead of the whole phrase: lie, lie to someone.
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tell a lie / tell lies; tell + person + a lie; lie to + person (lied, lying)
- He told a lie about his work experience and lost the job a month later.
- Children often tell lies when they're scared of getting into trouble.
- She lied to her manager about being ill and spent the day at the beach.
What changed
First versionShe said a lie because she was afraid of her boss.
RevisionShe told a lie because she was afraid of her boss.
Say can seem like the natural verb for anything you say, but lie, like truth, story and joke, goes with tell: tell a lie, tell the truth, tell a joke. So said was changed to told.
The verb lie meaning to say something untrue has simple forms: lie, lied, lied. Lie meaning to be in a flat position has different ones: lay, lain. Compare: He lied to me about the money and He lay on the sofa all day. They are easy to mix up because the base form is the same.
Your turn
When the teacher asked why his essay was late, Tom ___ a lie about a family emergency.
Show the answer
told — The noun lie goes with tell, so told a lie. A native speaker wouldn't say said a lie: say doesn't combine with lie or with truth.
Think of a time when someone close to you told a lie for a good reason. Write who it was and why they lied.
My brother told a lie about working late so that we could prepare a surprise party for Mum.
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