I think we should have told the truth vs. I think we should have said the truth

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi,

“I think we should have told the truth.” I wonder, we can also say “I think we should have said the truth”?

Thanks in advance.

F

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2

In this case it ‘said’ would work since it used as part of a clause rather than in connection with an object. For more, you might want to read say vs. tell.

Please let me know what you think.

Torsten

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3

In my opinion “said” works as well. It can have a different nuance, but the essence of the meaning is the same of the original sentence.

Thanks for your attention, Torsten. Have a nice evening.

F

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4

You can’t really use ‘say’ followed by an abstract noun as a direct object. You say something is the truth/ You can say the truth is necessary but in those cases ‘truth’ is not a direct object.

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