This week’s question
What’s the difference between ‘remember’, ‘remind’, ‘recollect’ and ‘recall’? – Agustin
Answer this
Which of these words not only means remember, but also involves communicating the memory?
Language points
Remember
Remember means ‘have a memory about something’. It has many verb patterns: remember + object (noun), remember + question word / that clause, remember + -ing (remembering something done in the past), remember + full infinitive (remember to do something in the future).
- I remember this music from yesterday.
- I remembered that I had forgotten to lock the windows.
- I remember cooking this for you last week.
- I must remember to go shopping for food later.
Remind
Remind means ‘make someone remember’. It also has a few verb patterns: remind + question word / that, remind + somebody + full infinitive, X reminds someone of Y (meaning it sparks a memory).
- The teacher reminded the class what was acceptable behaviour.
- I have an app that reminds me to pick up my laundry.
- That smell reminds me of the cake my grandma used to make.
Recall & recollect
Both recall and recollect can mean ‘remember’. Both can use: recall / recollect + that / question word, recall / recollect + -ing. However, recall can also mean ‘remember and communicate the memory’.
- I don’t recall what I did with my keys. Then I recollected that I had left them at work.
- Do you recall watching this movie before? Do you recollect sitting in the cinema?
- At his retirement party, the professor recalled some of the best moments of his career to his colleagues.
The answer
Recall. Recall can also mean ‘remember and communicate the memory’.