Distinguishing between Brought & Bought

Brought vs Bought

Although the words “brought” and “bought” are often confused and sometimes used interchangeably, they have different meanings. Both words are verbs, with “brought” being the past and past participle form of “bring,” and “bought” being the past tense and past participle form of “buy.”

What does Brought mean?

The word “brought” is the past tense of the verb “bring.” For example:
– He brought some money for me.
– She brought the children from the school.

Brought is also the past participle of the irregular verb “bring.” Examples include:
– She had brought her cat with her.
– They have brought their guitars for practice.

The verb “brought” is often used with prepositions to form phrases such as “brought from,” “brought for,” and “brought to.”

What does Bought mean?

The word “bought” is the past tense form of the verb “buy.” For example:
– He bought two apples for a low price.
– She bought a nice shirt for her husband.

Bought is also the past participle of the irregular verb “buy.” Examples include:
– She had bought a new car.
– They have bought some pizzas for the party.

Like “brought,” the word “bought” is also used with prepositions to form phrases such as “bought from,” “bought for,” and “bought to.”

Key Takeaways

• “Brought” is the past tense and past participle form of the verb “bring.”
• “Bought” is the past tense and past participle form of the verb “buy.”
• Both “brought” and “bought” are used with prepositions to form phrases with different meanings, such as “brought from” and “bought from.”