Which word is more appropriate in the sentence (collect/gather/pick up)?
Could you please tell me which word is more appropriate in this sentence (collect/gather/pick up) and why? Thank you!

1) A few days earlier, I remember asking him if he would collect the wines from the cellar for that evening's function.
2) A few days earlier, I remember asking him if he would gather the wines from the cellar for that evening's function.
3) A few days earlier, I remember asking him if he would pick up the wines from the cellar for that evening's function.

Question

Which word is more appropriate in the sentence (collect/gather/pick up)?
Could you please tell me which word is more appropriate in this sentence (collect/gather/pick up) and why? Thank you!

1) A few days earlier, I remember asking him if he would collect the wines from the cellar for that evening's function.
2) A few days earlier, I remember asking him if he would gather the wines from the cellar for that evening's function.
3) A few days earlier, I remember asking him if he would pick up the wines from the cellar for that evening's function.

Answer

You would use 'collect' if you had to go somewhere to get them.
You would use 'gather' if the items were maybe at different locations and there was some effort involved in getting them all.
To 'pick up' is very similar to 'collect', just a bit less formal.

Personally, I would 'fetch' (or simply 'get') them from the cellar, assuming that the cellar is in the same building.

Answer

Hi Ekaterina,

First, are the sentences in the past-tense?..I'm asking because the first phrase "A few days earlier" suggests that the sentence will be in the past. 
Second, it sounds better to use the modal-verb "could" instead of "would". "Could" sounds better because it's asking for someone to do a favor for you. "Would" just sounds like a yes/no question in my opinion.

*Here's what I would change in the sentence: A few days AGO, I rememberED asking him if he COULD ________ the wines from the cellar for that evening's party/EVENT.

Here's my thought on the usages of collect, gather, and pick-up. 
Collect: 
In a way, it sounds like the wine bottles are ALL FINISHED and you're just asking him to collect the EMPTY bottles. Usually, at the end of an event we would say 'collect'----->Would you mind collecting the (leftover) wine?; Would you mind collecting the unused napkins?; Would you mind collecting the table cloths? 
*I mean, there are SOOO many other interpretations/situations to explain, but this is one of them.

Gather:
It sounds like the wine in the cellar are everywhere and you just want him to gather/bring all the wine together....and stay in the cellar/not bring it upstairs...because you all will go down to the cellar anyway.

Pick-up:
It sounds as if there's a small business down in the cellar and you're asking him to pick up the wine, pay the cashier, and come upstairs.

******Instead of using/saying collect, gather, or pick-up, I would, personally, say "get". ----> "A few days ago, I remembered asking him if he could get the wines from the cellar for that evening's event." 
I mean, since there's context there's probably no problem understanding the intended meaning, but I, as an American, would say GET.

Hope it helped you a little bit. Sorry, I wrote so much. 
Good luck! :)

Answer

Спроси у ОА, она должна знать :-D

Answer

The most appropriate answer would be number 3 - "to pick up"

Answers · 4

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