student asking question

How does "made sure" function here? The speaker would've just said "I told~". what's the difference?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

"Make sure" is a more informal version of "ensure," which means to make certain that something will be done or happen. Here, "I made sure to tell the homeowner" is used to emphasize that the speaker took extra care to tell the homeowner, to make certain that they became aware. If you say "I told" on its own, it loses the feeling of emphasis. Ex: Make sure to take the meat out of the freezer before you start cooking. Ex: Did you make sure to tell your teacher that you will be missing class?

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