student asking question

Can I replace "collect" with "pick up" in this context? What is the difference between those two?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

Yes, you can. I am unsure about British English, but in American English we use "pick up" more frequently than "collect." There isn't a difference between the two phrases; they both mean the same thing in this context. "Collect" seems to be more formal than "pick up." Ex: I need to pick up my sister from the airport. Ex: She came to collect him from the train station. Ex: He plans to pick her up from the port. Ex: The carriage came to collect her.

Popular Q&As

04/19

Complete the expression with a quiz!