phrasal verb · neutral
carry back
/ˌkæri ˈbæk/car·ry BACK
to cause someone to remember an earlier time or event
Examples
“The smell of baking bread carried me back to my childhood.”
“That photograph carries me back to summer holidays by the sea.”
“Listening to that song instantly carried him back to university days.”
Band 8 sentence
“The scent of pine carried me back to long-forgotten winter mornings at my grandparents' cottage.”
Collocations
- carry someone back to
- carry you back
Word family
Common mistakes
use 'bring back' when the subject is an inanimate stimulus: 'The smell brings me back to my childhood.' (acceptable but learners mix forms incorrectly)→The smell carried me back to my childhood / The smell brings me back to my childhood
omit object: 'The song carried back.'→The song carried me back to university days.
Say it for a higher band
5remind→6bring back→7+carry back
Synonyms
remind
transport (figurative)
Easily confused
remind
“Seeing that old building reminded me of the town where I grew up.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In carry …
Learn it with its set