VERBS USED IN NARRATIVES: “WAYS OF …”

[Cf. Successful Writing (pages 43-47) & More than Words (Units 9 & 12)]

WAYS OF SOUNDING
Bang / bæŋ /

 [I or T] to hit something hard, making a loud noise

bang on: Stop banging on the door!

bang your fist/hand on something

She banged her fist on the table.

The baby kept banging the table with his spoon.

 [T] to put something down or against something with a lot of force, making a loud noise

bang something down: She banged the phone down.

bang something on/against something: He banged a teapot on the table.

 [I always + adverb/preposition, T ] to close something violently, making a loud noise, or to be closed in this way

SYN slam

I ran out, banging the door behind me.

The window banged shut.

 [I] to make a loud noise or loud noises :

The gate keeps banging in the wind.

bang about/around: to move around a place, making a lot of noise

We could hear them banging about upstairs.

bang something out: (phrasal verb informal) to play a tune or song loudly and badly on a piano

Noun: bang

 [C]a sudden loud noise caused by something such as a gun or an object hitting a hard surface

There was a loud bang outside the kitchen door.

 [C]a painful blow to the body when you hit against something or something hits you SYN bump

a bang on the head

Chirp / tʃɜːp / ( also chirrup British English )

 [I] if a bird or insect chirps, it makes short high sounds

Birds chirped to one another from different branches of the tree.

 [I or T] to speak in a happy high voice

‘Yes, all finished,’ he chirped.

Noun: chirp [C]

Clap / klæp /

 [I or T] to hit your hands against each other many times to make a sound that shows your approval, agreement,

or enjoyment

One man began to clap, and others joined in.

The couple were cheered and clapped on their arrival.

The audience clapped politely but without much enthusiasm.

 [T] if you clap your hands, you hit your hands together a few times to attract someone’s attention or to show

that you are pleased

Narouz clapped his hands and a servant entered.

Mandy laughed and clapped her hands in delight.

Noun:

 clapping [U] :

Each song was greeted with enthusiastic clapping.

 clap:

 [S] the loud sound that you make when you hit your hands together many times to show that you enjoyed

something

give somebody a clap British English: Come on everyone, let’s give Tommy a clap.

 [S] a sudden loud noise

a clap/crash/crack of thunder (= one extremely loud sound )

an ear-splitting clap of thunder

Crack / kræk /

 [ I or T ] to make a quick loud sound like the sound of something breaking, or to make something do this

Thunder cracked overhead.

He cracked his whip and galloped off.

Dennis rubbed his hands together and cracked his knuckles

 [I] if your voice cracks, it starts to sound different because you are feeling strong emotions :

His voice cracked slightly as he tried to explain.

Noun: crack

 [C] a sudden loud sound like the sound of a stick being broken

loud/sharp crack

There was a sharp crack as the branch broke off.

crack of

We could hear the crack of gunfire in the distance.

a crack of thunder

 a crack in sb’s voice a change in someone’s voice because they are feeling very upset :
He noticed the crack in her voice as she tried to continue.

Crash / kræʃ /

 [ I, T always + adv/prep ] to hit something or someone extremely hard while moving, in a way that causes a lot

of damage or makes a lot of noise

crash into/through etc

A brick crashed through the window.

We watched the waves crashing against the rocks.

The plates went crashing to the ground.

A large branch came crashing down.

 [I] to make a sudden loud noise

Thunder crashed and boomed outside.

Noun: crash

 [C]a sudden loud noise made by something falling, breaking etc

I heard a loud crash.

with a crash

The branch came down with a crash.

crash of

a crash of thunder

Creak / kriːk / [I]

 if something such as a door, wooden floor, old bed, or stair creaks, it makes a long high noise when someone

opens it, walks on it, sits on it etc

The floorboards creaked as she walked across the room.

The door creaked open.

Noun: creak [C]

The door opened with a creak

Cry /kraɪ / [I or T]

 [I] if animals or birds cry, they make a loud sound

I could hear gulls crying and the soft whisper of the sea.

cry out phrasal verb: to make a loud sound of fear, shock, pain etc

cry out in/with

Even the smallest movement made him cry out in pain.

John tightened his grip until she cried out.

Noun: cry [C]

 a loud sound expressing a strong emotion such as pain, fear, or pleasure

a baby’s cry

cry of pain/alarm/delight etc: Alice let out a cry of alarm.

let out/give a cry: The stone hit him on the forehead and he gave a sharp cry

Drip /drɪp / [I or T]

 to let liquid fall in drops

The tap’s dripping.

Her boots were muddy and her hair was dripping.

drip blood/water/sweat etc: John came in, his arm dripping blood.

be dripping with blood/sweat etc:The hand that held the gun was dripping with sweat.

 to fall in drops

drip down/from etc: The rain dripped down his neck.

Noun: drip

 [C] one of the drops of liquid that fall from something :

I put some plastic buckets on the floor to catch the drips.

 [ singular, U ] the sound or action of a liquid falling in drops

The silence was broken only by a regular drip, drip, drip.

Flap / flæp / [I or T]

 if a bird flaps its wings, it moves them up and down in order to fly

 to move quickly up and down or from side to side, often making a noise :

The flags were flapping in the breeze.

Flap your arms to keep warm.

Noun: flap

 [ singular ] the noisy movement of something such as cloth in the air

The flap of the sails

 an act of or the sound made by flapping

The bird disappeared with a flap of its wings.

Growl / ɡraʊl /

 [I] if an animal growls, it makes a long deep angry sound

growl at:The dog growled at me.

 [I or T] to say something in a low angry voice SYN snarl

‘Get out of my way,’ he growled.

Who are you?’ he growled at me.

Noun: growl [C]

He heard a low growl behind him.

Hammer /ˈhæmə /

 [ intransitive ] to hit something quickly many times, especially making a loud continuous noise SYN pound , bang

hammer at

Daniella hammered at the door.

The rain was hammering against the window.

A crowd of people were outside hammering on the door angrily.

 [ intransitive ] if your heart hammers, you feel it beating strongly and quickly SYN pound :

She stood outside the door, her heart hammering.

Hiss / hɪs /

 [ intransitive and transitive ] to say something in a loud whisper

‘Get out!’ she hissed furiously.

hiss at

She hissed at me to be quiet.

 [ intransitive ] to make a noise which sounds like ‘ssss’

The cat backed away, hissing.

Snakes only hiss when they are afraid.

 [ intransitive and transitive ] if a crowd hisses a speaker, they interrupt them with angry sounds to show that

they do not like them

He was booed and hissed during a stormy meeting.

Noun: hiss [C] a continuous high sound when air or gas comes out of something

Workers reported hearing a loud hiss moments before the explosion.

She heard a faint hiss as the metal struck the water.

Howl / haʊl /

 [I] if a dog, wolf, or other animal howls, it makes a long loud sound:

The dogs howled all night.

 [I] to make a long loud cry because you are unhappy, angry, or in pain, or because you are amused or excited
Upstairs, one of the twins began to howl (= cry)

howl in/with

Somewhere, someone was howling in pain.

He makes audiences howl with laughter.

 [I] if the wind howls, it makes a loud high sound as it blows

wind howling in the trees

Noun: howl [C]

 a long loud sound made by a dog, wolf, or other animal

 a loud cry or shout showing pain, anger, unhappiness etc.

howl of

He let out a howl of anguish.

There were howls of protest.

This suggestion was greeted with howls of laughter.

 a loud high sound made by the wind blowing

Moan / məʊn /

 [ I or T ] informal to complain in an annoying way, especially in an unhappy voice and without good reason

‘I feel seasick already,’ she moaned.

moan about: A lot of people moaned about the parking problems.

moan at British English: My mum never stops moaning at me.

moan that

He’s always moaning that we use too much electricity.

He moaned and groaned all the way there.

 [I] to make a long low sound expressing pain, unhappiness, or sexual pleasure SYN groan :

She moaned and cried out in pain.

 [I] literary if the wind moans, it makes a long low sound:

They could hear the wind moaning in the trees.

Noun: moan [C]

 a long low sound expressing pain, unhappiness, or sexual pleasure

moan of

There was a moan of pain from the injured man.

She gave a little moan of pleasure.

a low moan

 have a moan (about something) British English informal to complain about something :

We were just having a moan about work.

  literary a low sound made by the wind

Rip / rɪp /

 [ intransitive and transitive ] to tear something or be torn quickly and violently :

Her clothes had all been ripped.

The sails ripped under the force of the wind.

Impatiently, Sue ripped the letter open.

 [ transitive always + adverb/preposition ] to remove something quickly and violently, using your hands

rip something out/off/away/down

Gilly ripped out a sheet of paper from her notebook.

The buttons had been ripped off.

 let rip informal to speak or behave violently or emotionally

Fran took a slow deep breath, then let rip, yelling and shouting at him.

rip something apart phrasal verb to tear or pull something to pieces

He was ripped apart by savage beasts in the forest.

rip through something phrasal verb to move through a place quickly and with violent force

A wave of bombings ripped through the capital’s business district.

rip something up phrasal verb to tear something into pieces

Sue ripped his photo up into tiny bits.

Roar / rɔː /

 [ intransitive ] to make a deep, very loud noise

We heard a lion roar.

The engines roared.

 [ intransitive always + adverb/preposition ] if a vehicle roars somewhere, it moves very quickly and noisily :

The car roared off down the road.

Noun: roar [C]

 a deep, loud noise made by an animal such as a lion, or by someone’s voice

the roar of the crowd

He let out a roar of laughter.

 a continuous loud noise, especially made by a machine or a strong wind

the roar of the traffic

Rumble / ˈrʌmbəl /

 [I] to make a series of long low sounds, especially a long distance away from you

We could hear thunder rumbling in the distance.

 [I always + adverb/preposition ] to move slowly along while making a series of long low sounds

We watched the tanks rumbling past the window.

 [I] if your stomach rumbles, it makes a noise, especially because you are hungry

Noun: rumble [S]

 a series of long low sounds

rumble of

The low rumble of traffic in the distance

The distant rumble of gunfire

LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT MEANINGS: A QUIET SOUND
HUM (noun) RUSTLE (noun) MURMUR (noun) RUMBLE (noun)
a quiet low continuous a continuous quiet sound a quiet low continuous a series of long low sounds,
sound, especially from from papers, leaves, or sound, especially from especially from big guns,
electrical equipment, clothes when they rub people’s voices that are far traffic, or thunder:
traffic, an engine, or together: away: I heard a rumble of
people’s conversation: The She heard the rustle of The murmur of voices died thunder. | the low rumble
only sound was the faint dried leaves behind her. | away. | They spoke in a of a train approaching
hum of the air- the rustle of silk dresses low murmur.
conditioning unit. | He
could hear the hum of
distant traffic.

Rustle /ˈrʌsəl /

 [ I or T ] if leaves, papers, clothes etc rustle, or if you rustle them, they make a noise as they rub against

each other

She moved nearer, her long silk skirt rustling around her.

He rustled the papers on his desk.

Noun: rustle (look at the chart above)

Screech / skriːtʃ /

 [ I or T ] to shout loudly in an unpleasant high voice because you are angry, afraid, or excited SYN shriek ,

scream :

‘Look out!’ she screeched.

They screeched with laughter.

screech at
 She screeched at me to take off my muddy shoes.

 [I] if a vehicle screeches, its wheels make a high unpleasant noise as it moves along or stops :

A van screeched onto the road in front of me.

Noun: screech [C]

LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT MEANINGS: A HIGH SOUND

SQUEAK (noun) CREAK (noun) SCREECH (noun) BEEP ( also BLEEP British
a very short high a long high sound that something a loud, long, unpleasantly English ) (noun)
sound or cry : I makes when someone opens it, high sound - used especially a high electronic sound that a
heard the squeak walks on it, sits on it etc - used about someone’s voice, or machine sends out, especially in
of his shoes on the especially about a door, wooden about brakes, tyres etc : order to attract someone’s
tiled floor. | Annie floor, bed, or stairs : the creak of There was a screech of tyres attention : You’ll hear a bleep
gave a squeak of floorboards | The door opened followed by a bang. | She let when the photocopier’s finished
surprise. with a creak out a screech of horror. printing.

Slurp / slɜːp / [ I or T ]

 to drink a liquid while making a noisy sucking sound

Kids slurped strawberry shakes and ate hamburgers

Noun: slurp [C usually singular]

 Sucking sound: a loud sucking sound made while drinking or eating

 Liquid mouthful: a mouthful of a liquid (informal)

Can I have a slurp of your soda

LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT MEANINGS
SIP (also TAKE A SLURP GULP STH. KNOCK STH BACK SWING (informal) SWALLOW
SIP) (informal) DOWN (informal) to drink something to make food or
to drink to drink to drink all of to drink all of an quickly with large drink go down
something very something in a something alcoholic drink mouthfuls, especially your throat and
slowly noisy way very quickly very quickly from a bottle towards your
stomach

Smash / smæʃ /

 [I or T] to break into pieces violently or noisily, or to make something do this by dropping, throwing, or

hitting it Vandals had smashed all the windows.

Firemen had to smash the lock to get in.

Several cups fell to the floor and smashed to pieces.

Noun: smash

 [S] the loud sound of something breaking

smash of
He heard the smash of glass.

Snap / snæp /

 [I or T] to break with a sudden sharp noise, or to make something do this

A twig snapped under my feet.

The wind snapped branches and power lines.

snap (something) off (something)

I snapped the ends off the beans and dropped them into a bowl.

snap (something) in two/in half (= break into two pieces )

The teacher snapped the chalk in two and gave me a piece.

 [I, T always + adverb/preposition ] to move into a particular position suddenly, making a short sharp noise,

or to make something move like this

snap together/back etc

The pieces just snap together like this.

The policeman snapped the handcuffs around her wrist.

snap (something) open/shut

She snapped her briefcase shut.

 snap your fingers: to make a short sharp noise by moving one of your fingers quickly against your thumb,

for example in order to get someone’s attention or to mark the beat of music

Noun: snap

 [ singular ] a sudden loud sound, especially made by something breaking or closing :

He shut the book with a snap.

 a snap of sb’s fingers a sudden sound made by quickly moving one of your fingers against your thumb:

At a snap of his owner’s fingers, the dog came running.

Splash / splæʃ /

 [I] if a liquid splashes, it hits or falls on something and makes a noise

splash against/on/over

The ocean splashed against the pier.

 [T always + adverb/preposition ] to make someone or something wet with a lot of small drops of water or

other liquid

splash something on/over/with etc something

He splashed cold water on his face.

 [I] (also splash about/around ) to make water fly up in the air with a loud noise by hitting it or by moving

around in it

The children were splashing about in the pool.

splash through

She ran up the drive, splashing through the puddles.

Noun: splash

 [C] the sound of a liquid hitting something or being moved around quickly :

Rachel fell into the river with a loud splash.

Squeal / skwiːl /

 [I or T] to make a long loud high sound or cry

squeal with/in

The children squealed with delight.

They drove off, tyres squealing.

‘Let me go!’ she squealed.

Noun: squeal [C]

 a long loud high sound or cry

squeal of

She gave a squeal of laughter.

There was a squeal of brakes.

Throb / θrɒb /

 if music or a machine throbs, it makes a low sound or vibration with a strong regular beat

a throbbing bass line

 if your heart throbs, it beats faster or more strongly than usual

Noun: throb (also THROBBING) [C]

 a low strong regular beat or sensation

throb of

the throb of the engines

a steady throb of pain

Trickle /ˈtrɪkəl / [I always + adverb/preposition]

 if liquid trickles somewhere, it flows slowly in drops or in a thin stream

trickle down/into/out

The tears trickled down her cheeks.

Noun: trickle

 [C] a thin slow flow of liquid:

The water in the stream had been reduced to a trickle.

Twitter /ˈtwɪtə / [I]

 if a bird twitters, it makes a lot of short high sounds

 to talk about unimportant and silly things, usually very quickly and nervously in a high voice

Noun: twitter

 [S] the short high sounds that birds make

Wail / weɪl /

 [T] to say something in a loud, sad, and complaining way:

‘But what shall I do?’ Bernard wailed.

 [I] to cry out with a long high sound, especially because you are very sad or in pain

Somewhere behind them a child began to wail.

 [I] to make a long high sound:

The wind wailed in the chimney.

Noun: wail [C]

The wail of police sirens

LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT MEANINGS
CRY WEEP (literary) SOB WAIL WHIMPER
to produce tears to cry, especially to cry, taking to cry very to cry quietly and
from your eyes: for a long time: sudden loud loudly in a high weakly
Don’t cry – His mother pot breaths: I could voice: the baby
everything will her head on the hear someone started wailing
be all right table and wept sobbing in the for its mother.
next room

Whistle / ˈwɪsəl /

 [I or T] to make a high or musical sound by blowing air out through your lips

Adam whistled happily on his way to work.

I heard this song on the radio and I’ve been whistling it all day.

He whistled a tune as he strolled down the corridor.

whistle to somebody (= whistle to get someone’s attention )

Dad whistled to us to come home for dinner.

whistle at somebody (= whistle to let someone know that you think they are attractive )
Men are always whistling at Heidi on the street.

 [I] to make a high sound by blowing into a whistle

The referee whistled and the game began.

 [I always + adverb/preposition] to move quickly, making a whistling sound :

Bullets and shells were whistling overhead.

They listened to the wind whistling through the trees.

 [I] if a steam train or kettle whistles, it makes a high sound when air or steam is forced through a small

hole

 [I] if a bird whistles, it makes a high musical sound

Noun: whistle [C]

 a small object that produces a high whistling sound when you blow into it:

The lifeguard blew his whistle .

 a high sound made by blowing a whistle, by blowing air out through your lips, or when air or steam is forced

through a small opening

Larsson scored just minutes before the final whistle.

low/shrill/high-pitched etc whistle

Sanders gave a low whistle when he saw the contents of the box.

 a piece of equipment on a train or boat that makes a high noise when air is forced through it

 the sound of something moving quickly through the air

whistle of

We could hear the whistle of the jets as they passed overhead.

WAYS OF SPEAKING

Bark /bɑːk/: [T]

 to shout at someone in a forceful manner.

The sergeant barked (out) a succession of orders to the new recruits.

‘Don’t just stand there, give me a hand,’ she barked at the shop assistant.

Bark a command (= shout one rather rudely ) She just stands there barking commands while everyone works.

Bellow /ˈbel.əʊ/: [T or I] written

 to shout in a loud deep voice, especially when you want a lot of people to hear you SYN yell:

We could hear the sergeant bellowing commands to his troops.

Tony was bellowing orders.

Noun: [C] a loud deep shout a bellow of rage/laughter etc

He gave a bellow of rage.

Alex gave another bellow of laughter.

Cry /kraɪ/: [T] written

 to shout or say something loudly SYN cry out

"Look out!" she cried.

It was painful, and made me cry aloud.

- cry to: ‘Goodbye then!’ he cried to her.

- cry for: I could hear voices crying for help.

- cry out phrasal verb

1 to make a loud sound of fear, shock, pain etc

cry out in/with

Even the smallest movement made him cry out in pain.

John tightened his grip until she cried out.

2 to shout or say something loudly:

‘Why are you doing this?’ she cried out suddenly.

cry out for

I felt too terrified to even cry out for help.

Noun:

 [C] a loud high sound that expresses an emotion.

a cry of despair

 [C] a shouted word or phrase made to attract people's attention

They were wakened by cries of 'Fire!' from the next room.

Fortunately, a passerby heard his cries for help.

Exclaim /ɪkˈskleɪm/: [I or T] written

 to say or shout something suddenly and loudly because you are surprised, angry, or excited

"You can't leave now!" she exclaimed.

She exclaimed in delight upon hearing the news.

Noun: exclamation /ˌekskləˈmeɪʃən/

 [C] a sound, word, or short sentence that you say suddenly and loudly because you are surprised, angry, or

excited

horrified exclamations of disgust

Groan /grəʊn/: [I or T]

 to complain about something SYN moan:

I’m tired of him moaning and groaning (= complaining a lot) all the time.

‘It’s too hot!’ he groaned.

Noun: [C] a complaining noise or phrase.

He looked at the piles of dirty dishes and gave a groan of dismay.

Casey let out a groan of protest.

Mumble /ˈmʌm.bl / :[I or T]

 to speak quietly and in a way that is not clear so that the words are difficult to understand.

She mumbled something about being too busy.

mumble to yourself: A woman on the corner was mumbling to herself.

Murmur /ˈmɜː.mə/:

 [I or T] to say something in a soft quiet voice that is difficult to hear clearly

“I love you,” she murmured.

Julie turned over and murmured in her sleep.

He was murmuring to himself.

HUMOROUS He murmured sweet nothings (= romantic talk) in her ear.

 [I + against] literary especially British English to complain to friends and people you work with, but not

officially (not in public)

They were murmuring about the boss's nephew getting the job.

Noun: murmur / murmuring [C and U]

 [C] the sound of something being said very quietly.

A murmur of agreement came from the crowd.

murmurings of discontent

 [C] a complaint which is expressed privately.

After the report was published, there were murmurs of discontent round the office.

without a murmur: without even a small complaint.

For once the children went to bed without a murmur.

Mutter /ˈmʌt.ə/:

 [I or T] to speak quietly and in a low voice that is not easy to hear, often when you are worried, annoyed or

complaining about something.

  [I] to complain about something or express doubts about it, but without saying clearly and openly what you

think

Stop muttering and speak up! / He was muttering (away) to himself.

Laurence muttered something about his wife and left.

He muttered something under his breath to the person next to him.

Elsie muttered something I couldn’t catch and walked off.

Noun: mutter [singular] / muttering [C and U]

His voice subsided to a mutter

The mutterings about his leadership continued to grow

 (QUIET WORDS) (the sound of) words being said very quietly.

I heard the soft mutter of voices in the next room.

 (COMPLAINT) [C] a complaint which is made privately.

There were mutters that other departments received more money than ours.

Roar /rɔː/:

 [T or I]to shout something in a deep powerful voice (loudly)

‘Get out of my house!’ he roared.

"Stop that!" he roared.

Scream /skriːm/: [I or T]

 (also scream out) to shout something in a very loud high voice, especially because of strong emotions such

as fear, excitement or anger SYN yell.

‘He was screaming in/with pain and begging for anaesthetic.

He screamed out her name.

scream for

Through the smoke, the rescuers could hear people screaming for help.

scream at

He screamed at her to go away.

- scream yourself hoarse/silly (also scream the place down , also scream your head off):

to scream very loudly.

I screamed myself silly on the roller coaster.

Shout /ʃaʊt/:

 [T or I]to say something very loudly

"I'll see you tomorrow, " shouted Eleni above the noise of the helicopter.

He shouted from the bottom of the garden that he'd be finished in about half an hour.
There’s no need to shout! I can hear you!

- shout at

I wish you’d stop shouting at the children.

- shout for

We could hear them shouting for help.

- shout something at somebody

He was shouting insults at the lorry driver.

- shout something to somebody

‘He’s down here!’ she shouted to Alison.

 shout in pain/anger/frustration etc British English to call out loudly SYN scream American English:

Al shouted in pain.

Noun: [C] when you say something very loudly or make a very loud sound with your voice.

Her speech was interrupted by angry shouts from the audience.

COLLOCATIONS: SHOUT
NOUNS shout abuse/insults He was surrounded by a group of boys who shouted abuse at him.
shout obscenities They came to his apartment, shouting obscenities and threatening him.
shout orders The lieutenant was shouting orders at the workmen.
shout slogans They were carrying placards and shouting slogans.
shout sb’s name Then she heard Ferdinando shout her name.
shout a warning The man had shouted a warning to other passengers just before the

blast.
ADVERBS shout something angrily ‘Don’t touch me!’ he shouted angrily.

shout something loudly He hears the voice of his downstairs neighbor shouting loudly.

Phrases:

- shout yourself hoarse (= shout until your throat is sore ) Matthew shouted himself hoarse until he was

discovered.

- shout of the top of your voice (= shout as loudly as possible ) 'Watch out!' he shouted at the top of his

voice.

- scream and shout People were screaming and shouting in the streets.

- give sb. a shout: INFORMAL to tell someone. Give me a shout when you've finished in the bathroom.

- shout/proclaim sth. from the rooftops: to say something publicly. I'm so in love I want to shout your

name from the rooftops.

shout somebody ↔ down phrasal verb

 to shout so that someone who is speaking cannot be heard:

An older man tried to shout him down.

shout something ↔ out phrasal verb

 to say something suddenly in a loud voice:

Don’t shout out the answer in class, put up your hand.

Sigh /saɪ/: [I]

 to breathe out slowly and noisily, expressing tiredness, sadness, pleasure, etc.

‘Well, there’s nothing we can do about it now,’ she sighed.

"I wish he was here, " she sighed (= she said with a sigh).

Snap /snæp/: [I or T]

 to say something suddenly in an angry way.

There's no need to snap at me - it's not my fault that you lost your wallet.

"Well, I hate you too!" she snapped.

- snap sb's head off: to answer someone in an unreasonably angry way. There's no point trying to discuss

anything with him if all he's going to do is snap your head off.

- bite/snap sb's head off: INFORMAL to speak to someone angrily. I asked what was wrong, but he just bit

my head off.

Splutter /ˈsplʌt.ə/: [I or T]

 to talk quickly in short confused phrases, especially because you are angry or surprised

The old gentleman was spluttering with indignation.

"But, er ... when, um, ... how?" he spluttered.

‘But ... but ... I can’t believe ... how could you?’ she spluttered.

Stammer /ˈstæm.ə/: [I or T]

 to speak or say something with unusual pauses or repeated sounds, either because of speech problems or

because of fear and anxiety. SYN stutter

"Wh-when can we g-go?" she stammered.

Whenever he was angry, he would begin to stammer slightly.

Noun: [countable usually singular] a speech problem which makes someone speak with a lot of pauses and repeated

sounds SYN stutter

Robert has a bit of a stammer.

Adverb: stammeringly /ˈstæm.r.ɪŋ.li/

Stutter /ˈstʌt.ə/: [I]

  to speak with difficulty because you cannot stop yourself from repeating the first CONSONANT of some

words

She stutters a bit, so let her finish what she's saying.

"C-c-can we g-go now?" stuttered Jenkins.

Noun:

[C] Toni's developed a slight stutter over the last few months.

[C] stutterer /ˈstʌt.r.ə/

Adjective: stuttering /ˈstʌt.r.ɪŋ/

Adverb: stutteringly /ˈstʌt.ər.ɪŋ.li/

Tease /tiːz/: [I or T]

 to laugh at someone or say unkind things about them, either because you are joking or because you want to

upset them.

I used to hate being teased about my red hair when I was at school.

I was only teasing, I didn't mean to upset you.

Noun: [C]

 someone who is always teasing people.

Johnny, don't be such a tease - leave your sister alone!

 slang disapproving someone who enjoys causing sexual excitement and interest in people she or he does not

intend to have sex with.

Wail /weɪl/:

 [T] to say something in a loud, sad, and complaining way

"My finger hurts," wailed the child.

 [I] informal to complain loudly or strongly.

Business people wailed that their trade would be ruined.

Whisper /ˈwɪs.pə/:

 [I or T] to speak very quietly, using the breath but not the voice, so that only the person close to you can

hear you.

She whispered a few words weakly before she fell unconscious.

 [T] to say or suggest something privately or secretly

People are whispering that she's going to retire next year.

- sink to a whisper: to speak very quietly. The child's voice sank to a whisper as she admitted that she had

broken the window.

Noun:

 [C] a way of speaking very quietly, using the breath but not the voice, so that only the person close to you

can hear you.

I heard whispers outside my room.

 [C] a suggestion or piece of information that you hear privately from someone.

I've heard a whisper that they're heading for divorce.

Yell /jel/: [I or T] to shout something or make a loud noise, usually when you are angry, in pain or excited.

Our neighbours were yelling (obscenities) at each other this morning.

The child yelled out in pain.

"Just get out of here!" she yelled.

yell at somebody to do something: They yelled at him to stop.

He could hear Pete yelling at the top of his voice (= very loudly).

WAYS OF SMILING

Chuckle /ˈtʃʌkəl/

 to laugh quietly, especially because you are thinking about or reading something funny:

She was chuckling as she read the letter

chuckle at/about She chuckled at the memory

chuckle to yourself Simon sat reading a magazine, chuckling to himself/ He was chuckling to himself over an article in

the paper.

give a chuckle He gave a chuckle in response to her question

Crack up /ˌkræk ˈʌp /

Phrasal verb - informal

crack (somebody)up

 to suddenly laugh a lot at something, or to make someone laugh a lot:

Everyone in the class just cracked up.

Mr. Bean really cracks me up. He’s so funny.

Phrases:

crack a joke

 to tell a joke: He kept cracking jokes about my appearance.

crack a smile
  to smile, usually only slightly or unwillingly: Even Mr Motts managed to crack a smile at that joke.

Giggle /ˈɡɪɡəl/

 to laugh quickly, and in a high voice, especially in a slightly silly way because something is funny or because you

are nervous or embarrassed:

giggle at/over

Linda and Christina were giggling at some private joke.

A group of teenage girls were giggling in a corner.

If you can’t stop giggling you’ll have to leave the room.

Giggle noun

 a quick, quiet, high-sounding laugh:

 a giggle British English informal something that you think is fun to do that will not hurt anyone or anything: Go

on, it’ll be a giggle!

COLLOCATIONS
VERBS PHRASES ADJECTIVES
get the giggles (= start have the giggles (= a fit of (the) giggles a nervous giggle She

to giggle ) Now every laugh in a way that is (= a short time when gave a nervous giggle

time he looks at me I difficult to control ) you laugh a lot in a way before answering.

get the giggles. The girls had the you cannot control,

giggles, and couldn’t especially in a situation

stop laughing. when you should not

give a giggle (= to
laugh ) She gave a little
giggle.
stifle/suppress a
give somebody the a hysterical giggle (=
laugh ) The boys
giggles (= make that someone cannot
collapsed in a fit of
someone laugh ) The control ) The children
giggles.
way he was waving his were all in hysterical

giggle (= try to not arms around gave us giggles.

laugh ) Britta covered the giggles.

her mouth to stifle a

giggle.
collapse/dissolve into a high-pitched giggle

giggles (= start The young man gave a

laughing a lot ) Victor high-pitched giggle.

tickled the little boy,

who dissolved into

giggles.
Grin/ɡrɪn/

 to smile widely:

grin at

She grinned at me, her eyes sparkling.

grin broadly/widely

He walked out of the pool, grinning widely.

grin like

He was grinning like an idiot (= grinning in a silly way)

grin from ear to ear (= grin very widely )

Grin noun

 a wide smile:

He came into the room with a friendly grin on his face

‘Wipe that silly grin off your face!’ the teacher shouted.
 COLLOCATIONS
VERBS PHRASES ADJECTIVES
give a grin Bill break/split into wipe the smile/grin off sb’s wide/broad/big/ huge etc grin Howl /
read the letter a grin The old face informal to make ‘Of course,’ he agreed with a
h aʊl/
and gave a sudden man’s face broke someone feel less happy or wide grin

grin. into a grin. confident, especially someone

who is annoying because they

flash somebody a a grin spreads a toothy grin (= one that shows
think they are clever :

grin (= smile (= a wide smile your teeth a lot ) The man gave
Tell him how much it’ll cost –

quickly at covers a large toothy grin.
that should wipe the smile
a sly grin (a smile, look etc that 
someone ) someone's face )
off his face!
shows you know something 
Flashing me a grin A self-satisfied
secret) A sly grin crossed his 
over her shoulder, grin spread
face. 
she got into the across his face.

car.
a grin widens (= a grin on sb’s face He a sheepish grin (= an 

someone starts looked at Sarah, a big grin on embarrassed grin because you 

smiling even his face. have done something silly or 

more ) Marcus's wrong ) "Sorry", he said with a 

amused grin sheepish grin. 

break into a smile/grinto a mischievous grin 'Let's play a
widened. 
suddenly start smiling: trick on her’ he suggested with a

She broke into a grin, and mischievous grin.

started to run towards me.


howl with laughter to laugh very loudly – used especially about a group of people laughing together

His plays have made audiences howl with laughter.

peals/gales/howls etc of laughter (= loud laughs )

The comment brought peals of laughter from her classmates.

Noun: howler (British English a very bad mistake, especially one that shows you do not know something, and that often

makes other people laugh)

Photographers should be careful of making classic howlers, such as having a tree grow out of your subject’s head.

Roar / rɔː/

 roar with laughter (at): to laugh very loudly and continuously, especially with a deep voice:

I could hear my father roaring with laughter at something on TV.

The show was a great success, and had the audience roaring with laughter.
Smirk /smɜːk/

 to smile in an unpleasant way that shows that you are pleased by someone else’s bad luck or think you are

better than other people

The children smirked when the teacher dropped all the books on the floor.

What are you smirking about/ at?

Noun: smirk

He had a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

Sneer / snɪə / [T or I]

 to smile in an unpleasant and offensive way that shows you think someone is stupid or less good than you

As she read the letter, she started to sneer.

sneer at

She sneered at Tom’s musical tastes.

She’d not forgotten how Gareth had laughed and sneered at them when they’d first tried to be friendly.

Noun: sneer (an unkind smile or remark that shows you have no respect for something or someone) ‘You probably

wouldn’t understand,’ he said with a sneer.

Adjective: sneering

A sneering tone

Snigger / ˈsnɪgə / [I]

 British English to laugh quietly in a way that is not nice at something which is not supposed to be funny, for

example when someone is hurt or embarrassed SYN snicker American English

snigger at

What are you sniggering at? This is a serious poem.

Billy stood up and started to sing, and one or two people sniggered.

Noun: snigger [C]

 WAYS OF SHINING

(Blinding) /ˈblaɪn.dɪŋ/: (Adjective) extremely bright.

There was loud bang and a sudden blinding light.

(Brilliant) /ˈbrɪl.i.ənt/: full of light, shining or bright in colour.

The sky was a brilliant, cloudless blue.

Adverb: brilliantly /ˈbrɪl.i.ənt.li/

Dazzle /ˈdæz.l  ̩/: • [T] If light dazzles you, it makes you unable to see for a short time

I was dazzled by the sunlight.

Dim /dɪm/: [I or T] • to (make something) become less bright.

The lights dimmed and the curtains opened.

Adjective: • not giving or having much light.

The lamp gave out a dim light.

We could see a dim (= not easily seen) shape in the fog.

Adverb: dimly /ˈdɪm.li/

Noun: dimness /ˈdɪm.nəs/

Flash /flæʃ/: • [I or T] to shine brightly and suddenly, or to make something shine in this way.

Stop flashing that light in my eyes!

• [I] LITERARY If someone's eyes flash, they look bright because of the anger or

excitement the person is feeling.

Noun: [C] a sudden bright light that quickly disappears.

a flash of lightning

The bomb exploded in a flash of yellow light.

Glare /gleə /: [I] to shine too brightly.

The sun was glaring right in my eyes.

Noun: [U] unpleasantly bright or strong light.

Tinted1 windows will cut down the glare/the sun's glare.

Gleam /gliːm/: [I] • to produce or reflect a small, bright light.

He polished the table until it gleamed.

• When eyes gleam, they shine in a way that expresses a particular emotion.

1
Tinted /ˈtɪn.tɪd/: [before noun] (of glass) with colour added.
Tinted glasses (= glasses with slightly darkened lenses) are good for driving in bright sunlight.
 His eyes gleamed with/in triumph.

Noun: [C usually singular] when something gleams.

Glimmer /ˈglɪm.ə /: [I] to shine with a weak light or a light that is not continuous

The lights of the village were glimmering in the distance.

Noun: [C] a light that glimmers weakly.

We saw a glimmer of light in the distance.

Glint /glɪnt/: [I] • to produce small bright flashes of light reflected from a surface.

A large diamond glinted on her finger.

• When someone's eyes glint, they look bright, expressing a strong emotion.

She smiled at him, her eyes glinting with mischief.

Noun: [C usually singular] when something glints.

the glint of a knife

Glitter /ˈglɪt.ə/: • to produce a lot of small bright flashes of reflected light.

Her diamond necklace glittered brilliantly under the spotlights.

• LITERARY If someone's eyes glitter, they look bright and express strong feeling.

His dark eyes glittered with anger behind his spectacles.

Noun: [U] • when something glitters

the glitter of the fireworks

Glow /gləʊ/: [I] • to produce a continuous light and sometimes heat.

A nightlight glowed dimly in the corner of the children's bedroom.

This substance is so radioactive that it glows in the dark.

Noun: [S] when something produces a continuous light and/or heat.

the glow of the fire

Sparkle /ˈspɑː.kl  ̩/:• to shine brightly with a lot of small points of light.

The snow/sea sparkled in the sunlight.

Noun: [U] • bright shine.

The radiant smile and the sparkle in her blue eyes were the clear signs of a woman still

deeply in love.