giggle
part of speech
verb (giggle, giggles, giggled, giggling); noun (a giggle, giggles; the giggles)
meaning for a pupil
1) To laugh in a quick, high, silly way, often because something is funny or because you are nervous or shy. tree →
2) (noun) A laugh like that. tree →
3) (the giggles) A time when you cannot stop giggling. tree →
4) (UK informal, a giggle) Something fun: «It was a good giggle». tree →
sense in the lessons
In stories, giggling tells the reader that characters, often children, are having fun or sharing a secret. In class: «Stop giggling and listen» — giggling at the wrong time can be rude, and giggling at someone can hurt them. Phrases: «get the giggles», «have a fit of the giggles», «for a giggle».
examples
- The babies giggled when I made funny faces. tree →
- We got the giggles during assembly and couldn't stop. tree →
- She gave a nervous giggle. tree →
- Please stop giggling and get on with your work. tree →
- The jokes made everyone giggle. tree →
- They were giggling about a secret. tree →
- Tickling makes my sister giggle. tree →
- And the reporters giggled, and each dropped a blot of ink on the floor. tree →
note
Verb: giggled, giggling (drop e). «Giggle» is lighter and sillier than «laugh»; «chuckle» is a quiet, low laugh; «snigger/snicker» is an unkind laugh.
In the corpora
- The presenter giggles about a singer's "secret heartbreak".
- Without them Toad is just Toad again, and he giggles feebly.
- Mix-ups are part of learning by ear; every learner makes them, and the friends' giggles are friendly.
- Whispering and giggling about someone who is present makes them feel left out and talked about.
- Giggling during prayers can disturb people who are praying around you.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «giggle» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.