quaver
part of speech
noun (a quaver, quavers); verb (quaver, quavers, quavered, quavering)
meaning for a pupil
1) (music, UK) A note that lasts half a beat in common time — half as long as a crotchet; in the USA it is called an eighth note. tree →
2) (verb) When a voice quavers, it shakes because the person is afraid, nervous, old or upset. tree →
3) (noun) A shake or tremble in the voice. tree →
sense in the lessons
In music lessons a quaver is drawn as a filled-in note with a stem and one flag (tail); two or more quavers are often joined by a beam. Two quavers equal one crotchet. In stories a quavering voice shows fear or sadness. Also «Quavers» is a UK crisp brand.
examples
- A quaver lasts half as long as a crotchet. tree →
- Two quavers make one beat in 4/4 time. tree →
- Her voice quavered as she said goodbye. tree →
- «Is anyone there?» he asked with a quaver in his voice. tree →
- In America a quaver is called an eighth note. tree →
- The quavers were joined together with a beam. tree →
- The old man's voice quavered as he sang. tree →
- A semibreve equals eight quavers. tree →
note
Countable; plural «quavers». Past form «quavered». UK names: semibreve (4 beats), minim (2), crotchet (1), quaver (1/2), semiquaver (1/4). US names: whole, half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth note. Maths: 1 semibreve = 2 minims = 4 crotchets = 8 quavers.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «quaver» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.