mutter
mutter — verb
1. to say words in a low, unclear voice that is hard for other people to hear clear
to say words in a low, unclear voice that is hard for other people to hear clearly — often done when you feel worried, annoyed, or do not want others to understand what you are saying.
Tendai muttered an apology to the librarian before hurrying out of the reading room.
transitive: mutter + noun phrase (apology)
The old man sat by the window, muttering to himself about the cold weather.
intransitive: mutter + to + oneself + about
Haruto could hear his roommate muttering in his sleep every night.
Esteban muttered something under his breath that his colleague could not quite catch.
When the teacher asked who broke the beaker, Padma muttered a quiet confession.
文法句型
mutter + to + person/oneself
mutter + noun phrase
mutter + about + noun
mutter + adverb (angrily/softly)
用法筆記
Frequently appears in continuous form (was/were muttering) to describe ongoing quiet speech. The intransitive pattern ('mutter to oneself') is more common than the transitive pattern. Unlike 'whisper,' muttering involves vocal cord vibration and produces unclear, mumbled sounds rather than breathy speech.
常見錯誤
2. to express unhappiness or disagreement about something in a quiet voice, so that
to express unhappiness or disagreement about something in a quiet voice, so that the person you are criticising does not hear you directly.
The workers muttered about the new policy but no one spoke up at the meeting.
collocation: mutter + about + noun (policy)
Alessia muttered a complaint when her brother took the last piece of cake.
transitive: mutter + noun phrase (complaint)
Customers muttered angrily as the store announced another price increase.
Ilan muttered that the deadline was unfair, but he did not argue with the manager.
Instead of confronting his friend, Karim just muttered his disappointment.
文法句型
mutter + about + noun
mutter + that-clause
mutter + noun phrase
用法筆記
Subject is typically a person or group who feels wronged but does not want direct confrontation. Distinguish from verb/s1 (SPEAK QUIETLY): in this sense the speaker is always expressing dissatisfaction or disagreement, whereas verb/s1 describes the manner of quiet speech regardless of emotional content.
常見錯誤
mutter — noun
1. the quiet, unclear sound of someone speaking in a low voice, especially when you
the quiet, unclear sound of someone speaking in a low voice, especially when you cannot understand exactly what they are saying.
From the next room, Hugo heard the low mutter of people talking on the phone.
adjective: low mutter
An uneasy mutter spread through the crowd when the announcement was delayed.
adjective: uneasy mutter
All Apinya could hear was the mutter of her grandfather reading the newspaper.
The only sound was a faint mutter from the study group in the corner.
2. a complaint made in a quiet, unclear voice that is shared only with a few people
a complaint made in a quiet, unclear voice that is shared only with a few people rather than stated openly.
There were a few mutters about the new schedule from the evening shift workers.
collocation: mutter about [something]
A mutter about being overlooked for the promotion reached the manager's ears.
Shanti ignored the mutters of her classmates and focused on the exam.
The supervisor heard mutters of dissatisfaction after announcing the new overtime rules.