quaver
quaver — verb
- quaverpresent simple I / you / we / they
- quavershe / she / it
- quaveredpast simple
- quavering-ing form
1. When someone's voice quavers, it sounds unsteady and wavers slightly, often beca
When someone's voice quavers, it sounds unsteady and wavers slightly, often because they are nervous, upset, or frightened.
Rachel's voice quavered as she told the police what she had seen.
quavered as + clause (past narrative)
Ilan tried to stay calm, but his voice quavered during the speech.
Noor's voice quavered with relief when the doctor told her the lump was not cancer.
Camille's voice quavered the moment she recognised him on the phone.
You could hear Kenji's voice quavering as he read the letter aloud.
- steady
a voice that is firm and unwavering
文法句型
voice + quaver
quaver + with + emotion
用法筆記
Describes the sound of a voice, not a physical body movement. For body trembling, use 'tremble' or 'shake'.
常見錯誤
quaver — noun
- quaversingular
- quaversplural
1. In British music, a short note worth half a beat — half the length of a crotchet
In British music, a short note worth half a beat — half the length of a crotchet — drawn as a filled black oval with a stem and a curly tail.
The violin melody began with four rapid quavers before the first long, held note.
Felipe had trouble counting the quavers correctly in that fast passage.
counting quavers (collocation)
The teacher clapped two quavers and a crotchet for the children to copy.
Mr. Adebayo drew a quaver on the whiteboard and asked the class to clap its rhythm.
Diya practised the quaver pattern on her flute until it felt natural.
- eighth note
the American English equivalent of a quaver
用法筆記
British term. In American English, this is called an 'eighth note'. A crotchet (quarter note) is equal to two quavers.
2. A small, unsteady movement in a person's voice, usually caused by strong emotion
A small, unsteady movement in a person's voice, usually caused by strong emotion like fear, sadness, or nervousness.
There was a quaver in Liam's voice when he spoke about his mother.
a quaver in someone's voice
Soraya noticed a quaver in her father's answer and grew worried.
The nurse caught a quaver in the old man's voice when he mentioned his late wife.
Quan tried to hide the quaver in his voice, but his sister noticed.
A slight quaver crept into Marta's voice as she said goodbye.
用法筆記
Always describes a vocal quality. For a physical tremor of the hands or body, use 'tremor' or 'shake' instead.