Woordkeuze · B2
Snap, crack, shatter, smash
English rarely says "break" when it can be more precise. A twig snaps because it is long, thin and rigid. A windscreen cracks when a line opens but the glass stays in one piece. A mirror shatters into many small pieces at once. A car smashes into a barrier because there is violent impact behind it. The verb tells the reader the shape of the thing and the force that reached it.
Welk woord, en waarom
- snap
long, thin and rigid — one sudden movement, with a sound
To break cleanly and suddenly, the way a twig, a pencil, a bone or a taut string does.
snap in half · the rope snapped · snap a twig
- crack
a line opens; the thing stays in one piece
To develop a split or a fissure without falling apart.
a cracked screen · the ice cracked · crack under pressure
- shatter
brittle — into many small pieces at once
To break violently into fragments, or, figuratively, to destroy something completely.
shatter into pieces · shattered glass · shatter the silence
- smash
violent impact, usually with force behind it
To break something by hitting it, or to collide hard with something.
smash into a wall · smash a window · smash a record
- split
apart along a natural line or grain
To divide lengthways along a seam, a grain or a fault.
split along the seam · split logs · split the difference
- tear
soft, flexible material: paper, cloth, muscle
To pull apart something that bends rather than something rigid.
tear a page · tear a muscle · tear it up
- burst
pressure from the inside
To break open because of what is inside pushing out.
a burst pipe · the balloon burst · burst into tears
- crumble
slowly, into small fragments, without force
To fall apart bit by bit through age or decay.
crumbling plaster · the cliff crumbled · the empire crumbled
- fracturetechnical
technical: a break under stress, often only partial
To crack or break under load. Used of bone and of engineered materials.
a fractured skull · the metal fractured · a stress fracture
- chip
a small piece off an edge or a corner
To break a fragment off a rim or surface, leaving the object still usable.
a chipped mug · chip the paint · a chipped tooth
- dent
the surface is pushed in; nothing breaks
To make a hollow in a hard surface by hitting it.
dent the bodywork · a dented tin · dent his confidence
- shred
into strips
To cut or tear into long narrow pieces, usually deliberately.
shred documents · shredded cabbage · torn to shreds
- buckle
bends and gives way under load — without breaking
To distort out of shape under weight or heat.
the shelf buckled · his knees buckled · buckled rails
Nu gebruiken
10 oefeningen van deze pagina. Er wordt niets opgeslagen behalve in je eigen account.
De oefeningen en de uitleg zijn in het Engels. Dat is met opzet: het gaat erom te denken in de taal die je leert.
Vraag 1 van 10
The dry twig underfoot and every bird in the hedge took off.