lundi 12 mai 2014

Notes on usage: Shine

Gleam  -  Glow  -  Sparkle  -  Glisten  -  Shimmer  -  Glitter  -  Twinkle  -  Glint

 

These words all mean to produce or reflect light.

 

Shine to produce or reflect light, especially brightly: The sun was shining and the sky was blue.
Gleam to shine with a clear bright or pale light, especially a reflected light: Moonlight gleamed on the water.
Glow (often of sth hot or warm) to produce a dull steady light: The end of his cigarette glowed red.
Sparkle to shine brightly with small flashes of light: The diamonds sparkled in the light.
Glisten (of sth wet) to shine: The road glistened wet after the rain.
Shimmer to shine with a soft light that seems to shake slightly: Everything seemed to shimmer in the heat.
Glitter to shine brightly with small flashes of reflected light: The ceiling of the cathedral glittered with gold.
Twinkle to shine with a light that changes rapidly from bright to faint to bright again: Stars twinkled in the sky.
Glint to give small bright flashes of reflected light: The blade of the knife glinted in the darkness.

 

SPARKLE OR GLITTER?
There is very little difference in meaning between these two words. Glitter can sometimes suggest a lack of depth, but this is more frequent in the figurative use of glitter as a noun: The superficial glitter of show business. Sparkle is also often used to talk about light reflected off a surface, but things that produce light can also sparkle: Stars sparkled in the sky.

 

PATTERNS
*to shine/gleam/sparkle/glisten/shimmer/glitter/glint on sth
*to shine/gleam/glow/sparkle/glisten/shimmer/glitter/twinkle/glint with sth
*to shine/gleam/sparkle/glisten/shimmer/glitter/glint in the sunlight
*to shine/gleam/glisten/shimmer/glitter/glint in the moonlight
*the stars shine/sparkle/glitter/twinkle
*sb’s eyes shine/gleam/glow/sparkle/glisten/glitter/twinkle/glint
*to shine/gleam/glow/glitter brightly
*to shine/gleam/glow/shimmer softly

 

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Top Tips Abz Ingles - Notes on usage - Synonyms
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See also:

Common Phrasal Verbs Irregular Verbs List
Common Sentences Errors Frequently confused words
Common Clichés Thematic list of Idioms
Common misspellings Phrasal Verbs Particles list
Common Preposition Lista de Términos Gramaticales

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