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Anonymous Posted 19 years ago
Vocabulary
squeak and squeal
The brakes squeal/squeak.
Does squeal have "begging for attention" connotations? "The brakes squeak...[it's annoying, but who cares]" "The brakes squeal.....[please take a look at it]"
Does squeal have "begging for attention" connotations? "The brakes squeak...[it's annoying, but who cares]" "The brakes squeal.....[please take a look at it]"
Top answer
Hi Anon, No, not really. Here's the American use: If you are slowing down for a stop sign, and you hear that eeeeeeeeee noise, you usually say your brakes are squeaking, but if you did say squealing, it's fine. I would use squealing when you hear the sound of someone hitting their brakes hard to avoid an accident.
- Hi Anon, No, not really.
- Here's the American use: If you are slowing down for a stop sign, and you hear that eeeeeeeeee noise, you usually say your brakes are squeaking, but if you did say squealing, it's fine.
- I would use squealing when you hear the sound of someone hitting their brakes hard to avoid an accident.
- "
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4 Answers
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Hi Anon,
No, not really. Here's the American use: If you are slowing down for a stop sign, and you hear that eeeeeeeeee noise, you usually say your brakes are squeaking, but if you did say squealing, it's fine.
I would use squealing when you hear the sound of someone hitting their brakes hard to avoid an accident. "I couldn't see up ahead, but I heard brakes squealing and then t
No, not really. Here's the American use: If you are slowing down for a stop sign, and you hear that eeeeeeeeee noise, you usually say your brakes are squeaking, but if you did say squealing, it's fine.
I would use squealing when you hear the sound of someone hitting their brakes hard to avoid an accident. "I couldn't see up ahead, but I heard brakes squealing and then t
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GG's explanation is good. I would also add the following: mice squeak; piglets squeal.
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As for brakes, I'd say squeaks are smaller, briefer sounds that can occur in groups; a squeal is one bigger, louder, longer, continuous sound -- although in other contexts there is some overlap of meanings.
CJ
CJ
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If you look up the word squea(l) in Longman dictionary you'll discover that for both
verb and noun there's this clear word in definition: "(l)ong" high sound.
So you can remember it as a mnemonic. squea(l) is (long)
Squeak is short.
verb and noun there's this clear word in definition: "(l)ong" high sound.
So you can remember it as a mnemonic. squea(l) is (long)
Squeak is short.
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