Common expressions with give

Some verbs referring to sounds made by people (e.g. cough, laugh, cry, scream, shout, chuckle) are often replaced by a structure with give and a noun.

Common expressions are:

Give a cry
Give a cough
Give a laugh
Give a shout
Give a chuckle
Give a scream
Give a lecture
Give a speech

She gave a scream and ran out of the room. (= She screamed and ran out of the room.)
She gave a cough to attract my attention.

This structure can also be used with an indirect object. Common expressions are:

Give something a push
Give something a kick
Give something a clean
Give something a try
Give something a miss
Give somebody a ring

I will give you a ring before I arrive.
Give it a push if it doesn’t start.
‘Are you coming to the film?’ ‘No, I am busy. I will give it a miss.’

We say take an exam, not give an exam. Similarly, we say take a photo, not give a photo.

Subscribe and win a grammar eBook

Subscribe to our feed by email and win an eBook titled '120 Grammar and Vocabulary Mistakes to Avoid'.

The download link will be sent by email. Please make sure that you have enabled links and images in your email.