Phrasal verb
jabber away
Definition
phrasal verb. to talk quickly and for a long time, often about things that are not important or are hard to understand.
phrasal verb. to speak rapidly, incoherently, or incessantly; the particle 'away' functions as a continuative aspect marker indicating prolonged or enthusiastic action.
Examples
“The two friends sat in the corner and jabbered away all afternoon.”
“I couldn't understand a word they were saying as they jabbered away in a dialect I hadn't heard before.”
“While the professor jabbered away about obscure historical dates, most of the students found their attention drifting toward the sunny courtyard outside.”
Examples
simple
“The two friends sat in the corner and jabbered away all afternoon.”
contextual
“I couldn't understand a word they were saying as they jabbered away in a dialect I hadn't heard before.”
complex
“While the professor jabbered away about obscure historical dates, most of the students found their attention drifting toward the sunny courtyard outside.”
Usage
usually describes a person talking in an excited, fast, or slightly annoying way.
Teaching tip
focus on the particle 'away' as a marker of continuous, energetic action, similar to 'work away' or 'chat away'.
Pitfall
He jabbered away the secret.
He jabbered away about the secret.
this phrasal verb is intransitive; you cannot 'jabber away' an object, you must use a preposition like 'about'.
Phrasal verb
Particles
away
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
jabber + away
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/jabber-away