ENGLISH
REFERENCE

jabber away

phr. v..
C1 Advanced Oxford Informal

phr. v.. to talk quickly and for a long time, often about things that are not important or are hard to understand.

phr. v.. to speak rapidly, incoherently, or incessantly; the particle 'away' functions as a continuative aspect marker indicating prolonged or enthusiastic action.


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.

Particles
away
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
jabber + away
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'.

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