Children laughed, joy contagious.

Meaning: The children were laughing, and their happiness was spreading to everyone around them.

Choice of Words: The word "children" refers to the young people. "Laughed" tells us that they were making a happy sound. "Joy" is a feeling of great happiness, and "contagious" means it could spread to others.

Alternative Expressions

The children's laughter was contagious.

Meaning: This means that the children were laughing and their laughter was spreading to other children around them.

Choice of Words: The children's laughter is a noun phrase that refers to the act of laughing by the children. Was is the past tense of the verb "to be". Contagious means something that can be easily spread from one person to another, like a disease. In this case, the laughter is spreading from one child to another.

The children's laughter spread like wildfire.

Meaning: This means that the children were laughing and their laughter was spreading to other children around them very quickly.

Choice of Words: The children's laughter is a noun phrase that refers to the act of laughing by the children. Spread is a verb that means to move or distribute something over a wide area. Like wildfire is a simile that compares the spread of the laughter to the rapid spread of a wildfire. Wildfires are known for spreading quickly and easily, so this simile suggests that the laughter is spreading just as quickly.

Related Expressions