Dog barked at the mailman.

Meaning: This sentence describes what the dog was doing and who it was barking at. It tells us that the dog was making a loud, sharp sound like a dog at the mailman.

Choice of Words: Barked means to make a loud, sharp sound like a dog. Mailman is a person who delivers mail. When you put them together, it means that the dog made a loud, sharp sound like a dog at the person who delivers mail.

Alternative Expressions

The canine let out a series of short, sharp sounds directed at the individual responsible for delivering correspondence.

Meaning: This sentence means the same thing as the first sentence, but it uses more formal language. It's like saying, The dog barked at the mailman in a very specific way.

Choice of Words: Canine is a more formal word for dog. Let out means to release something, in this case, the dog is releasing a series of sounds. Series means a group of things that are related. Short and sharp describe the sounds that the dog is making. Directed means that the sounds are being sent towards a specific person or thing. Individual means a single person. Responsible means that the person has a job or duty to do something. Correspondence is a formal word for mail. When you put these words together, you get a very detailed sentence that tells you exactly what the dog did to the mailman.

Fido communicated his displeasure to the postman via a series of vocalizations.

Meaning: This sentence means the same thing as the first two sentences, but it uses even more specific language. It's like saying, The dog barked at the mailman in a way that showed he was unhappy.

Choice of Words: Fido is a common name for a dog. Communicated means to share information or thoughts. Displeasure means to be unhappy or annoyed. Postman is another word for mailman. Via means through or by means of. Series means a group of things that are related. Vocalizations are sounds that are made with the voice. When you put these words together, you get a sentence that tells you what the dog did to the mailman in a very specific way.

Related Expressions