She gave him a big smile.

Meaning: A female person transferred or bestowed a large expression of happiness or amusement to a male person.

Choice of Words: She refers to a female person. Gave means to transfer or bestow something, and Him refers to a male person. Big means large in size or amount, and Smile means an expression of happiness or amusement. Putting these words together, the sentence means that the female person transferred or bestowed a large expression of happiness or amusement to the male person.

Alternative Expressions

The girl smiled broadly at the boy.

Meaning: This means that the girl expressed happiness or friendliness towards the boy by smiling widely.

Choice of Words: The girl is the subject of the sentence and refers to the person doing the action. Smiled is a verb that means to make a smile. Broadly is an adverb that describes how the girl smiled. At is a preposition that shows the relationship between the girl and the boy. The boy is the indirect object of the sentence and refers to the person receiving the action.

With a beaming expression, she greeted the young man.

Meaning: This means that the girl showed a very happy and friendly expression on her face when she greeted the young man.

Choice of Words: With is a preposition that shows the relationship between the expression and the greeting. A beaming expression is a noun phrase that describes the girl's facial expression. She is the subject of the sentence and refers to the person doing the action. Greeted is a verb that means to say hello to someone. The young man is the indirect object of the sentence and refers to the person receiving the action.

Related Expressions