The little girl cried and cried over her lost toy.

Meaning: The girl was very upset and expressed her sadness by shedding tears because her toy was missing.

Choice of Words: Cried is a past tense verb that shows the action of expressing strong emotion with tears. Over indicates that the crying is related to the lost toy. Toy refers to an object that is played with for enjoyment, and lost means it cannot be found.

Alternative Expressions

The tiny girl sobbed and sobbed because she couldn't find her favorite toy.

Meaning: This sentence also describes a young girl who is very sad because she has lost her favorite toy. She is crying very hard because she is unable to find it and misses playing with it.

Choice of Words: Tiny emphasizes the small size of the girl. Sobbed is a more intense form of crying, indicating the girl is very upset. Couldn't is the past tense of can't, which means to be unable to do something. Find means to locate or discover something. Favorite describes the toy as being the girl's preferred one among her other toys.

The young child wept and wept as she searched desperately for her beloved toy.

Meaning: This sentence describes a young girl who is very upset because she has lost her favorite toy. She is crying and searching very hard for it because she loves it very much and wants to find it again.

Choice of Words: Young indicates the girl's age without specifying her exact size. Wept is a formal word for crying, suggesting the girl is deeply distressed. Desperately describes the intensity of the girl's search, indicating she is very determined to find her toy. Beloved emphasizes the emotional attachment the girl has to her toy.

Related Expressions