I.
noun
ADJECTIVE
▪ big , deep , great
▪ little , small
▪ loud
▪ quiet , silent , soft
▪ choked , hoarse , muffled , stifled , strangled
▪ choking , gasping , heaving , racking , shuddering
▪
I couldn't hold back the heaving ~s.
▪ dry
VERB + SOB
▪ give , let out
▪ break (down) into , burst into
▪
My father broke down into ~s.
▪ be racked by , be racked with , heave with , shake with
▪
Her body was racked with ~s.
▪ choke back , hold back , muffle , stifle
▪
Choking back a ~, she ran to her father's chair.
▪ hear
SOB + VERB
▪ break from sb/sth , come from , escape sb/sth
▪
A ~ escaped her lips.
▪ rise
▪
A choked ~ rose in his throat.
▪ catch
▪
A dry ~ caught in her throat.
▪ rack sth , shake sth
▪
Deep racking ~s shook his whole body.
▪ subside
SOB + NOUN
▪ story
▪
You can't expect me to believe this ~ story!
PREPOSITION
▪ between ~s
▪
‘I don't want to go!’ she said between ~s.
▪ on a ~
▪
Ellen choked on a ~ before admitting the truth.
▪ through ~s
▪
He continued his story through stifled ~s.
▪ with a ~
▪
‘Why didn't you tell me?’ she asked with a ~.
▪ ~ from
▪
a ~ from George
PHRASES
▪ a ~ of despair , a ~ of pain , a ~ of relief
▪
a great ~ of despair
II.
verb
ADVERB
▪ aloud
▪ loudly
▪ quietly , silently , softly
▪ hysterically , uncontrollably , wildly
▪ almost
▪
He was pleading, almost sobbing, first silently and then aloud.
VERB + SOB
▪ begin to , start to
▪
He began to ~ uncontrollably.
▪ hear sb
▪
I heard a child ~ loudly.
PREPOSITION
▪ into
▪
She began sobbing into her pillow.
▪ with
▪
She was sobbing with pain and fear.
PHRASES
▪ ~ your heart out
▪ begin ~ing , start ~ing
▪
She started sobbing hysterically.