Meaning & use
annoy playfully
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Meaning
phrasetransitive
To tease or bother someone in a light, friendly way, often for fun, without causing real upset.
Grammar: Takes a direct object: annoy someone playfully. The adverb 'playfully' describes how the annoying is done.
Patterns
- annoy someone playfully
- annoy someone playfully about something
My little brother likes to annoy me playfully by hiding my phone.
She annoyed him playfully about his new haircut, but he knew she was joking.
The cat annoyed the dog playfully by batting at its tail.
Common combinations
- annoy someone playfully
- He annoyed his sister playfully by tickling her.
- playfully annoy
- The children playfully annoyed their teacher with silly questions.
- annoy playfully about
- They annoyed him playfully about his fear of spiders.
Synonyms and how they differ
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
The adverb 'playfully' should come before the verb 'annoyed' or after the object, but not between the verb and object. Option B is correct because it places 'playfully' before 'annoyed'. Option An is wrong because the adverb cannot go between the verb and its object. Option C uses the adjective 'playful' instead of the adverb. Option D uses 'to' incorrectly.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “annoy playfully”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.