There was a traffic jam. vs There was a big traffic jam.

Both phrases are correct, but the addition of 'big' in the second phrase emphasizes the size or severity of the traffic jam. The choice between the two depends on whether you want to emphasize the magnitude of the jam or simply state its existence.

Explained by Michele A.
Editor at TextRanch

Last updated: January 22, 2025 • 7513 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used to indicate the presence of a traffic jam.

"There was a traffic jam."

This phrase is used to simply state the existence of a traffic jam without emphasizing its size or severity.

Examples:

I was late to work because there was a traffic jam.
We couldn't move for hours due to a traffic jam.
The highway was blocked by a traffic jam.
There was a traffic jam on the way to the airport.
The city experienced a traffic jam during rush hour.

Show examples from the web [+]
Last updated: November 26, 2024

There were literally thousands of people, and there was a traffic jam ten miles long so many followed the ship up river. From the. Hansard archive. Example ...
Sep 9, 2020 ... 1) She was late because she was stuck in a traffic jam. 2) She was late because there was a traffic jam. 3) She was late because she had got stuck in a traffic ...
Nov 5, 2023 ... However due to the accident there was a traffic jam going past the station, so the “dispatched” fire truck just sat there halfway out the ...
Mar 31, 2010 ... At one junction, there was a traffic jam even though the lights were green. My granddaughter decided to run through the cars to take a plate ...
Mar 13, 2024 ... Sim: "When I was young, my parents and I drove over an Invisible bridge. Just that there was a traffic jam". Upvote 2. Downvote Award Share.
Jan 18, 2018 ... There are many places where this happens. I remember, not too long ago, there was a traffic jam in some Chinese city that lasted for days!
Apr 9, 2021 ... Half a century ago, there was a traffic jam in the Suez Canal that lasted for 8 years. Literally. It took eight years for fifteen cargo ...
Sep 11, 2024 ... There was a traffic jam on Hartington Grove this morning. I was pedalling back from the Post Office. An SUV was half pulled into a parking slot but its back ...
Mar 7, 2014 ... We met up with more of our extended family and off we were—to church. As we got close there was a traffic jam about a mile out. I tried to weave ...
Nov 30, 2016 ... We could not deliver your sql database, there was a traffic jam. Or worse, your data was destroyed in a wreck with a gas truck and a mini cooper ...

Alternatives:

there was heavy traffic.
there was a long line of cars.
there was congestion on the road.
there was gridlock on the highway.
there was bumper-to-bumper traffic.

This phrase is correct and emphasizes the size or severity of the traffic jam.

"There was a big traffic jam."

This phrase is used when you want to highlight the magnitude of the traffic jam, indicating that it was significant in size or impact.

Examples:

We were stuck for hours in a big traffic jam.
The big traffic jam caused delays for many commuters.
The city faced a big traffic jam after the accident.
The big traffic jam stretched for miles on the highway.
The big traffic jam brought the city to a standstill.

Show examples from the web [+]
Last updated: November 26, 2024

Sep 18, 2023 ... Yesterday, there was a big traffic jam next to a group of pronghorn antelope. There were a bunch of does prancing around a pond with one ...
Jul 31, 2024 ... There was a big traffic jam and I saw a Lamborghini with a hideous custom paint job and a sport bike. There must have been at least 10 cruisers. It didn't look ...
Police were called and there was a big traffic jam. " Send us a video: https://dashcamownersaus. wetransfer.com/ Get 10% off any order with code DCOAXMAS ...
Feb 6, 2024 ... Do I then, as a car driver, have to yield for the tram like making way for emergency vehicle? Yesterday there was a big traffic jam and the ...
Sep 19, 2012 ... Another time I rode the bus there was a big traffic jam so my driver made a U-turn in the middle of the narrow two-lane street as several ...
Jul 1, 2007 ... There was a big traffic jam. A traffic policeman was blowing his whistle and waving at a taxi-driver to try to make him move his car. The ...
May 16, 2021 ... ... there was a big traffic jam and the woman next to me started chatting to me. As we were talking I noticed that she was wearing some very ...
Dec 31, 2015 ... Police were called and there was a big traffic jam. " Send us a video: https://dashcamownersaus. wetransfer.com/ Get 10% off any order with ...
We arrived here at Road Atlanta around 1:30 and met Mike Levine at the gate just like previous years only this year there was a big traffic jam of semi ...
Mar 21, 2015 ... Police were called and there was a big traffic jam. " Send us a video: https://dashcamownersaus. wetransfer.com/ Get 10% off any order with ...

Alternatives:

there was a massive traffic jam.
there was a huge traffic jam.
there was a major traffic jam.
there was a severe traffic jam.
there was an enormous traffic jam.

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There was a traffic jam. vs There was a big traffic jam.

"There was a traffic jam."

"There was a big traffic jam."

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