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

Both phrases are correct, but they convey slightly different meanings. Adding '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.

Last updated: March 08, 2024

There was a traffic jam.

This phrase is correct and commonly used to indicate the presence of 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 [+]

stuck in a traffic jam · there was a traffic jam · There was an explosion which caused a traffic jam · Traffic Jam · Poser la question dans les forumsVisiter le forum ...
''Sorry I'm Late Miss/Sir , There Was A Traffic Jam In The Corridor ..'' is on Facebook. To connect with ''Sorry I'm Late Miss/Sir , There Was A Traffic Jam In The ...
I used to drive the same route a lot, and at first got extremely frustrated when there was a traffic jam. Some co-workers and I would often swap war stories about ...
Dec 26, 2014 ... TIL there was a traffic jam in Beijing, China that lasted 9 days and 100km (bbc.co. uk). submitted 4 days ago by redcomet0079 · 228 comments ...

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.

There was a big traffic jam.

This phrase is correct and emphasizes the size or severity of the 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 [+]

4 days ago ... "I was headed out to the highway, and there was a big traffic jam up here," said Barry Smith. "Everybody's in the gas station. I actually went to ...
Jan 5, 2015 ... Once right after I moved to Cleveland County, there was a big traffic jam there because someone was doing just that. I saw a another fellow get ...
Jan 9, 2014 ... Coincidentally, this was happening at the same time there was a big traffic jam on I-75 southbound into the city — 8 miles long. Something ...
Nov 8, 2013 ... "All of a sudden, there was a big traffic jam. Somehow, I got hit in the face. I don't know if I hit the ball with my face or not - it could have been ...

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.