niggles

"He was slightly built, but tall."

"He snatched up the phone."

"He listened carefully to his mother's concerns, feeling sorrowful about her disappointment. "

"The placement of the furniture in the living room made the space feel much bigger. "

"The teacher's prescription for improved study habits included more focused time and regular breaks. "

"His constant trifling with the classroom equipment distracted the other students. "

"My complaint about the noisy neighbors was finally heard by the landlord. "

"The automatic child-frightener made clowns unnecessary."

"a machine that cut up secret documents into small unreadable fragments"

"My grandfather handwrote a letter to my grandmother every week. "

"The child was pretending to be asleep so he wouldn't have to eat his vegetables. "

"Oily substances render things slippery."