John and Honey have had a big row and aren't speaking to each other.

[Freeguy]

Which one is common? I would choose the first and the third one.

1. John and Honey have had a big row and aren't speaking to each other.
2. John and Honey have had a big quarrel and aren't speaking to each other.
3. John and Honey have had a big argument and aren't speaking to each other.
4. John and Honey have had a big dispute and aren't speaking to each other.

 

[bhaisahab]

Which one is common? I would choose the first and the third one.

1. John and Honey have had a big row and aren't speaking to each other.
2. John and Honey have had a big quarrel and aren't speaking to each other.
3. John and Honey have had a big argument and aren't speaking to each other.
4. John and Honey have had a big dispute and aren't speaking to each other.

1, 2 and 3 are OK in my opinion.

 

[Boris Tatarenko]

Don't you say "a big dispute"?

 

[SoothingDave]

I don't have a problem with "dispute."

"Quarrel" seems a little odd to me with "big." But that could be because "quarrel" makes me think of "quibble." Quarrel isn't real common in AmE.

 

[emsr2d2]

1, 2 and 3 are OK for me too. However, I would use "a big row" and I might expect to hear "fight" in AmE. For me, "a dispute" is something that happens between companies, organisation, countries etc. An argument or row between two people might be referred to in court as a dispute. Two neighbours might have a dispute over the boundary lines of their property.

 

[Tdol]

I think big quarrel is OK, but I tend to use the word for smaller arguments, so I'd use 1 and 3. If they're getting divorced, they could have a big dispute about some aspect of it, but it's not the same as the others to me.

 

[MikeNewYork]

In AmE, I think "fight" and "argument" would be the most common.

 

[probus]

I thought that big row was very natural in BrE and was surprised when bhai and ems did not acknowledge it. Has it fallen out of Use in BrE since my time forty years ago?

Row is rarely if ever heard in AmE.

 

[Tdol]

They did both say 1 was OK. It wasn't discussed, probably because there's nothing much to say- it is still widely used in BrE and goes well with big.