The prepositions "in" and "with" in these expressions convey different nuances of how emotions are experienced or expressed: 1. "Shriek with laughter": "With" indicates the accompaniment of laughter; the shriek happens along with the act of laughing. 2. "Scream in anger": "In" suggests being immersed in the emotion; the scream arises from a state of anger. 3. "Shriek in fright": Similarly, "in" here shows that the shriek stems from being in a state of fright. While both prepositions relate to emotions, "with" often indicates something done alongside the emotion, and "in" indicates being enveloped by the emotion.

The choice between "in" and "with" in expressions like "to shriek with laughter," "to scream in anger," and "to shriek in fright" can indeed be confusing. Here's a breakdown of the usage and the nuance each preposition brings: "With" To shriek with laughter: Here, "with" is used to indicate the cause or accompaniment of the action. Laughter is the reason or the manner in which the shrieking is done. "With" suggests that the laughter is an accompaniment to the shrieking, essentially happening together. Other examples: "to tremble with fear," "to jump with joy." "In" To scream in anger: In this case, "in" is used to denote the emotional state or condition causing the action. Anger is the state of mind during which the screaming happens. "In" often conveys being in a certain state or condition. To shriek in fright: Similarly, "in" here indicates that fright is the emotional state causing the shrieking. Other examples: "to cry in pain," "to speak in surprise." General Rule of Thumb Use "with" to indicate something that accompanies the action or is a characteristic of how the action is performed. Use "in" to denote the emotional or mental state that prompts the action.

Prepositions within idioms and other fixed expressions are often quite random. They can't be translated literally, and just simply must be memorized. For example, in Spanish you "think in" someone or something and "dream with" someone or something.

the rules are in grammar only no rules in vocabulary -- just memory