2.1.11

Onomatopoeia

Test yourself

Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia is when the way the word sounds imitates the sound it is describing.

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Heels clacking

  • Her heels clacked on the wooden floor.
    • In this phrase, ‘clacked’ is onomatopoeia because ‘clack’ sounds like the noise that high heels make when they hit wooden floors.
    • The onomatopoeia adds to your writing because it grabs the reader’s attention, jarring them as the description is interrupted with the literal sound, ‘clack’.
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Earthquake rumbling

  • The earthquake rumbled across the valley.
    • In this phrase, ‘rumbled’ is onomatopoeia because ‘rumble’ sounds like the noise that earthquakes make as they move through the ground.
    • The onomatopoeia adds to your writing because it grabs the reader’s attention, jarring them as the description is interrupted with the literal sound, ‘rumble’.
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Paint splattering

  • He flicked the brush and paint splattered across the wall.
    • In this phrase, ‘splattered’ is onomatopoeia because ‘splat’ sounds like the noise that paint makes when it hits a surface.
    • The onomatopoeia adds to your writing because it grabs the reader’s attention, jarring them as the description is interrupted with the literal sound, ‘splat’.

Tips for Using Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia is when the way the word sounds imitates the sound it is describing.

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Focus on the sound

  • Focus on the sound you are trying to create. What are you describing and what sound do you want your reader to actually hear in their heads as they read the sentence?
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Consider tone/atmosphere

  • Consider what kind of tone/atmosphere you are trying to create – the right onomatopoeic sound could give you a very tense feeling (‘rumble’, ‘crunch’, ‘clatter’) or could create a more uplifting feeling (‘hum’, ‘jingle’).
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Choose vocabulary well

  • Your choice of vocabulary is vital in creating your language devices effectively.

Jump to other topics

1Key Terms

1.1Key Terms

1.1.1Nouns

1.1.2Verbs

1.1.3Sentence Types

1.1.4Words

1.1.5Sound

1.1.6Language

1.1.7Images & Symbols

1.1.8Phrases

1.1.9Mood

1.1.10Key Terms - Other Techniques

1.1.11End of Topic Test - Key Terms

2Language Techniques

2.1Language Devices

2.1.1Metaphors

2.1.2Similes

2.1.3Metaphors & Similes HyperLearning

2.1.4Personification

2.1.5Pathetic Fallacy

2.1.6Pun

2.1.7Oxymoron

2.1.8Hyperbole

2.1.9Alliteration

2.1.10Sibilance

2.1.11Onomatopoeia

2.1.12Emotive Language

2.1.13All Language Devices

2.1.14End of Topic Test - Language Devices

2.2Writing Structure

2.2.1Narrators

2.2.2Paragraphs

2.2.3Present Tense

2.2.4Past Tense

2.2.5Future Tense

2.2.6Present vs Past vs Future

2.2.7Foreshadowing

2.2.8Structure

2.2.9End of Topic Test - Writing Structure

3Paper 1: Reading

3.1Structuring Your Answer - Section A

3.1.1Overview - Section A

3.1.2Answering Question 1

3.1.3Answering Question 2

3.1.4Exam-Style Questions - Paper 1: Reading

3.1.5Answering Question 3

3.1.6Answering Question 4

3.1.7End of Topic Test - Section A

3.1.8Exam-Style Questions - Paper 1: Reading

4Paper 1: Writing

4.1Structuring Your Answer

4.1.1Overview - Section B

4.1.2Descriptive Writing

4.1.3Narrative Writing

4.1.4Answering Section B

4.1.5Answering Section B - Checklist of Techniques

4.1.6End of Topic Test - Writing Section

4.1.7Exam-Style Questions - Paper 1: Writing

5Paper 2: Reading

5.1DAFORESTER

5.1.1Direct Address

5.1.2Alliteration

5.1.3Facts

5.1.4Opinions

5.1.5Repetition

5.1.6Exaggeration (Hyperbole)

5.1.7Statistics

5.1.8Triples (Rule of 3)

5.1.9Emotive Language

5.1.10Rhetorical Questions

5.1.11End of Topic Test - DAFORESTER

5.2Structuring Your Answer

5.2.1Overview - Section A

5.2.2Answering Question 1

5.2.3Answering Question 2

5.2.4Answering Question 3

5.2.5Exam-Style Questions - Paper 2: Reading

5.2.6Answering Question 4

5.2.7End of Topic Test - Section A

5.2.8Exam-Style Questions - Paper 2: Reading

6Paper 2: Writing

6.1Structuring Your Answer

6.1.1Overview - Section B

6.1.2Answering Section B - Punctuation & Plans

6.2Types of Writing

6.2.1Article

6.2.2Essay

6.2.3Leaflet

6.2.4Letter

6.2.5Speech

6.2.6Review

6.2.7Travel Writing

6.2.8Diaries & Journals

6.2.9End of Topic Test - Types of Writing

6.3Writing to...

6.3.1Writing to Inform

6.3.2Writing to Inform - Example

6.3.3Writing to Explain

6.3.4Writing to Explain - Example

6.3.5Writing to Persuade

6.3.6Writing to Persuade - Example

6.3.7Writing to Argue

6.3.8Writing to Argue - Example

6.3.9Writing to Persuade vs Writing to Argue

6.3.10Writing to Advise

6.3.11Writing to Advise - Example

6.3.12End of Topic Test - Writing to...

6.3.13Exam-Style Questions - Paper 2: Writing

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Sibilance

Emotive Language