Sound
English Language: AQA GCSE, topic 1.1.5
Key Terms for English Language - Sounds
You need to know the following key terms for your English Language exam:
Alliteration
- The same letter or sound at the beginning of words next to each other.
- Please note, these are the same sounds, not necessarily the same letters (e.g. 'c' and 'k' may sound the same in some words).
- E.g. The beautiful blue ocean blinked at the sun.
Assonance
- When two or more words close to one another repeat the same vowel sound but start with different consonant sounds.
- E.g. Although she was frail, she had a grace that trailed her everywhere.
Onomatopoeia
- When the way the word sounds imitates the sound it is describing.
- E.g. Bang, crash, sizzle.
Sibilance
- A specific form of alliteration, which focuses on 's' sounds.
- It relies on the repetition of soft consonant sounds in words to create a wooshing or hissing sound in the writing. The sounds used include 's', 'sh', 'c' and 'ch'.
- E.g. The shark shot through the water, charging towards the shore.
Test yourself on Sound
Which of these techniques is being used in the following sentence?
The slippery snake slid through the shrub.Which quotations use alliteration?