ENGLISH ELEVENTH GRADE

Module 3 - Lesson 7

Onomatopoeia

What is Onomatopoeia?

Onomatopoeia is a word or a group of words that imitates the sound it is describing. How do you imitate a sound?

Some examples of onomatopoeia include;

ü Click, clang, buzz, boing, boom, or bang

Onomatopoeia can also be animal noises such as oink, quack, or meow. When will I be able to use this? Onomatopoeia is used more than you might think. Anytime an author needs to describe a sound, this writing tool is used.

Example:

Noises
By Danielle Caryl
The click of the clock, the creak of the stair,
The squeak of a mouse and the swoosh of the air.
The groan of the house as it settles below,
And outside the window, the patter of snow.
The scruff of the dog's paws below where I rest,
The rattle of the window that seems to face West.
The jingle of bells from a wind chime next door
The unearthly sounds of a truly loud snore.
The crunching of snow under an animal's feet,
The honk of a horn from right down the street.
So many noises I just want to weep,
Is it too much to ask for some sleep?

Onomatopoeia

Practicing exercise

Onomatopoeia

Test

Onomatopoeia
By Brenda B. Covert

¹ There is a six-syllable word that would stump many spelling bee students. It is pronounced AH-nuh-MAH-tuh-PEE-uh, and it is spelled o-n-o-m-a-t-o-p-o-e-i-a. Those twelve letters spell out a noun whose meaning is "a word that sounds like the sound it refers to." Onomatopoeia is a vocal imitation of the sound it describes, such as "beep" or "plop" or "ding-dong." Did you realize that when you use your voice to make sound effects or noises, you are using a literary device called onomatopoeia?

² The onomatopoeia can describe the sounds animals make. It can describe mechanical sounds and sounds in nature. Onomatopoeia for the sound of rushing air is "whoosh." Graphic novels and comic strips often employ the use of onomatopoeia as well.

³ Here are twenty-five different onomatopoeia:

⁴ Read aloud the first verse of Edgar Allan Poe's poem called "The Bells." It contains many onomatopoeic words.

⁵ Coming up with onomatopoeia comes easy. It's remembering the word "onomatopoeia" that can be difficult. Here's a little poem to help remind you of the word.

1. An onomatopoeia is a vocal ______ of the sound it describes.

Recording

Effect

Noun

Imitation

2. How many syllables are in the word onomatopoeia?

Twelve

Five

Six

Nine

3. We can make ______ ______ with our voices.

Car sounds

Many tones

Sound effects

Good rhymes

4. Which one of these is not an onomatopoeia?

Fizz

Plop

Argue

Vroom

5. How is onomatopoeia most often used in graphic novels and comic strips?

To create mood

To describe the setting

As part of the plot

To describe fight scenes

6. In the poem "The Bells," what do the onomatopoeic words represent?

Starry skies

Time

Icy nights

Jingling of bells