|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
Home -
Grammar - Everyday Grammar - Pow! Whizz! What
Are Onomatopoeia? |
|
| Pow! Whizz! What Are Onomatopoeia? |
|
| |
 Pow!
Whizz! What Are Onomatopoeia?
The lesson includes a video program, an audio program
explaining this grammar topic, the script for the audio
program, a words in this story section,
and other important information. |
Video Program
Watch the video program explaining this grammar topic.
Then listen to the audio program explaining this grammar topic. |
Audio Program
Listen to the audio program explaining this grammar
topic. Then read the following written information. |
|
|
Pow! Whizz! What Are
Onomatopoeia? |
The world is full of different sounds. Some sounds are
pleasing to hear, like a bird's voice. Other sounds hurt
your ears, like a loud machine. But how do we explain in
words what a sound is? For example, how do you describe
the sound a dog makes? Also, does everyone hear that
sound the same way?
Every language in the world has words that express
sounds. These are called onomatopoetic words. When a
person says an onomatopoetic word, the sound of the word
copies the natural sound the word is identifying.
Let's say you walk past an angry dog. What sound does
the dog make?
Woof. Woof. Woof.
When a native English-speaker says the word woof, the
pronunciation is somewhat similar to the sound the dog
makes. But, a native Russian-speaker would not agree.
They would say dogs make the sound gav gav. A native
Korean-speaker would say mung mung. These sounds are
expressed differently in different languages because
every language uses sound in different ways.
The noises animals make are not the only examples of
onomatopoetic words. Imagine you are walking down a
street on a rainy day. A car drives by very fast. Zoom.
As the car passes you, it drives through some water.
Splash. You close the front of your jacket to protect
yourself. Zip. These words are all nouns that express
the sound effect you are hearing.
Some sounds even define the objects that make them. Do
you remember closing your jacket to protect yourself?
The zipper is the object that connects the front parts
of a jacket by joining the sets of metal teeth along the
edges.
In comic books, we often see these sound effects written
in the pictures. These words help the reader imagine
sounds in the story.
Onomatopoetic words are not only nouns, though. Imagine
you are in a quiet restaurant. Suddenly, the people next
to you start to have an argument.
Anna: I can't believe you lied to me!
Jonathan: Shhhh! We are in public!
Anna: Don't shhhh me!
When you tell someone shhhh, you are saying the
situation requires quiet. In the conversation you just
heard, Anna responds to Jonathan by saying "Don't shhhh
me." In this case, Anna is using shhhh as a verb. She
means to say, "Don't tell me to be quiet."
Another example is one you probably hear every day. When
you use a computer, you choose objects on the screen
using a device called a mouse. Click. But, the action of
choosing an object on a computer screen using a mouse is
called clicking.
Now think back to the car passing you very quickly in
the rain. What was the sound it made? Zoom. But, you can
also say, "The car zoomed by me." This means the car
drove by you at a very high speed.
Sometimes, onomatopoetic words are even used as
adjectives. If you see something explode, you will often
see the word boom used to describe the sound. This is
because the sound of an explosion is low and deep, the
way English speakers pronounce the word boom. Now listen
to the actor James Earl Jones.
"Look, I can't tell you the secret of life, and I don't
have any answers for you. I don't give interviews and
I'm no longer a public figure. I just want to be left
alone."
His voice sounds low and deep. You could say his voice
is booming.
Onomatopoetic words are not often used in formal
language. But they are very common in everyday speech
and there are hundreds of examples. They make languages
more creative. Writers and musicians have used these
types of words for many years to find a connection with
the natural world.
Just listen to the music group Ylvis as they make an
entire song about onomatopea!
Dog goes woof, cat goes meow,
bird goes tweet and mouse goes squeak
Cow goes moo, frog goes croak
and the elephant goes toot
Ducks say quack and fish go blub
And the seal goes ow ow ow
But there's one sound that no one knows
What does the fox say?
Ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding!
I'm Pete Musto.
Pete Musto wrote this story for Learning English. Adam
Brock was the editor. |
|
|
Words in This Story |
-
onomatopoetic words –
n. words that copy natural sounds
-
pronunciation – n.
the way in which the sound of word or name is made
- jacket
– n. a piece of
clothing that is worn on your upper body over
another piece of clothing such as a shirt
- comic
book(s) – n. a
magazine that is made up of a series of drawings
that tell a story or part of a story
- screen
– n. the part of a
television or computer that you look at when you are
using it
- creative
– adj. having or
showing an ability to make new things or think of
new ideas
|
|
|
Additional Information |
|
Now it’s your turn. How do you express sounds in the
form of words in your language? How different from the
English versions are these words in your language? Let
us know in the Facebook comments section below. |
|
Source: Voice of America |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Grammar Tips |
Can You Catch These Native Speaker Mistakes?
(Beginner - Listening)
An audio lesson to
help with your understanding of common mistakes. The English is
spoken at 75% of normal speed.
Click here to visit the lesson page with the written script for this
audio program. |
Commonly Confused Words: Part One
(Beginner - Listening,
reading)
A video lesson to
help with your understanding of commonly confused
words.
The English is
spoken at 75% of normal speed.
Click here to visit the lesson page. |
Commonly Confused Words: Part One
(Beginner - Listening)
An audio lesson to
help with your understanding of commonly confused
words. The English is
spoken at 75% of normal speed.
Click here to visit the lesson page with the written script for this
audio program. |
Commonly Confused Words: Part Two
(Beginner - Listening,
reading)
A video lesson to
help with your understanding of commonly confused
words.
The English is
spoken at 75% of normal speed.
Click here to visit the lesson page. |
Commonly Confused Words: Part Two
(Beginner - Listening)
An audio lesson to
help with your understanding of commonly confused
words. The English is
spoken at 75% of normal speed.
Click here to visit the lesson page with the written script for this
audio program. |
|
|
|
|
Search Fun Easy English |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
About
Contact
Copyright
Resources
Site Map |
