Figure of Speech Onomatopoeia Quiz : Definition of Onomatopoeia (Figure of Speech): Onomatopoeia is a figure of speech in which the sound of a word imitates the natural sound associated with it. It brings a sensory experience to the reader by mimicking real sounds, thereby enhancing imagery, especially in poetry and descriptive prose.
Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms: “Onomatopoeia is the use of words that seem to imitate the sounds they refer to, or any combination of words in which the sound gives the impression of echoing the sense.”
M.H. Abrams’ A Glossary of Literary Terms: “a word, or a combination of words, whose sound seems to duplicate the sound it denotes”
Cambridge Dictionary: “The act of creating or using words that include sounds that are similar to the noises the words refer to.”
5 Classic Examples of Onomatopoeia in English Literature:
- Alfred Lord Tennyson – Come Down, O Maid
“The moan of doves in immemorial elms,
And murmuring of innumerable bees.”
(Moan and murmuring replicate the soft, natural sounds.)
- William Shakespeare – The Tempest
“Hark, hark!
Bow-wow.
The watch-dogs bark!
Bow-wow.”
(Bow-wow imitates the sound of a dog’s bark.)
- Edgar Allan Poe – The Bells
“How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,
In the icy air of night!”
(Tinkle evokes the high, light sound of bells.)
- James Joyce – Ulysses
“He made a blushing crrrash and a squeak of a noise.”
(Crash and squeak audibly mimic the chaos of movement.)
- Lewis Carroll – Jabberwocky
“He chortled in his joy.”
(Chortle (a blend of chuckle and snort) mimics the throaty laughter.)
Figure of Speech Onomatopoeia Quiz
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