In each of the exercises below, identify if a sentence is an example of onomatopoeia. If yes, then also identify onomatopoeic words in that sentence.
To understand onomatopoeia and how it is used, refer to these resources:
- What is onomatopoeia? The resource includes common errors made during its use.
- Hundreds of onomatopoeic words used in sentence
Exercise 1
1. I squirmed at the thought of taking the stage and facing hundreds of people.
2. The car crashed into the tree, injuring the driver and the co-passenger.
3. The driver rudely honked multiple times to make way for himself.
4. After spraying the paint, I broke off for lunch.
5. The chocolate fudge was so yummy.
1. No. Squirm doesn’t produce any sound.
2. Yes. Crashed
3. Yes. Honked
4. Yes. Spraying
5. No. Yummy doesn’t produce any sound.
Exercise 2
1. This SUV guzzles a gallon every 12 miles.
2. I gargled my sore throat with lukewarm water.
3. Hooray! Our design has been accepted for the next round.
4. The soda bottle opened with a fizz.
5. The bird flapped its wing and took off.
1. No. This particular use of guzzle doesn’t produce any sound.
2. Yes. Gargled
3. No. Interjections such as hooray aren’t onomatopoeic words.
4. Yes. Fizz
5. Yes. Flapped
Exercise 3
1. The dog kept barking at the stranger till he didn’t leave the place.
2. People guzzling beer and guffawing was the common sight in the party.
3. The car purred as the mechanic ran few tests on it.
4. The solar industry has been booming for the last few years.
5. Ha-ha, I knew you too will be caught up in the rain and be late.
1. Yes. Barking
2. Yes. Guzzling. Contrast this with the same word in second exercise.
3. Yes. Purred
4. No. This particular use of boom doesn’t produce any sound. This would be an example of onomatopoeia: His voice boomed.
5. No. Interjections such as ha-ha aren’t onomatopoeic words.
