how to write sound effects in essay

How To Write Sounds: Onomatopoeia Definition and Examples

by Joe Bunting | 39 comments

Screech! Hold up. Did you hear that? Boom! No, not that. Ring-ring . Not that either. Moo. There it is.

That is the sound of onomatopoeia, one of the most fun words to spell in the English language, and if you want to know how to write sounds, an absolutely essential literary device.

How does onomatopoeia work? And how can you use it to write sounds? In this article, I'll give you the definition of onomatopoeia, share a list of onomatopoeia examples, and end with a creative writing exercise .

Onomatopoeia Definition

Onomatopoeia. A word that sounds like the sound it describes, e.g. bang, boom, pow. 

t doesn't always describe a loud noise. It's any sound effect that is spelled like the sound it makes. 

How to Write Sounds with Onomatopoeia

You've probably seen onomatopoeia in comic books where the good guy punches the bad guy and you'll see “Pow!” or a bomb goes off and you see the sound effect “boom!” Onomatopoeia is for more than comic books though. 

Adding onomatopoeia to your writing engages the reader's imagination and forces them to mentally say that word, invoking the image or sound effect that you're trying to get across.

When you're writing, you may want the reader to hear the sound of gravel crunching beneath a character's feet.

James walked across the gravel driveway, his boots crunching with each step.

Not the best story I've ever told, but you get the idea, right? Onomatopoeia tries to capture the natural sounds that emerge from character action or setting detail.

It doesn't have to be a poetic sound or a pleasant sound—the goal is to capture image, to add a sensory element to the scene. 

To add onomatopoeia to your writing, pay attention to sounds around you. Is a faucet dripping? Or maybe you can hear the woosh of cars as they fly by on the freeway beside your house.

Whatever you hear, try to capture it in a writing sound or a kind of sound effect for your reader. Also note that onomatopoeia doesn't take quotation marks.

Use Onomatopoeia to Describe Animal Sounds

Onomatopoeias is often used to describe the sounds animas make, like “oink” or “moo.”

My favorite recent example of onomatopoeia is a humorous song about the sound a fox makes (amid other animal noises) called “What Does a Fox Say” by the Norwegian group Ylvis.

Dog goes “woof” Cat goes “meow” Bird goes “tweet” And mouse goes “squeek” 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?

Different languages have their own onomatopoeias as well. For example, American dogs say “woof woof,” but French dogs say “ouah ouah,” and Japanese dogs say “wan wan.”

Make Up New Words With Onomatopoeia

Going back to our example:

James walked across the gravel driveway, his boots crunching at each step.

You could use the word crunch , which is a great example of onomatopoeia.

But if you wanted to take onomatopoeia a step further you could alter the word, or even make up a new word, to describe the sound. For example, say you have a very specific idea of what that sound is, so instead of saying that the gravel crunched , maybe you make up a word that, when spoken aloud, sounds like the gravel. Crinch or shimpch or even stomp-ch .

Onomatopoeia is, with a few exceptions, the one time when you're writing that no one will correct your spelling!

List of Onomatopoeia Examples

Here's a list of some of the top onomatopoeia examples:

Whichever examples of onomatopoeia strike you as the best description for your action, try a few today and see how they enliven the scene.

What is your favorite onomatopoeia sound word? Are there any onomatopoeia words I forgot? Let me know in the comment s.

Ready to put onomatopoeia to use? Great! Here's your creative writing prompt :

Write for fifteen minutes about a group of friends experiencing the last few days of summer. Incorporate as many onomatopoeias as you can.

Share your practice in the Pro Practice Workshop , and leave feedback for a few other writers. Not a member? Join us .

Joe Bunting

Joe Bunting is an author and the leader of The Write Practice community. He is also the author of the new book Crowdsourcing Paris , a real life adventure story set in France. It was a #1 New Release on Amazon. Follow him on Instagram (@jhbunting).

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39 Comments

Ok, best conversation ever: we were in Guatemala and my friend asked one of the children what dogs say in Spanish. The little girl, like 6, responded, “Dogs don’t speak Spanish!” (She didn’t say, “Duh!” but that was the tone in her voice).

 Ha ha!  We are raising my little girl bilingual (Spanish/English) and all our friends get confused when she point to birds and says “piu piu” instead of “chirp chirp” or “wow wow” instead of “Bow wow”.  So yes, dogs speak Spanish. 

That’s great that you’re raising her bilingual. I hope do the same with my kids someday. Learning a language is hard but doing it when you’re young makes it easier than in the classroom (I’ve done that twice).

How do you write Gasp! (when someone gasps), when you are writing a story and you want to emphasize that word in action?

Finally, someone that gets that if the dogs (or pigs or cats, etc.) of the world got together they would need an international bow-wow translator. 🙂

“Ugh,” she frowned as she threw her head back towards the bright sun beating down on them.  “I so don’t want to go back to school.”

“Well, as they say, all good things must come to an end.”  Her father spoke absently as his hands slipped over the large smooth wheel.  He was coming about, steering the boat back towards the harbor entrance.

Ting, ting, ting, ting.  The large striped sail was luffing in the wind and the sail ties snapped wildly against the mast.

“Honey, can you tighten the main a little?”

I tucked my tanned outstretched legs underneath me so my mother could grab the line.

Click, click, click, click, click.   My mom screwed up her face as she used all her waning strength to slowly crank the winch for the main sheet.  Rrrrrrt!   At last the sail was tight, she could crank no further.

“Ok!  That’s good!  Now cleat it off.”

 As the sail stiffened, it became quiet and once again we were left with only the sound of the boat rhythmically surfing through the afternoon swells.  Swish, Swish…the sound and the gentle rocking nearly always put me to sleep.  Once again, I leaned my head back against the cabin, closed my eyes and let the sun warm my face.  

I was nearly asleep when I heard the familiar clang of the harbor beacon.  I sat up and peered around.  It was nearing 5:00 pm and the boats that had gone out that day were on their way back in.  As the beacon bobbed to and fro, I caught a whiff of the sea lions perched upon it and lazily atop each other.  Like a plate of noodles they nestled into one another until the largest among them suddenly lifted his head and thrust his chest out towards the horizon.  His mates slithered off his back, rudely awakened. 

Ohr!  Ohr!  Ohr!  One by one, they all clamored their way to an upright position.  Soon they were falling over one another trying to catch a scattering of tiny orange treats.  

I should have known.  It was my brother, tossing goldfish crackers to the sea lions from the bow of the boat.

Splash!  A baby fell into the ocean and soon they were all in the water diving and swimming, poking their heads up looking for treats.  

That damn kid.  He always knew how to ruin a perfectly peaceful moment.

 This has to be some of the best use of onamatopeia I’ve ever read! It all sounds so natural, you can imagine the sounds coming from a boat. I liked your analogy of the sea-lions “like a plate of noodles”, too!

What a well-crafted piece.   If someone had asked he to guess the writing prompt that inspired this story, I never would have onomatopeoia.  That’s how seemlessly it is woven into the story.  It stands out, yet disappears as just another compelling part of the narrative.

I really enjoyed your submission!

Too tired to read this post tonight, but that is the most beautiful cow I’ve ever seen… Great photo!!!

I know. I was impressed too. 🙂

Thud.   Sally opened her eyes to the warm darkness of a summer night. She listened intently but all she could hear was Doug’s breathing next to her. She smiled and pulled the light sheet over her. Thud.   Silence.   Scrittch, scratch, scratch,scratch. Thud. Her heart began to race and Doug stirred beside her but the noises in the next room had stopped. Phoooph – an exhalation of breath not quite a snort, and then another flurry of scratching. Thud …. thud it sounded as if something was being thrown around the room.  Doug was sitting up beside her now. She hardly dared to breathe. Squeak, squeak – then silence. Ominous silence. “Bloody cat! Its got a rat.” Doug lay back down pulling her with him. In the morning, just outside their room they found the remains – a long grey tail and a small pile of viscera. The cat was asleep in the sun.

Great build up of tension with your sounds there. Well done, I was expecting it to be much worse than the already bad cat offering. Like.

My favorite sentence:  Doug lay back down, pulling her with him.  And I love the use of the word scritch.  So much more texture than if you had just left it all up to scratching.

The last days of summer in Vladivostok. It had sounded like a great idea. It was still a great idea. Theoretically. In practice, however…

Abigail moaned, almost physically sick, as the slurge of Chantelle’s umpteenth belly-flop lurched across the pool area.

“Telly!” yelped Isabelle, as droplets of water tinkled delicately onto her tanning skin.

There ought to be rules against wearing bikinis, Abigail thought. She glanced sideways at Daffy. Daffy had looked up over her reading glasses, but evidently wasn’t concerned. After all, Daffy could keep her calm through the worst of their sisters’ tricks – the time Telly danged the frying-pan over Isabelle’s pretty head, for insance. A few shrieks couldn’t upset her. She returned to the no-doubt engrossing subject of the Russian Formalists.

Abigail, glancing anxiously at the other occupant of the pool area – a short man, fast asleep, evidently on a mission to tan bulging paunch – decided to try unconcern, too. Lying back on the lounge, she shut her eyes, dreaming of a remote village in Peru. A few whoops from headhunters could hardly be worse than this.

Perhaps it was a premonition. Or maybe the light pop-splash of a beach ball plopping lightly into the pool.

Abigail sat bolt upright – just in time to see the beech ball leave Chantelle’s hand and warrump onto that bright, tempting paunch.

Telly blinked innocently as the man fixed her with bulbous eyes. “How unexpected!” she exclaimed. “Must be a sort o’ magnetic ‘ttraction ‘tween round objects. I’d better go after it, ‘adn’t I?” Telly pulled herself out of the pool and disappeared round a corner, splat-splatting water everywhere.

The lightest whoosh was Isabelle slipping into the pool and underwater before the man could trace any sisterly likenesses.

Daffy’s reading glasses folded with a clickety-click. Snap! Their case shut. A mild thud sufficed to shut the Russian Formalists between their covers. A delicate “Ahem!” as Daffy stood up. “I seem to have forgotten my phone upstairs. I’m expecting an important call…” Clip-clip-clip as she effaced herself, neatly and efficiently, as always.

Abigail lay back, ramming her sunglasses over her eyes and jamming her sunhat on top of her face. If she were only half as adept at making excuses…

A great use of onomatopoeia without making the words stand out like a sore thumb – very natural.  Nice job!

“Ahhhhhh,” Nicki sighed, Tory Burch flip-flops by her side.  “You’re so lucky you guys have a pool.”   Splip.  Splip.   “You really are, Tessa,” agreed Jill.  “Look how unswollen my feet look in this water.  I wonder if it would work for my ass?  It’s gotten huge!”   “Haha!  Mine, too!  Tessa, come join us.”   Sigh….   “I’ll be there in a minute,” said Tessa.   Ka-chick. Ka-chick. Ka-chick.  Watermelon rind was still no match for the five-year old knives Tessa’s had gotten for her wedding.   Black teardrops dotted pink flesh of the summer fruit.    “Grrrr.”  The seedless sticker had lied to Tessa, again.     Zap-splat, Zap-splat, Zap-splat!   “Ow!!  Mom, Patrick shot me in the eye!”   “Wah-wah-wah, you little cry-baby!  It’s just water, Caroline!  Besides, it was an accident.”   Whap. Whap. Crack.   “So was that.”  Caroline smiled, a now-broken plastic pail dangling from her five year-old fingers.   “I’m gonna get you for that!”   “Eeeeeek!” Caroline flung the red bucket from her hand, and zoomed away, with her twin brother in hot pursuit.   Bonk. Clatter. Shatter.   Tessa bent down  and picked up the pieces of the glass pitcher, sticky with spilled lemonade.  Tessa had gotten it for her wedding, too.   “Ding Dong the pitcher’s dead…” played in parody in Tessa’s head.  She and Bill had registered for different pitcher.  But her mother-in-law had given them this one, instead.   The shards clinked like tinkling wind chimes in warm breeze as Tessa dumped them in the garbage.    “Stay off the patio!” Tessa called to her children, who seemed to have forgotten they hated each other and were now playing a game they’d invented called “I can make a grosser sound that you can!”   Blech….Buurrrp….Gaaaag…   Psssttt-pssst-shhhh-pssst. Even across the yard, Tessa could catch a few of her friends’ whispered words, including “My kids will never be like that,” and “I know, doesn’t she read Parenting magazine?”   Hmmmph.  Next month Nicki and Jill would each give birth to their first child.  Until then, they would have all the answers.   “Help me up,” Jill said to Nicki. “I gotta go pee.”   “Great.  Now you got my bladder thinking it has to go pee, too.”   Ms. September 14 Due Date and Ms. September 22 Due Date groaned as they struggled to launch their beach ball bodies upward.   “Through the playroom and then first door on your left,” Tessa directed.  It wasn’t the closest bathroom, but it was out of earshot of the kitchen.   Pop. Fizz. Blibble blibble blible. Swish.   Tessa toasted the setting summer sun.  Etiquette be damned, she downed her champagne in one glorious gulp.   Kindergarten began on Tuesday.   Ahhhhhh.

You’re a master at this!

Fantastic onomatopoeia!  

            The cool sea breezes softly stroked the cheeks of the three friends as they sat on the small plot of sand that throughout the summer, they had come to consider as their own.

            “Isn’t this the best?” Becky said, closing her eyes and letting out a long, contented “ahhhh.”  The waves wooshed as they climbed the up sand towards our feet, but just as they were about to lap over our toes, fell back with a prolonged shoosh.

            “I don’t want to go back to school,” Drew said, gulping the last of his soda, then smacking his lips in a dramatic fashion that made his companions giggle.  “I say, we claim this beach in the name of Beach Bums everywhere!”  He leapt to his feet, plunking down into the hard-packed sand, hands flying to his hips in a comical fashion.

            Becky and Allison began scooping up the wet, soppy sand and piling it into a rudimentary castle.  As they scooped, the sand sucked and bubbled, as if it was angry at being removed from it’s comfortable, squishy bed.  They piled their tower so high, that it eventually collapsed like the Tower of Babel.  “Aw,” they said in unison, sticking out their bottom lips.  Allison shrugged, and inspected her nails, flicking the crusty sand from beneath the edges.

            “I never want to leave this spot.”  Becky wrapped her arm around her best friend, who in turn wrapped her arm around Drew.  The three companions sat staring out into the glassy sea, letting the caw of the gulls lull them into a late summer trance, as the cooper sun dipped sluggishly behind the horizon.

This is wonderful!

Great imagery!

Loved the part about the sand being angry about being being pulled out its comfortable bed (I’d leave out the word squishy though, cause I think being pulled out a comfortable bed is strong on its own and lots of people can relate to it.

Seems like no one wants school to start (except the moms?).

We are here on the White River just as the sun is setting, the three of us, and we are slick with suntan lotion and we are drinking white zin with a splash of Sprite and we feel the way you do when you know an ending is close, though none of you will say it.

We play a game from back in the day, when we stayed out late, hiding behind big trees and small houses, signaling to each other in the black night.

“Hoo,” I call from my place on the beach towel, and Royce calls back.

“Hoo, hoot,” she says, and takes a swig.

Gaylene takes over then.

“Hoo, hoot, hoosier,” she calls, and starts to laugh, the hiccupped laughter she’s famous for.

A boat whooshes by, a great plume of water in its wake. 

Royce pulls out the firecrackers she’s been holding onto since July.  She stands, unsteady on her feet, and lays the firecrackers out on the bank of the river.  The group of them is as big as a dish towel. Gaylene jumps up and brings her cigarette to Royce, who lights the row of tiny explosives.  There are pops like gunfire and the firecrackers flick and snap and hiss and sizzle.

We raise our fists and we thump our foreheads, we dance together, as if the fireworks are the grandest thing we’ve seen.  Everything tonight is bigger than it should be.  The moon seems too close now, so big and so bright the stars fade beside it.  I smile to hard, and my back teeth are probably showing.  Gaylene is  turning in wide circles calling the Razorbacks.  “Woo, pig, sooie,” she calls and wiggles her fingers like she’s just touched something hot.

Tomorrow she’ll be heading to Fayetteville, where she’s a freshman at the University of Arkansas. 

“I’ll hate wearing a picture of a hog on everything I own,” Gaylene says.  “If I was little like Royce, I wouldn’t care, but one me it looks like a confession.”

And Royce says, “You’re going to be fine, sweetie. And you haven’t been fat since seventh grade.”

In the distance the wind whips across the hills, the sound like wheezing.  The highway is a half a mile away, the cars swooshing by, and we stand there, listening. 

Royce is getting married in a week, something we’re all trying not to talk about, and so we focus on  Gaylene, who stands beneath the glinting moon, and we try to see her future, high and lifted up, and we hang onto it,  we hang onto each other, and we are slashes of light that streak across the black water of the river and spark across the midnight sky.

That’s beautiful!

You have some really great phrases, like the razorback being a confession and and an ending is close though none of us will say it.  Also, you developed the friendship very strongly.  I wanted to know them better.

Maybe you added some things just for the sake of the onomatopoeia exercise, but I think if you were to develop this into a short story, you could leave out a few scene descriptors (like the boat passing, unless it has relevance to the story, like if it happened after they set off the fireworks and they are afraid they are getting busted?) and you will still have a strong setting.

Beautiful framework.  I can definitely see these 3 as chick lit characters. 🙂

Really beautiful imagery.  You really have a knack for expressing feelings.  I loved this scene.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I love onomatopoeia! In my piece for the short story contest I wanted to use a word describing a girl calling out. I had in mind a particular sound but wasn’t sure if I could just make it up (now I know!) so I tried to find something like it on dictionary.com. Woohoo, which surprisingly is a word, wasn’t the sound I was after. I ended up using the Australian call cooey, which is also an actual word, even though the story is set in Scotland. I knew words like pop and buzz were onomatopoeia but I didn’t know it was legitimate to make up your own. Even more reason to like onomatopoeia! I also just like saying it! 🙂

I’ve got problems with onomatopoeia-  years ago I wrote a story in college that my professor loved and made me read aloud in class.  There was one bit with a clock ticking, and I felt ridiculous reading out the tick tock.  My prof said- rule of thumb:  if you feel awkward reading it out loud, don’t write it.  So I don’t.

The only way I could do this, was by doing a children themed piece, so here goes:

Splish went the water as they jumped right in,

Into the ocean where they loved to swim.

Whooosh went the sea shell held to their ear

Sounding like the ocean that they loved so dear.

Shoo-oo-oo went the soft summer breeze

That blew the fine grained sand that made them sneeze.

Squish-squash went the wet sand beneath their toes/

“Mommy, where is it that the ocean goes?”

But now that summer has come to an end,

Good by ocean, shell, summer breeze and sand.

“Blaah burla burla burlah” – cackled the boiling laughter of the bong. Followed by a long sigh-like “Paaaaaaaaah” and real lifelike cloud burst out of his mouth filling the room above them with thick white smoke. “Pheeew, Johny that`s a big one! Where did you get lungs like that!” Said Susan and pulled the bong from his hands. “Well my dear, I`m a trained expert in homemade clouds, mists and any sorts of smoke-like activities.” Johny laughed.

“Blurp blurp blurp.” The bong gargled angrily in her hands. Susan closed her eyes and let out a long “Phooooo” of smoke towards the ceiling. The pictures on the back of her eyelids begin to move and she could almost swear she heard the whirring “Swish swash” of the lightsabers she swings in her mind.  

Lol. This is sooooo funny 😉

You could say, footstep. And say the t, and p, heavily.

La la la la la la ,a la la ,a Lanka ka kamdehvdkebfiebfinedosbdubwi

Oh, wow. I got to learn a new word! What a cool one! Yes. I must practice this one! Thank you!

How do you all write zip, do you add extra zs or ps when trying to make a sound rather than explain the action of zipping?

How do I type the sound of seats being thrown out of a train window and also the sound of a train taking off?

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When the fracture of a weak snow layer causes an upper layer to collapse, making a whumpfing sound. Whumpf has been adopted as a technical avalanche term to describe the sound of a collapsing snowpack when you cross the snow. For instance, "we got a lot of whumpfing today", or "the snowpack whumpfed like rolling thunder just before it released and caught us." Avalanche Encyclopedia

Weather snow movement hit

aaht aahht bloooot

sounds of busy city horns (cars) MAD magazine

automotive tone

Exclaimation of dismay, commonly used, and originaly created by the Peanuts gang by Charles Schulz. Used frequently by Charlie Brown in the following situations: Losing a Baseball game, Having the football pulled away by Lucy, In an embarrassing situation. Also used by other members of the peanuts gang and can be used as a roaring sound to scare someone. 1) Linus: I told her about how you're madly in love with her, Charlie Brown: Aaugh!! 2) Snoopy: It's not the things that go 'bump' in the night that scare me. It's the things that go 'AAUGH!'. Urban dictionary

dismay pain embarrassment comics

sound of sneezing. More sneezing sounds

human disease

ack-ack-ack-ackawoooo-ack-ack-ack

Fox vocalization. Rarely heard guttural chattering with occasional yelps and howls, mostly heard when animals are in close proximity to one another. Popular Science

interjection used to express delight, relief, regret, or contempt

ah uh ah uh

sound of a dog panting. Find more panting dog sounds. ref

other spellings: ah-ooo-ga, ah-ooh-gah, oo-ga. 1. Klaxon sound signaling "dive" in 1940's US navy submarines ref 2. Sound produced by horn on antique automobiles such as Ford Model-A ref1 , ref2

automotive horn

interjection used to express surprise, triumph, or derision

aristocratic sounding laughter, or kind of a hick laugh

clearing one's throat

laughter, not really different from the ordinairy hahaha, but this one includes an attempt to capture the breath before the burst of laughter (ahh-)

interjection used in hailing (to call or greet) a ship, as in "ship ahoy"

dog barking ( Doggies by Sandra Boynton) More dog vocalizations

dog vocalization. Find more dog vocalizations

exclamation expressing pain. there is a webpage dedicated to the many different spellings of aargh on the web. The top five most common spellings is argh, aargh, aaargh, arrgh, arrrgh.

Sound uttered by person choking. Also: awk, gasp, gak

disease eat_drink pain

the sound made by a wolf, when howling

interjection used to express mild disappointment, gentle entreaty, or real or mock sympathy or sentiment

Sound uttered by a person choking. Also gak, argh, gasp

disease eat_drink pain human animal

sheep vocalization

1. to talk enthusiastically or excessively, 2. to utter meaningless or unintelligible sounds. imitative origin.

large family of bird species. Example: the gray-crowned babbler (Australia), also sometimes called the yahoo , after one of its calls. The name babbler or chatterer may come from the birds' continuous raucous babbling/chattering when in groups. about this bird

animal bird

explosion. Find more explosions

badonkadonk

Extremely curvaceous female buttocks. Urban dictionary : When the immense, rounded muscle tissue of the rear creates a sound wave ripping through the local environment making a pressure wave against the ear drum in a pleasing Ba-dOnk-a-dOnk rhythm. Also: A womens derriere that has the shape of, and bounces like a basketball. The word is derived from the sound produced when you bounce a basketball. A case of the sound of one urban icon, naming another urban icon with similar propensities but that doesn't really make a sound.

sound of a drum roll / rimshot hear the sound

music drum laughter

interjection used to express disdain or contempt

sound of a hard hit. Find more hit / punch words

BAMF in the Marvel comic books represents the sound of X-Men character Nightcrawler when he transports himself. The sound is caused by air rushing into the area where Nightcrawler's body once was

misc gas movement

sharp noise or hit. Find more hit / punch words

elephant vocalization, trumpeting

vomiting, the sound made while vomiting. Also used a noun meaning "vomit"

verb for dog vocalization. Find more dog vocalizations

to strike heavily. Find more hit / punch words

batabatabata

sound of a helicopter. Find all helicopter sounds

engine helicopter movement

to cry out loudly and unrestrainedly. From baulare (Medieval Latin) or baula (Old Norse), imitative origin.

human animal

dog vocalization (in the poem Lepanto by G. K. Chesterton: "... Don John's hunting, and his hounds have bayed ..." . Find more dog vocalizations

interjection similar in meaning to fooled you! or gotcha! after a prank. It first appeared in the tv sitcom The Big Bang Theory and is used by the character named Sheldon. It probably comes from the word zing and ba and a may just have been added for added effect. See video of Bazinga!-moments

human television series comedy

bbvvvvvvvvvvvvvnnnnnn

The sound of an activated but motionless lightsaber in Star Wars movies. Also: nnnnnnnn Reddit

saber weapon

bird , automobile horn, or computer generated tone. "Beep beep!" is also the signature call of the Road Runner character (a bird) in the Looney Tunes cartoons. Find more tones

animal bird automotive tone

beep beep beep beep beep beep whirrrffftt bonk

Sound of a forklift (From Diggers go by Steve Light). All caps in the book BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP WHIRRRFFFTT BONK

engine lift truck automotive

beep beep beep beep screeeech ruuurrrump pa-lump

Sounds made by a dump truck ( Diggers go by Steve Light, all caps in the book BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP SCREEEECH RUUURRRUMP PA-LUMP

truck dump rubble dirt stone sand engine

(Anthornis melanura) bird species found in New Zealand. Maori language name Korimako. The bellbird forms a significant component of the famed New Zealand dawn chorus of bird song that was much noted by early European settlers. It has a bell-like song. about this bird

sound of an uppercut punch. Find more hit / punch words

loose chatter. Also: blabber

Loose chatter. also: blab

nonsense, silly talk

explosion. Blam is also the title of a Roy Lichtenstein painting. Find more explosions.

music misc tone engine

an explosion or violent detonation, a violent gust of wind, or the effect of such a gust Find more explosion words

1. to utter or play loudly or harshly, 2. the natural cry of a sheep, goat or calf 3. to talk complainingly or in a whining tone of voice

electronically generated tone. "to bleep" often means "to mask inappropriate language on television or radio"

The sound of sticking your tongue out. Often used in cat pictures on the internet , showing a cat with tongue sticking out.

tongue cat animal meme

bling bling

the "sound" of light reflecting off shiny expensive objects, such as diamonds. this is a rare example of "non-auditory onomatopoeia". another example: shiiin

a short, crisp sound

bllgh blllgggh blllllgggghh

(automotive) sound of boiling coolant Cartalk

engine automotive liquid water

sound a large serving of mashed potatoes makes when it hits the plate (also a corresponding measurement of same) ( ref )

food hit spoon

sound of a horn (from "Mr. Brown can moo, can you?" by Dr. Seuss)

to utter abruptly and impulsively, as in "to blurt out the first word that comes to mind"

any of a genus (Colinus) of quail; especially : a popular game bird (C. virginianus) of eastern and central North America having mottled chiefly reddish-brown plumage

bird species named by their typical call. about this bird

1. the sound of a hit or punch. Find more hit/ punch words 2. verb (slang) to have sexual intercourse (with someone) 3. noun (plural boffs), a big laugh 4. a line in a film etc that elicits such a laugh

hard_hit laughter

hollow, explosive projectile, imitative origin

sound of a hit / punch ("Garfield", Jim Davis). Find more hit / punch words

sound of something heavy hitting something else. Find more hit / punch words

1. used to express derision, disapproval 2. Used to startle someone, when said loudly and abruptly

1. deep, hollow sound, explosion. Find more explosion words 2. verb for the sound produced by the (male) bittern, a bird species, to attract the females and establish their territory. each male has a unique voice. the boom of the male bittern is the lowest-pitched and the most far-carrying song produced by any European bird. it is written as "oonk-a-lunk" or "punk-er-lunk" and can be heard up to 5 km away in the right weather conditions. about this bird

explosion animal bird

boooOOOOOOooo

(automotive) sound of a bad turbo. Cartalk

engine automotive

A light tap or bump on the nose in a cute way. This word is an ideophone, meaning that it evokes the idea of sound to describe phenomena that do not necessarily have sound. While not technically onomatopoeia, it is used like onomatopoeia. know your meme

animal body meme

A word that describes the sound of an explosion; an expression used to express awesomeness. Ex. (1) We lit the gas can on fire, and it went "BOOSH!". (2) When Tamera aced the test, we heard her shout, "BOOSH!" in celebration. Urban Dictionary - Thanks to students of Ms. Lane's 7th grade class! Find more explosions

explosion human

borborygmus

the rumbling sound produced by the movement of gas through the intestines of animals, including humans. Stomach growling.

eat_drink animal gas

A heavy blow. Possibly of imitative origin. Etymonline

bullfrog vocalization ( When the fireflies come by Jonathan London).

animal frog quack croak

sound of machine gun. (Bratatat! is a Roy Lichtenstein painting)

to utter the characteristic loud harsh cry of a donkey

Referee whistle. also: preet

sports music

brekekekex, koax, koax

(Ancient Greek) frog . Features in Aristophanes' comedy Batrachoi ("The Frogs", (405 BCE) - as translated by Matthew Dillon. The phrase was also used by Hans Christian Andersen , in the fairy tale Tommeliden ("Thumbelina", 1835)

sound of ringing telephone. More telephone sounds

hubbub, uproar

brum-brum-brum-brum-brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Sound of a chainsaw

air enclosed by liquid, or to bubble: the process of bubbles being formed, probably of imitative origin

liquid gas water

(possibly of imitative origin) blow. Find more hit / punch words

(possibly of imitative origin) clown, may stem from allusion to puffing out cheeks as a comic gesture

bum! brrum! brrrumble!!!!

Sound of a big bass drum. From the children's book Squeak, Rumble, Whomp Whomp Womp . Wynton Marsalis & Paul Rogers, 2012 Candlewick Press

to blunder, from Middle English bomblen (to boom)

A bumblebee (also spelled as bumble bee) is any member of the bee genus Bombus, in the family Apidae. They are characterized by are characterised by black and yellow body hairs, often in bands. Etymonline : 1520s, replacing M.E. humbul-be, alt. by assoc. with M.E. bombeln "to boom, buzz," echoic, from PIE base *kem "to hum," echoic.

heavy dull blow, or its result (a swelling). Find more hit / punch words

to form bubbles, flow with bubbling sound

liquid water

the act of belching

human human eat_drink

uvular pronounciation of the letter "r"

1. a sibilant humming sound, like a bee (also: bzzz, hum) 2. the sound of a buzzer 3. a confusion of activity and gossip, chatter, talk. Also used as a verb "the bees were buzzing", "he buzzed a servant"

human animal tone

electric power tone

BWEEP bip bip BWEEP

U.S. city police siren in traffic ( ref )

police tone alarm siren city car automotive

explosion Find more explosion words

bwow-chcka-bwow

funky palm-muted riffs with wah pedal (sound effect), associated with pornographic movie soundtracks. often combined with playing "airguitar" . see also: neow , jug , whockah

bwwob bwwwobbubwub

Sound of a car engine low on coolant Cartalk

automotive engine

sound of a flying insect

sound of big metal-framed ink-stamps used by court clerks ( ref )

sound made by a crow

1. the sound made by a hen after laying an egg, 2. talking in a cackling manner, probably has partial imitative origin

human animal bird

to make a harsh cry (like a cat in heat). More cat sounds

animal vocalization

bird , usually a raven or crow

cha-cha-cha

a fast rhythmic ballroom dance of Latin-American origin with a basic pattern of three steps and a shuffle. The name is derived from the rhythm of the guiro (scraper) and the shuffling of the dancers' feet

sound of a cash register. also: ka-ching

money metal coins

bird species name, see plain chachalaca

chakk-chackk-chak-chak, chak-a-chak-akk-chk-chk-chk

engines helicopter movement

to chew noisily. Find more chewing noises

human eat_drink

to chew noisily. also: cham . Find more chewing noises

to converse easily and familiarly. also a name for small birds, such as the warbler

quick repeated sounds (by birds or humans)

1. a person who chatters 2. common name for bird species, see babbler

bird vocalization (nonspecific)

any of several small North American oscine birds (genus Poecile of the family Paridae) that are related to the titmice. about this bird

name of bird species, named by its song. about this bird

the sound of wedding bells (features in the poem "The Bells" by Edgar Allan Poe )

metal music

ching-a-ling

sound of a bell

to make a sharp ringing sound

the short vibrant or trilled sound, characteristic of an insect (as a grasshopper or cicada)

1. to utter a series of chirps, or to make clucking or clicking sounds with the lips, as in urging on a horse, 2. bird vocalization

light, informal conversation

to twitter or chatter (high-pitched sounds), like a bird, or raccoon

to chew or bite something. Find more chewing noises

human eat_drink animal

small children's word for train (steam engine)

chooga chooga chooga

steam engine or train. Click here for more train sounds

engine movement

laughter, gleeful chuckle, chuckling and snorting. Ususally designated as a description of a weird laugh, but a chortle can be a laugh you make when you REALLY enjoy something. Often used in British comic "the Dandy and the Beano" or "Beano book", e.g. Dennis the Menace's annoying habit of guffawing at his own actions: "Ha ha! Look Gnasher! Chortle!"

genus Pyrrhocorax of birds in the Corvidae (crow) family. now universally pronounced 'chuff'. However it probably originally rhymed with "how", as 'chow' is a reasonable representation of its call (according to this website ). link1 (white-winged chough), link2 (red-billed chough)

Chrrrick chrrrick chrrrick chrrrrick

Putting butter on toast with a knife. From the children's book Squeak, Rumble, Whomp Whomp Womp . Wynton Marsalis & Paul Rogers, 2012 Candlewick Press

metal eat_drink

chuck-will's-widow

(Caprimulgus carolinensis) nocturnal bird of the nightjar family Caprimulgidae, similar to the whip-poor-will, found in the southeastern United States near swamps, rocky uplands, and pine woods. It migrates to the West Indies, Central America, and northwestern South America. voice: Call a loud "Chuck-will's-widow," with the first "chuck" being quiet and inaudible at a distance. about this bird

a dull explosive sound made by or as if by a laboring engine

chug chugchug chugchug mmmoooosh

sound of a steamroller ( Diggers go by Steve Light. All caps in the book CHUG CHUGCHUG CHUGCHUG MMMMOOOOSH)

engine equipment road

CHUGGA chugga chugga CHUGGA chugga chugga CHOO CHOOOOOOO

machine movement

The Chukar Partridge (Alectoris chukar) is a Eurasian upland gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae. Their song is a noisy chuck-chuck-chukar-chukar from which the name is derived. More

chumma chumma chumma, hufft hufft, falump

Sounds made by an excavator (From Diggers go by Steve Light). In the book all caps CHUMMA CHUMMA CHUMMA, HUFFT HUFFT FALUMP

engine metal digging

to chunk, a verb for sound made by a big engine, as in thumping, chunking engines going.. (from the poem "engineers" by Jimmy Garthwaite, in "Noisy poems" by Jill Bennett)

1. chatter, prattle 2. to make an abrupt striking sound or series of sounds, such as footsteps 3. cry of a bird , especially fowl. see also: cackle , cluck 4. Sound of a late 19th century gun being closed after loading, according to a reply to a yahoo!Answers post about the sound of old guns

animal bird weapon metal

clackety-clack

sound of a train sound of a train riding on a railroad switch or joint ( Song of the train by David McCord, in Noisy poems by Jill Bennett). also: clickety-clack

metal engine

1. loud ringing metallic sound. For example clang or klang is often used for when an aluminum baseball bat hits the baseball 2. to clang, verb for harsh cry of a bird (as a crane or goose), 3. to clang, verb for the sound of fire bells (features in the poem "The Bells" by Edgar Allan Poe ).

hard_hit animal bird metal

1. the sound of metal when struck, 2. to clank, verb for the sound made by a big engine (from the poem "engineers" by Jimmy Garthwaite, in Noisy poems by Jill Bennett)

hard_hit engine

a sharp, forcible or resounding noise

(possibly of imitative origin) organized body of hired applauders

loud sound of collision followed by a confusion of lesser sounds

to make a rattling sound

stereotyped phrase (imitative origin, from the sound of dropping the matrix on the molten metal)

1. slight sharp sound, eg. camera making a photo. 2. nonvocal suction sound in some languages, 3. to talk noisily or rapidly. The sound made by dolphins is also called "clicking". In the media: click it or ticket is the name and slogan of a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration campaign aimed at increasing the use of seat belts among young people in the United States. Also: " clunk click, every trip (click the seatbelt on after clunking the car door closed; UK campaign) and: "click, clack, front and back" (click, clack of connecting the seatbelts; AU campaign)

human animal automotive

clickety-clack

sound of a train sound of a train riding on a railroad switch or joint ( Song of the train by David McCord, in Noisy poems by Jill Bennett), see also clackety-clack

metal movement engine

sound of metal when struck

hard_hit metal

very hard kind of brick, named after the sound produced when struck

sound of a walking horse. More horse sounds

clippity-clop

sound of galloping horse. More horse sounds

to make a shrill creaking noise by rubbing together special bodily structures, as of male insects such as crickets or grasshoppers

sound of a hit / punch, verb: to batter severely. Find more hit / punch words

sound of a coin put into a vending machine (from the graphic novel "Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth", ref )

1. bird : the peculiar sound of a brooding hen 2. To make a clicking sound with the tongue

cock-a-doodle-doo

call of a rooster, usually in the morning

common poor-will

(Phalaenoptilus nuttallii) nocturnal bird of the family Caprimulgidae, the nightjars, found from British Columbia and southeastern Alberta, through the western United States to northern Mexico. Call: a loud "poor-will." about this bird

bird , characteristic note of doves and pigeons

to expel air noisily from the lungs, usually to expel fluids that resonate during breathing

to make a sharp short noise

1. To make a succession of slight sharp snapping noises: a fire crackling in the wood stove. 2. To show liveliness, energy, or intensity: a book that crackles with humor. 3. To become covered with a network of fine cracks; craze. v.tr. 1. To crush (paper, for example) with sharp snapping sounds. 2. To cause (china, for example) to become covered with a network of fine cracks. in the media: Snap, Crackle, and Pop are the cartoon mascots of Kellogg's breakfast cereal Rice Krispies. They are named after the sound rice krispies make when they are dropped in a bowl of milk

to dash to pieces, or the noise produced by it

hard_hit crack

a harsh cry, sound of a rusty gate hinge, to speak stridently or querulously, or to make a shrill grating noise

metal crack

name of chirping insect, grasshopper

animal crack

to make a soft crackling sound, rustle

1. frog , 2. to utter a deep hoarse cry

Common name for Sciaenidae, a family of fish. Also called drums or hardheads for the repetitive throbbing or drumming sounds they make. The sounds are produced by the beating of abdominal muscles against the swim bladder. more

1. To hum or sing softly. 2. To sing popular songs in a soft, sentimental manner. 3. (Scottish) To roar or bellow. Possibly of imitative origin. Originally "to bellow like a bull" as well as "to utter a low, murmuring sound" Etymonline

human music animal

throat-disease with a sharp, barking cough. imitative origin

to utter the cry of a rooster

1. to chew with a noisy crackling sound, 2. to crush, grind, or tread noisily. Find more chewing noises

human eat_drink animal crack

crunch, crunch, crunch

sound of footsteps on gravel, stones

human stones

1. to call loudly, 2. to weep, 3. verb for the sound of a trumpet (in the poem "Lepanto" by G. K. Chesterton: "... Don John calling through the blast and the eclipse, crying with the trumpet, with the trumpet of his lips"

human music

cuckoo, bird species Cuculus Canorus, named by its cry. Also, a type of clock named after the bird. link1 (bird) , link2 (clock)

any of various largely brownish chiefly migratory birds (especially genus Numenius) having long legs and a long slender down-curved bill and related to the sandpipers and snipes. name is imitative of the sound it makes. about this bird

bird species name, see pied currawong

interjection used to express sudden recognition of a foolish blunder or an ironic turn of events, popularized by The Simpsons tv cartoon series, in which main character Homer uses it often. also: doh.

to strike with soft pressure

vocal sound produced by a human infant

the sound produced by fully-automatic weapons in action. Use in computer gaming: Acquiring "more dakka" leads to a faster rate of bullet discharge and thus improves the player's overall chance of taking out hostiles ref

to move violently or suddenly. also lash

deed-a-reedle

sound of a fiddle ("the ceremonial band" by James Reeves, in "Noisy poems" by Jill Bennett)

dibble dibble dopp dopp

sound of rain (from Mr. Brown can moo, can you? by Dr. Seuss). More rain sounds

weather liquid water

name of bird species (Spiza americana). small American seed-eating bird in the family Cardinalidae. voice: From an open perch in a field, this bird's song is a sharp "dick dick" followed by a buzzed "cissel", also transcribed as "skee-dlees chis chis chis" or "dick dick ciss ciss ciss". about this bird

(probably of imitative origin) indigenous Australian instrument, of imitative origin. link (video)

small antelope that lives in the bushes of East Africa, Angola and Namibia. Dik-diks are named for the alarm calls of the females, which make a dik-dik, or zik-zik sound. In addition to the female's alarm call, both the male and female make a shrill whistling sound.

tolling of a bell

Sound of a bass-guitar. From: Mike Dirnt, the bassist of the rock band Green Day. Dirnt's birth name is Michael Ryan Pritchard. According to Wikipedia , at school, he would would often play "air-bass", pretending to pluck the strings, while making the noise, "dirnt, dirnt, dirnt". As a result, his schoolmates began to call him "Mike Dirnt". See also Yahoo Answers . Related: wub wub, wob wob and other sounds of bass in dubstep music.

the menacing cry of Arceus, God of the Pokemon world

comics television videogames

style in vocal rhythm and blues music from the 1950-1960, in which ad-lib syllables such as "doo wop, doo wah" are sung in harmony link (video)

1. sound of drinking from a bottle ('dook, dook, dook' as in webcomic Scary Go Round ) 2. verb: to dook, clucking or chuckling sound made by ferrets when excited or happy. More about ferrets

dot a dot dot

sound of rain drops hitting a window pane (in the poem Weather by Eve Merriam, in Noisy poems by Jill Bennett). More rain sounds

light_hit weather liquid water

male honeybee, probably of imitative origin

dubdubdubdubdubdub

Sound of a helicopter. Find all helicopter sounds

interjection used to express actual or feigned ignorance or stupidity, also used derisively to indicate that something just stated is all too obvious or self-evident

dunh dunh durrr

Sound of guitar strumming rock Reddit

dwoiiinnnnnnnngggggggig

sound of a ruler strummed against a table ( ref )

plastic metal hit vibration

eastern phoebe

(Sayornis phoebe) small passerine bird. This tyrant flycatcher breeds in eastern North America, although its normal range does not include the southeastern coastal USA. It is migratory, wintering in the southernmost USA and Central America. Voice: Song is two rough, whistled notes, "fee-bee" with the second note rasping or with a stuttered, more whistly second note "fee-b-be-bee." Call note a clear chip. about this bird

eastern whipbird

(Psophodes olivaceus) bird species found in eastern Australia. The Whipbirds' long "whip" call, one of the most characteristic sounds of the Australian bush, is performed as a duet. The male makes the drawn out whip crack and the female usually follows quickly with a sharp "choo-choo". about this bird

donkey , also: hee haw (verb: to bray)

eeeoooeeeooo

interjection expressing pain ("Garfield", Jim Davis)

1. monkey, mouse or rat vocalization 2. sound of a squaky shoe (from "Mr. Brown can moo, can you?" by Dr. Seuss) 3. human exclamation uttered when scared or distressed

interjection used to ask for confirmation or repetition or to express inquiry ; used especially in Canadian English in anticipation of the listener's or reader's agreement

sound of someone hitting the floor after falling

fighting punch hard_hit hit

(probably of imitative origin) a flourish of brass instruments. link (video)

fap fap fap

Sound of masturbating (male)

(possibly of imitative origin, but debatable) English language vulgarism most commonly used in reference to flatulence. Onomatopoeia for farts have been suggested in various internet forums in response to questions of people who needed a word to describe the sound: eg. here and here . The suggested words include brrt, braaah, THPPTPHTPHPHHPH (Calvin and Hobbes), phhhhhhrt, PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP, pff, prtrtrtrgurtrufnasutututut, prrrt, PFFT!, PHHhhhh..., SPLPLPLLLP, WHOooooffff, poot, prrrrrrrvt, scraeft, ppppppwwarrrrppppp, pllllllllllllllllllllllllloooooooooooaaa..., RRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPPPPP, fuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrt, thhhppbbbb, verrrrrrrrrnnnnnntttttt, hooooooooooooooooooooooooonk, pbpbpbpbp, frr frr frrrrrr rampooooooooo ag, pppppppptttttttttttttttttttttttt, flurpppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp... Also, according to many responders it depends on the fart (farting can make many possible sounds).

hard_hit movement

Ffffffffffffff

1. blowing on hot soup 2. flatulence (fart) 3. air running out of a tire

gas air eat_drink automotive food

Ffffkrrrrshhzzzwooooom..woom..woooom..

Sounds of a lightsaber ( Star Wars movies) Reddit

weapon saber sword

sound of snapping the fingers

name for a family of passerine birds (fringilla), whose call is often written as "fink fink", "pink pink", or "spink spink" about this bird . may be of imitiative origin

1. A hissing or bubbling sound. 2. Effervescence.3. An effervescent / carbonated beverage "plop, plop, fizz, fizz" used to be the slogan in Alka Seltzer commercials for many years. 4. 2. informal ( often foll by out ) to fail or die out, esp after a promising start. Also spelled as fizzle

explosion gas liquid eat_drink water

flac-flac-flac

1. a blow, 2. noise of a bird's wing in motion, 3. to strike with something flexible or broad

hard_hit animal bird movement

1. sudden burst of flame or light, 2. sudden rush of water

explosion liquid

See fart. (The word "flatulence" is not an onomatopoeia)

flibbertigibbet

A flighty or whimsical person, usually a young woman. In modern use, it is used as a slang term, especially in Yorkshire, for a gossipy or overly talkative person. Its origin is in a meaningless representation of chattering.

human conversation

a light sharp jerky stroke or movement

light_hit movement

flick a flack fleck

1. to flutter, hover, vibrate 2. bird species name, see northern flicker

animal bird crack

flip-flops are a simple footwear named by sound produced when walking in them

movement human

to beat, thrash. Find more hit/ punch words

floovb, floovb, vwomp, vwomp

sound of a bad tire of a car. Cartalk

automotive engine movement rubber

to fall, collapse, with a dull or heavy sound

sound of a wad of mail as it falls from a letter-box ( ref )

paper movement hit

to flood or spray thoroughly with water or other liquid, as for cleansing purposes. flush can have many meanings but in the sense of flooding with liquid it can be seen as imitative

liquid rinse

1. to flap wings rapidly, 2. to float to and fro

animal bird movement liquid

Fnarr! Fnarr!

a ribald laugh to draw attention to a double entendre. From Viz magazine comic strip Finbarr Saunders (thanks, Patz Gardiner)

laughing human

freh, freh, freh

sound of an animal (particularly a dog/wolf/coyote) shaking water off its fur ("Borreguita and the Coyote: A Tale from Ayutla, Mexico", by Verna Aardema)

animal liquid

rustling, like silk dresses do

Sound of a parachute opening ( Pokemon Black and White Vol 7 Kusaka & Yamamoto )

misc soft_hit gas

fwip fwip fwip

sound of a dog's wagging tail ( Wag! Patrick McDonnell)

animal tail movement

fwww - cluck

sound of a hockey puck hitting the net of the goal and then the ice ( ref )

sports ice hockey hit

sound of a flying object hitting someone's head ( Garfield , Jim Davis) Find more hit/ punch words

gada, gada, gada

sound of drums ( "Misoso: Once Upon a Time Tales from Africa", by Verna Aardema )

human disease eat_drink animal

the chatter or cackle of geese

Sound uttered by a person choking. Also: argh, awk, gasp

disease pain eat_drink

to wash the mouth with suspended liquid, also: gurgle

human hard_hit

name of lizard species, comes from Malay word "gekoq", imitiative of its call. ( More about geckos )

interjection used to express disbelief or exasperation. As in: Geez, stop shouting at me like that! . Alternative to saying Jesus! in order to be less offensive. Also: sheesh .

1. gibberish is rapid, inarticulate, often foolish sounding speech, 2. according to this wikipedia entry , it is also a verb for the sound made by apes/monkeys (as in "dogs bark, monkeys gibber")

laugh in a manner suggestive of foolish levity or uncontrollable amusement

human laughter

sound something liquidy and unappetizing hitting a dinner plate

sound of swallowing a drink

to strike teeth together

to bite persistently

bird vocalization, typically a turkey

gobbledygook

(noun) jargon or highly intricate language that is hard to understand or incomprehensible. Comes from gobble , the vocalization of turkeys. Wikipedia

metallic disk used as a percussive musical instrument named by the sound produced when struck

gr gr k k grk

stone carving metal digging

gray-winged trumpeter

(Psophia crepitans) bird species found in South America, whose song is a low humming, but its call, as its name suggests, is a very loud JEEK or honking TZAAK, which may be the reason for the name "trumpeter". This bird is kept as a pet by Amerindians, since it is easily tamed, hunts snakes, and is a very efficient sentinel, with its unmissable alarm call. about this bird

great kiskadee

passerine bird (Pitangus sulphuratus) found in southern Texas and middle and south america. this bird is a flycatcher. the voice is described by some sources as dee-kis-ka-dee, by others as BEE-tee-WEE. The latter gives the bird its name in different languages and countries: In Brazilian Portuguese the birds name is bem-te-vi, or bien-te-veo (spanish) meaning ("I've spotted you!"). In El Salvador the bird is known as Cristofue, and in Paraguay as pitogue. In French it is called tyran quiquivi. link1 , link2 , video

1. to utter a loud deep sound of grief or pain, 2. the sound of funeral bells (in the poem "The Bells" by Edgar Allan Poe , 3. sound of drums (in the poem "Lepanto" by G. K. Chesterton: "...For he heard drums groaning and he heard guns jar ..."

human human pain music

a low, guttural, menacing sound made by an animal, such as a bear

grrrakka kkakkakkakkakkakkakk akkakkakk kkakka akk

Sounds made by a jackhammer (From Diggers go by Steve Light). In the book all caps GRRRAKKA KKAKKAKKAKKAKKAKKAKK AKKAKKAKKAKK AKKAKKAKK AKKA KKAKKA AKK

engine metal

animal dinosaur predator

to mutter in discontent

to growl, rumble. Grumpy: surly tempered, making inarticulate noises betokening displeasure

pig vocalization, the deep short sound characteristic of a hog

animal gas breath

1. foolish nonsense 2. annoying or playful criticism

gulla, gulla, glugluglugluglug

sound of a bad axle, in a car ( Cartalk )

automotive car engine metal

to swallow greedily or rapidly in large amounts. e.g. "she gulps down a whole mug of coffee".

gunko, gunko

sound of wagon wheels ("Pedro and the padre", by Verna Aardema)

to flow in a broken irregular current, make the sound of bubbling liquid, washing the mouth with suspended liquid (soundclip), also: gargle

cat vocalization, as used in James Joyce's Ulysses More cat sounds

gwuf, gwuf, gwuf

sound of footstep ("Pedro and the padre", by Verna Aardema)

human movement

gyuh gyuh,gyuh

signature laugh of sherrif Roscoe P. Coltrane in tv series The Dukes of Hazzard

laughter. most common form. intensity grows by adding ha's. absence of an exclamation mark can be a hint of sarcasm, or indicate a polite, but unenthusiastic laugh. dependent on context, tone, facial expression, etc. Also: haha

ha-ha-ha-HA-ha

1. laughter. not a boisterous laugh, but amused. 2. Also an exclamation used by the good guy jumping out of the bushes to suprise a villain

The period (instead of exclamation mark) makes this expression of laughter sound unenthusiastic, bored, in a hurry, or not really amused

hackigi-gi-gi-gi

laughter. signature laugh of Ed Bickel, from 3 south

hah-hah-hah

sound of a dog panting. also: hu hu hu hu , ah uh ah uh , heh-heh-heh . (these were among the replies to a question posted on Yahoo answers)

laughter. diminutive, victorious

laughter. sarcastic, as if sarcastically saying "very funny." or old fashioned hick laugh

Interjection, an expression of disdain, disbelief, protest, or dismissal; a huff, grunt, or snort. also: harumpf

interjection human

laughter, often used to express scorn or disbelief. Often duplicated or triplicated (haw haw or haw haw haw)

an audible effort to force up phlegm from the throat

1. bray of a donkey, 2. loud coarse laugh

laughter. sometimes slightly naughty, e.g. when used after pulling a naughty prank. Also used with multiple hee s: heeheehee!

heh-heh-heh

sound of a dog panting. also: hu hu hu hu , hah-hah-hah , ah uh ah uh . ( Yahoo answers )

laughter. sometimes perverted, or meaning "that's not really funny". Usually, "heh" is a quiet laughing sound, not laughing out loud. Heh heh may also be a good transcription of the signature laugh of Beavis, from cartoon Beavis and Butthead . Sometimes simply a more faint, private laugh

clearing throat. Also: ahem

interjection used especially to call attention or to express interrogation, surprise, or exultation

hhhhrrrrrrnnnnngggg

sound of the goal light and siren in a hockey game ( ref )

sports hockey goal alarm siren tone

interjection used as a greeting

spasm of the respiratory organs accompanied by a resonant gasping noise. Also: hiccough

interjection used to introduce a united cheer (cf. hip-hip-hurrah). in the meaning "trendy" or "informed", it may come from "hep" (african-american slang), of which the origin is not clear

to make a sharp sibilant sound, produced by geese and snakes, or a cat (when angry/scared). More cat sounds

gas vocalization

hissssssssss ssss ss

(automotive) sound a of a failing brake booster

interjection used in many ways, one of which is to indicate that one is thinking, feeling, introspecting. also: hmm (more m's are added for dramatic effect or other reasons

interjection used to express doubt or contempt. Also: humph, humpf

laughter. signature laugh of Santaclaus

interjection used to express weariness, boredom, or disdain

hohn hohn hohn hohn

laughter. evil... and French. "We will show the stupid Americans who le clutzy frog, eh?" "HOHN! HOHN! HOHN! HOHN!" -- The Simpsons, Treehouse of Horror 8

1. bird vocalization (e.g. goose), 2. car-horn

animal bird automotive

bird vocalization: the cry of an owl, also: hoot, tu-whu, terwit terwoo, whit woo, twit twoo

hoo hoo hoo hoo

1. monkey vocalization, also: ook, hoo hoo hoo hoo, oo oo oo, 2. the sound of wind, 3. the sound of a ghost (2 and 3: in the poem "The congo" by Vachel Lindsay "...Like the wind. Hoo, Hoo, Hoo. Listen to the yell of Leopold's ghost..."

animal weather

name of bird species. imitative origin, but the hoopoe's call is actually a trisyllabic "oop-oop-oop". link (video)

exclamation used to express joy, approval, or encouragement. also: hurrah

bird vocalization, usually the cry of an owl. also: hoo hoo, tu-whu, terwit terwoo, whit woo

member of native S. African race. Possibly imitative of the language spoken by the people referred to

Pronounced "Whin-ems," like a horse's whinny , the Houyhnhnm are a race of intelligent horses in book 4 of Jonathan Swift's novel Gulliver's Travels

animal misc

prolonged, doleful cry, typically of a dog or wolf, but can also be human or monkey . find dog vocalizations

animal human

howler monkey

Howler monkeys are widely considered to be the loudest land animal. The main vocals consist of loud, deep guttural growls or "howls". Their vocalizations can be heard from 3 miles (4.8 km) away. It is hypothesized that the function of howling relates to intergroup spacing and territory protection, as well as possibly mate-guarding. more

this is one of several suggestions in response to the question of how to write the sound of a bull, on wiki-answers . also: muuhhhrrr, rrrruuuurrrr, moo, low, huuuooohar. if you need a verb: bulls "bellow" (not directly imitative)

hu hu hu hu

sound of a dog panting. also: ah uh ah uh ; hah-hah-hah ; heh-heh-heh>/a> ( Yahoo answers )

sound of exhaling, blowing, puffing

interjection used to express surprise, disbelief, or confusion, or as an inquiry inviting affirmative reply, also: uh-huh

huh huh huh

1. to make a low inarticulate murmuring sound, sometimes making a melody "to hum a tune", 2. a verb for the sound that bees and hummingbirds make (eg. "the dog barks, the bee hums"), also: buzz

animal music

hummingbird

Hummingbirds are birds that comprise the family Trochilidae. They are among the smallest of birds. They can hover in mid-air and fly backwards, Their English name derives from the characteristic hum made by their rapid wing beats. more

interjection used to express doubt or contempt. also: humpf, hmpf

exclamation used to express joy, approval, or encouragement. also: hooray

to put at rest, stop talking, make quiet

this is one of several suggestions in response to the question of how to write the sound of a bull, on wiki-answers . also: rrrruuuurrrr, moo, low, hrrooonnh, muuhhhrrr. if you need a verb: bulls "bellow" (not directly imitative)

huuuuuuuuuugh

cry of a hippopotamus

laughter. more old fashioned and more hick than yuk, yuk

to talk fast and indistinctly, imitative origin

to make a harsh metallic sound, or to cause to make a harsh discordant sound

1. harsh sound, 2. the sound of guns (in the poem "Lepanto" by G. K. Chesterton: "...For he heard drums groaning and he heard guns jar ..."

weapon crack hard_hit explosion

jee je je jeee

(automotive) clutch release bearing on the way out. Cartalk

1. to make a light clinking or tinkling metallic sound, 2. to rhyme or sound in a catchy repetitious manner 3. brief musical tune to mark the beginning of a show or segment of a show

sound of palm-muted power chords on an electric guitar. used in playing "air-guitar" . often repetitive (jug jug jug - jug jug jug), typical of the musical style. as in Foo Fighters - "One by One". see also: neow, whockah, bwow-chcka-bwow

to move or be moved off the ground. Possibly imitative of the sound of feet coming into contact with ground when landing

animal movement

sound of cash register, also: cha-ching

Sound of a cat coughing up a hairball. More cat sounds

animal eat_drink disease cat vocalization

kaaapooooom

sound of a car running over a road safety bump ( ref )

car automotive movement hit

explosion. Find more explosions.

(pronounced cashel )sound of a rattly, phlegmy cough

human disease crack

sound of running footsteps ( "Misoso: Once Upon a Time Tales from Africa", by Verna Aardema )

insect family also known as bush-cricket, long-horned grasshopper, named for the sound produced by the male (north american species)

(Nestor notabilis) name of a parrot species found in the mountains of New Zealand. Raucous cries of "keeaa" often give away the presence of these highly social and inquisitive birds. about this bird

commotion, disturbance. This word may be of imititative origin

bird species named by their typical call

sound of breaking metal ( "Misoso: Once Upon a Time Tales from Africa", by Verna Aardema )

the sound of ice skates during a game of hockey ( ref )

ice movement human skating sports

old english name for bird of prey, usually a small hawk - probably imitative of its shrill plaintive cry

name for bird genus Rissa, two closely related seabird species in the gull family Laridae, the Black-legged Kittiwake (R. tridactyla) and the Red-legged Kittiwake (R. brevirostris). The name is derived from its call, a shrill "kittee-wa-aaake, kitte-wa-aaake"

klopp klopp klopp

sound of a horse, walking (from "Mr. Brown can moo, can you?" by Dr. Seuss)

sound of heavy metallic objects colliding

sharp blow or sound

sound of a bell struck or rung

knock-knock

sound of striking with a sounding blow. As in knocking on a door

bird species, see red knot

sound of squeezing a can of oil to lubricate something ("Garfield", Jim Davis)

metal engine liquid

sound of food bowl hitting the head (dog (Odie) getting hit on the head with a food bowl, "Garfield", Jim Davis)

The kookaburra is a genus of birds native to australia whose name is imitative of its call. The call sounds a bit like hysterical human laughter, or maniacal cackling, depending on the species. more info , video

animal bird laughter

kra, ka, ka, hi

sound made by a raven

movement squeaky peep rusty hinge

Sound of a skateboarder skateboarding. Skateboarder doing a trick: "Krrrrrrrr, snap! (pause) Crack! Krrrrrrrr..." user Mikemega on answerbag.com

movement human sport toy

kut-kut-kut

sound of a hen, clucking ( "Misoso: Once Upon a Time Tales from Africa", by Verna Aardema )

sound of an earthenware pot being smashed to pieces on the ground ( "Misoso: Once Upon a Time Tales from Africa", by Verna Aardema )

to drink, lick with the tongue

human animal liquid eat_drink water

1. to move violently or suddenly. also: to dash, 2. to thrash or beat violently, as in "the rain lashed at the windowpanes". More rain sounds

hard_hit movement movement weather

sound of horn, or singing

to speak with sibilant utterance

cattle vocalization

lub-dub-lub-dub-lub-dub ...

Sound of a beating heart. This seems the most common spelling, used in medical texts. Also: dup-dup; ba bum; plop-plop; thud-thud; pop-pop; Sometimes the heart is said to throb and throb is also thought to have imitative origin. ( Yahoo Answers, 1 , 2 )

human disease pounding pump heartbeat

to rove or pillage for spoils. This word may be of imitative origin , imitating the vocalization of a tomcat. More cat sounds

animal human destroy plunder

cat vocalization. More cat sounds

cat vocalization, as used in James Joyce's Ulysses . also spelled mrkgnao; mrkrgnao

Sound of sticking out one's tongue, especially to lap up something to drink. Popular with cat pictures on the internet. Blogpost about the difference between mlem and blep

cat meme animal tongue

1. long low inarticulate murmur, 2. (less common) word describing the sound of doves (as in "The moan of doves in immemorial elms" in the poem "Come Down, O Maid" by Alfred Lord Tennyson), 3. (less common) the sound of wind (in the poem "the night wind" , by Eugene Field: "... For the wind will moan in its ruefullest tone:

human human pain disease weather

cow vocalization

sound of an "implosion bomb". In a classic Uncle Scrooge tale by Carl Barks, Gyro Gearloose invented an "implosion bomb" that sucked up material and compacted it into a neat pile. Intended for litter collection, the Written Sound Effect was "MOOB", explicitly stated to be "BOOM" backwards. TvTropes

misc explosion weapons

bird species also called Morepork, in Australia, two bird species known elsewhere as the tawny frogmouth about this bird

bird species also called mopoke or frogmouth

cat vocalization ( Doggies by Sandra Boynton). More cat sounds

mrrrrgggggllll

sound made by murlocs (creatures in the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft. also: mrclughluhlua, maagluuuuughhhhhh, mrglmrglmrglmrgl, aurrrrrrrrruuuuggguglugglugglugluguaa ( according to players )

sound with closed lips not wanting to speak

to speak indistinctly

to chew steadily. Find more chewing noises

1. subdued continuous sound (often human voices), 2. to murmur, (less common) verb describing the sound of a swarm of bees or flies (as in "murmuring of innumerable bees", from the poem "Come Down, O Maid" by Alfred Lord Tennyson)

to speak almost inaudibly with closed lips

this is one of several suggestions in response to the question of how to write the sound of a bull, on wiki-answers . also: rrrruuuurrrr, moo, low, hrrooonnh, huuuooohar. if you need a verb: bulls "bellow" (not directly imitative)

laughter, this is usually an evil sounding laugh. also: muahaha, muhaha

na na, na NA na

interjection. melodic childish taunting phrase, expressing a feeling of superiority or contempt for another. Meaning is similar to sticking your tongue out or laughing at someone. Often pronounced in a nasal voice. see also: neener, neener; nyah, nyah / nya, nya

goat vocalization

to chatter aimlessly

NEE-eu NEE-eu

French police siren ( ref )

police traffic siren tone alarm car automotive

neener, neener

interjection, typically used to taunt, ridicule, or boast in a childish manner. Verbal way of sticking your tongue out or laughing at someone. Often pronounced in a nasal voice. See also: nyah, nyah; na na, na NA na. WikiAnswers

the cry of a horse, also: whinny

sound of individual legato notes on an electric guitar, as in the guitar part in verse of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit": neow neow, neow neow. often combined with playing "airguitar"

nnn...nnn...nnn

nnneeaoowww

sound of a propeller plane flying overhead ( ref )

plane movement engine

nnnghuh nnnguh

Sound of a broken power steering pump in a car Cartalk

The sound of an activated but motionless lightsaber in Star Wars movies. Reddit

northern flicker

bird species name (Colaptes auratus). medium-sized member of the woodpecker family. It is native to most of North America, parts of Central America, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, is one of the few woodpecker species that migrates, and is the only woodpecker that commonly feeds on the ground. The song of the Northern Flicker is a loud wick wick wick wick or (according to some sources) a squeaky flick-a, flick-a as in its name. about this bird

interjection, typically used to taunt, ridicule, or boast in a childish manner. Verbal way of sticking your tongue out or laughing at someone. Often pronounced in a nasal voice. See also: neener, neener; na na, na NA na; nya, nya

the cry of a pig

vocal sound produced while chewing big bites of something tasty in a hurry, like the way Sesame Street's cookie monster eats (end of clip). Here's another example . Find more chewing noises

eat_drink animal

monkey vocalization, also: ook, hoo hoo hoo hoo

sound uttered by someone who is punched in the stomach. TheCrosswordSolver

interjection used to express amazement, joy, or surprise

monkey vocalization, also: hoo hoo hoo hoo

the sound produced by a large brass instrument. see also: umpa

1. strength, power ( you need to put more oomph in your story ) 2. sex appeal 3. a low pitched grunting or thudding sound ( Oomph! grunted the boxer when punched in the gut ).

human conversation power hit

also spelled: untz. Sound of the repetitive beat in rave music (a kind of electronic dance music)

oooaughoaua

coughing sound, used by a recurring character named Lorraine from the TV show Mad TV . She makes this sound when clearing her throat, also perhaps in disgust and/or satisfaction as well as in times of awkward silence to ease the tension. It is normally accompanied with a saying such as "god that's cute" while she unknowingly destroys the property of others when checking things out. Laymen can make this sound as well in their everyday life to add comedic relief to a conversation making references to Lorraine, as well as to describe something disgusting. Video: Clip 1 , Clip 2 , Clip 3 .

interjection used typically to express mild apology, surprise, or dismay, also: woops, whoops

interjection expressing pain or displeasure

a typical exclamation expressing pain

ow-wow-wow-wow

Fox vocalization. It sounds like a quick series of very high pitched barks. Popular Science

Nocturnal bird of prey. The name is thought to have imitative origins , imitating the owl's vocalizations. Wikipedia

bird animal hoo

sound of a coyote howling ("Borreguita and the Coyote: A Tale from Ayutla, Mexico", by Verna Aardema)

sound of a handgun

weapon explosion

to walk with a soft dull tread

sound of a trumpet ("the ceremonial band" by James Reeves, in "Noisy poems" by Jill Bennett)

sound of a puck hit during hockey ( ref )

sports hit hockey ice

to strike lightly

to make a series of light striking sounds

peck peck peck

sound of a woodpecker rapping with its beak on a tree Lucy Cousins children's book

bird species name, especially the eastern wood pewee. about this bird

any of various tree frogs that peep shrilly, especially the spring peeper

sound of an aluminum bat hitting a baseball ( ref )

bat sports hit ball

sound produced by a lasergun

Any of eight species of birds of the genus Contopus (family Tyrannidae); it is named for its call, which is monotonously repeated from an open perch. In North America a sad, clear "pee-oo-wee" announces the presence of the eastern wood pewee (C. virens), while a blurry "peeurrr" is the call of the western wood pewee (C. sordidulus). about this bird . also spelled peewee

subfamily of birds also called Lapwing. Also: any of several related plovers. about this bird . also spelled peewit

PHCKSHIIIIiooW

1. used to express relief or fatigue 2. used to express disgust at or as if at an unpleasant odor

bird species, see eastern phoebe

interjection used to express repudiation or disgust

sound of an air-pistol, or pistol with silencer. also: ft

weapons gas air

sound of an automatic glass door opening ( ref )

movement door

sound of a fife ("the ceremonial band" by James Reeves, in "Noisy poems" by Jill Bennett). a fife is a small, high-pitched, transverse flute that is similar to the piccolo, but louder and shriller due to its narrower bore

pied currawong

(Strepera graculina) large, mostly black bird, with a bright yellow eye, found in Australasia. voice: The main call is a loud "currawong", which gives the bird its name. Other frequent sounds include deep croaks and a wolf whistle about this bird

light color

an abrupt, ringing sound, a bullet striking something, or a computer tone

weapon metal

game of table-tennis, imitative origin

hard_hit light_hit

1. to peep or chirp, as a chick does. 2. A short, high-pitched radio signal 3. pip-pip-pip: sound of footsteps ( "Misoso: Once Upon a Time Tales from Africa", by Verna Aardema )

animal bird movement

pitter-patter

the sound of rain, a repetitive pattering sound. More rain sounds

plain chachalaca

(Ortalis vetula) a large bird in the Cracidae family. The call is a loud, raucous RAW-pa-haw or cha-cha-LAW-ka, often by several birds in a rhytmical chorus. link1 , video

(verb) 1. to make a tinkling sound 2. to cause to make a tinkling sound. (noun) a tinkling metallic sound

Plip - plip - ploop - plip - plip - plip - plip - ploop

sound of light summer rain hitting the roof ( ref ). More rain sounds

liquid water rain weather house

a dull striking sound

sound such as that of an object dropping into water with not that much of a splash. "plop, plop, fizz, fizz" used to be the slogan in Alka Seltzer commercials for many years.

heavy sound of landing

to pluck a string instrument, or to suddenly drop

dry hit, such as when a wooden baseball bat hits a baseball.

1. interjection used to indicate a sudden vanishing: The magician waved a wand, and poof! The birds disappeared! (often with a little cloud of smoke) In this sense poof may be imitative. 2. effeminate man or male homosexual. In this sense poof is not imitative

gas air movement misc

Sound of an old pistol firing, according to a post on Yahoo!Answers

weapon metal explosion

Children's euphemism meaning excrement . This word is thought to be of imitative origin

sound of rapping, knocking, or explosive. in the media: Snap, Crackle, and Pop are the cartoon mascots of Kellogg's breakfast cereal Rice Krispies. They are named after the sound rice krispies make when they are dropped in a bowl of milk. Find more explosions.

explosion hard_hit light_hit

potato-potato-potato

Sound of a poorly running motorcycle engine. The sound emphasis is on the 'p' and 't' rather than the vowels. Janet writes: "My sister used the above expression to describing a problem she had on starting a new motorcycle - it was jerking along as if it had 'kangaroo juice' in the tank. She assumed a "Gangnam Style" stance and dance to illustrate it, while saying "there I was going 'potato-potato-potato' - what a show-up!" She says that this expression is often used within her group of motorcycling friends, usually in connection with novice riders, although it may be in use more widely across the UK. The sound emphasis seems to be on the 'p' and 't' rather than the vowels." (thanks Janet!)

sound of a blow / collision

To talk or chatter idly or meaninglessly; babble or prate. Possibly of imitative origin. Etymonline

sound produced by cats when sociable or (sometimes) when distressed. also: purr. More cat sounds

The sound of a lightsaber being shoved into a door to melt it (Star Wars movies)

sound uttered to get a person's attention without alerting others, to tell a secret for example. often followed by whispering

spitting out something solid such as a cherry pit ("Garfield", Jim Davis)

puh-puh-puh

sound of pounding ( "Misoso: Once Upon a Time Tales from Africa", by Verna Aardema )

puhVRooPuhHoo puhVROOpuhHOO

Sound of an engine misfire in a car Cartalk

to vomit, of imitative origin

(possibly of imitative origin) mechanical device for raising/moving water or gas

engine liquid

sound of a drum ("the ceremonial band" by James Reeves, in "Noisy poems" by Jill Bennett)

sound of a kick ( Garfield , Jim Davis)

a sound produced by cats, when sociable or sometimes when distressed. also: prr. More cat sounds

bird vocalization, cry of a duck. More duck sounds

to utter words in a rapid and confused manner

disturbance, uproar

to complain

to strike, esp. with a quick, smart, or light blow

short for raspberry tart, rhyming slang for fart: a sound of contempt made by protruding the tongue between the lips and expelling air forcibly to produce a vibration; broadly : an expression of disapproval or contempt. Also "rasp", "razz" or "Bronx cheer". As in "blowing a raspberry", "making a Bronx cheer". Ref: thesneeze , wikipedia .

human gas crack

Word imitating the sound of the side-drum and used for music pieces, especially in opera, of a military-march character.

sharp rapping sound repeated, often a machine gun. also : rat-a-tat; bratat

1. rapid succession of short sharp sounds, 2. an instrument that makes a rattling noise

rattlesnake

The word 'rattlesnake' is the words ' rattle ' and 'snake' joined together. Rattlesnakes receive their name for the rattle located at the end of their tails. The word 'rattle' is likely of imitative origin.

(Calidris canutus) is a medium sized shorebird. name may be imitative of the birds vocalization, sometimes described as a soft "knut", or a soft "quer-wer", though usually the bird is silent. link1 , link2

sound of a squeaky metal hinge ("Garfield", Jim Davis)

frog vocalization

banjo music

sound of an electric drill ( ref )

drill engine movement mechanism buzz

1. to utter a a full deep prolonged cry. Typical cry of a lion 2. loud boisterous laughter. roaring with laughter is in response to something absolutely hilarious

laughter animal

sound of a car when driving fast

engine automotive movement

sound of deep prolonged cry ("Garfield", Jim Davis)

dog barking. ( Doggies by Sandra Boynton) More dog vocalizations

rrrruuuurrrr

this is one of several suggestions in response to the question of how to write the sound of a bull, on wiki-answers . also: moo, low, hrrooonnh, huuuooohar, muuhhhrrr. if you need a verb: bulls "bellow" (not directly imitative)

RRUUMBLE SCRUNCH SCRUUMBLE SCRUUUNCHH

construction equipment machine heavy engine

drumming sound. Also a musical style similar to reggae

First used by Astro on the cartoon The Jetsons and later by Scooby-Doo in the Scooby-Doo cartoon series; both characters are dogs who speak broken English with the insertion of many r's. Wiktionary

to make a low heavy continuous sound

rump - rump

sound of a washing machine , "[Aredelia] found Starling in the warm laundry room, dozing against the slow rump-rump of a washing machine." (Thomas Harris, Silence of the Lambs , 1988)

machine engine movement

to give forth a succession of light crisp sounds

sound of a flying arrow

weapon movement

Schklikt, klikt

Sound of a shotgun getting ready to be used, also known as racking the gun video (thanks, Gus!)

sound of sliding metal on metal. verb: The metal rings schliked along the rod as I slid the curtain open to peer into the room. (thank you Larry!)

Schlikt replaced the usual snikt sound of super hero Wolverine 's claws, during the period he was left without the adamantium covering on his bones.

comics metal weapon misc

sound of a person slipping on something, e.g. wet floor ("Garfield", Jim Davis)

movement liquid water

schwump schwump schwump schwump

sound of windshield wipers of a car during heavy rain ( ref ). More rain sounds. More car sounds

rain weather automotive liquid water

to tear or mark a surface with something sharp or jagged

to utter a shrill piercing cry. note: the vocalization of eagles is often called screaming, although according to this wikipedia article , Bald Eagles normally squeak and have a shrill cry, punctuated by grunts, and the scream that is found in films this is usually the call of a Red-tailed Hawk, dubbed into films for dramatic effect.

any of a group of South American bird species (Horned Screamer, Crested Screamer, and Black-necked Screamer) with a loud high-pitched call, which may explain the name. about this bird

1. a high shrill piercing cry usually expressing pain or terror, 2. the high pitched sound the tires of a car make when it turns at high speed

human human pain animal engine automotive movement crack

human animal crack

to make a crunching sound, to crush or crunch, or to crumple or squeeze

sound of a sword drawn from a sheath, also: shiiiiiing, vzzzzt

exclamation used to introduce an extraordinary deed, story, or transformation - - She prayed for his arrival and shazam! There he was. Shazam is also the name of the wizard in Captain Marvel comics and the title of Marvel comic books.

exclamation human voice surprise

interjection used to express disbelief or exasperation. As in: Sheesh, stop shouting at me like that! . Alternative to saying Jesus! in order to be less offensive. Also: geez .

sound of a sword drawn from a sheath. also: shashing, vzzzzt

the sound of silence (!), as used in manga comics ( ref )

shlick shlick shlick

the sound of female masturbation Yahoo answers

interjection used especially in driving away an unwanted animal

to utter a loud sharp cry, screech

shuffle, shuffle, shuffle

footsteps of someone who does not fully lift feet off the ground while walking (old / injured)

walking human

shuh, shuh, shuh

sound of swimming ("Borreguita and the Coyote: A Tale from Ayutla, Mexico", by Verna Aardema)

human animal movement liquid water

command to be quiet, often paired with holding the index finger vertically against the lips

shuush, shuush

sound of skiing through the snow ( ref )

movement snow sliding sports

The sifaka is a genus of lemur found in Madagascar. The name is an onomatopoeia of their "shi-fak" alarm call. Wikipedia

animal africa

to emit a deep breath, sometimes expressing weariness

to make a hissing sound

to burn with a hissing sound, buzz

to make a shrill sound

bird vocalization

cry of a rat

sound of nails on a blackboard ( ref )

nails human school scratch crack

Used to express amazement, shock, and excitement, due to it being a common outcome when one types random letters on a keyboard. KnowYourMeme

skwee brrumm brrumm skoooooo skooooo

Sounds made by a front loader ( Diggers go by Steve Light, all caps in the book SKWEE BRRUMM BRRUMM SKOOOOOO SKOOOOO)

engine rubble sand stone dirt metal

to beat, shut with a noise

smart blow as with the open hand. Find more hit/ punch words

to behave (feed) in a careless noisy fashion

1. to spill or splash (a liquid) copiously or clumsily, 2. to agitate in a liquid (eg. slosh clothes in a solution of bleach and detergent), 3. to splash, wade, or flounder in water or another liquid

movement liquid

to fall or sink

to make a sucking noise while eating or drinking

to separate wet lips while lightly sucking, thereby producing a sharp noise

liquid water kiss hug

1. to make a cracking sound, eg. snapping your fingers, or a camera making a photo (sound of the shutter). in the media: Snap, Crackle, and Pop are the cartoon mascots of Kellogg's breakfast cereal Rice Krispies. They are named after the sound rice krispies make when they are dropped in a bowl of milk 2. the "sound" of someone's pride being hurt. this is another example of "non-auditory onomatopoeia". other examples: bling bling , yoink and shiiin

hard_hit light_hit crack music

The ignition of a lightsaber in Star Wars novels written by Timothy Zahn . Also: pssshhew, Tshww, PHCKSHIIIIiooW

weapon sword

to make an angry sound while showing teeth

to make an explosive noise to clear the nostrils, probably of imitative origin, see also atchoo

human disease animal

laughter. indicating derision or perhaps an immature reaction to lewd material, can have connotations of being mean spirited - laughing at someone else's expense

to draw air audibly up the nose especially for smelling

human eat_drink animal gas

to show or express disdain or scorn. also: snuffle

"snikt" in the Marvel comic books is the written sound of super hero Wolverine's claws popping. Replaced with schlikt during the period he was left without the adamantium covering on his bones.

misc metal weapon

sound of a single cut of scissors

to snort, to make harsh noises through nose and mouth while sleeping

1. cry of a pig, but horses snort too, sometimes 2. the act or sound of sniffing powdered tabacco or cocaine into the nose 3. suppressed laughter, a burst of laughter through the nose - since this is viewed as so embarrassing, when someone snorts with laughter, it's generally at something surprisingly hilarious

to catch the breath convulsively, usually when crying

sound of a punch to the face ( Batman 1960s tv show). Find more hit/ punch words

hard_hit punch fight

(Porzana carolina) A small, secretive bird of freshwater marshes, the Sora is the most common and widely distributed rail in North America. voice: Call is a long, high descending whinny. Also a two-noted "sor-AH" call, with second note higher. about this bird

spack a speck speck

to dash water upon

landing with a smacking sound

sound of lightning (in "Mr. Brown can moo, can you?" by Dr. Seuss), for the sound of thunder: see also explosion

to spatter (something), especially to soil with splashes of liquid

liquid water mud dirt

make a splashing sound, to make a certain noise or sound, to walk through mud or mire, to cause a liquid to spatter about. also: sploosh

animal movement liquid water

the sound of a pie hitting someone in the face ( Garfield (Jim Davis) comic)

eat_drink movement liquid water food wet

sound of a piano landing on someone's head ("Garfield", Jim Davis)

spitting out a mouthful of liquid ("Garfield", Jim Davis)

eat_drink movement liquid water

1. to spit out or spray particles of saliva or food from the mouth in noisy bursts, 2. to spit out words or sounds in an excited or confused manner, 3. to make sporadic spitting or popping sounds

eat_drink liquid water wet

a noisy altercation or quarrel usually over petty matters

to cry out loudly

cry of a bird

cry of a rat (also: skreek), or to utter a short shrill cry or noise

to utter a short shrill cry or noise

1. to strike or press with crushing force; crush down; squash. 2. to put down, suppress, or silence, as with a crushing retort or argument. 3. to make a splashing sound. 4. to tread heavily in water, mud, wet shoes, etc., with such a sound.

crack human animal liquid

squelch, squerch

liquid foot steps

A short, irregular curve or twist, as in writing or drawing. Possibly a blend of squirm and wriggle

misc movement

To twist one's body with snakelike motions from shame or embarrassment, or to evade a question. Possibly imitative

to eject liquid in a jet

liquid water spray wet

to squeeze, squash

ssinda, sssssinda

sound of an old dial telephone. Dialing 1 is "ssinda." Dialing 9 is "sssssinda." ( ref ). More telephone sounds

movement telephone mechanism

sound of an explosion. Find more explosions.

making a harsh noise

to play a guitar. see also thrum

A beam of light. Poet Gino Severini referred to light as going 'szszszszszsz' and 'stzsssssss'. Willard Bohn, Modern Visual Poetry

sound of noodles being sucked (manga)

susurration

sound of whispering

to dash violently, make a noise of clashing swords

hard_hit metal movement

sound of an object moving through air or water

movement liquid gas

swishy swashy

grass walking

Nike brand logo, but also the sound of rushing air or water

szszszszszsz

sound of an arrow being shot from a bow ("Sebgugugu the Glutton: A Bantu Tale from Rwanda", by Verna Aardema)

interjection, used as mock fanfare to call attention to something remarkable. also: ta-dah, tada

tabdak tabdak

Sound of a running horse

tack, tack, tack

sound of thin high heels or pumps. also: tap, tap, tap

takka takka

sound of a machine gun (title of a Roy Lichtenstein painting)

1. to gossip, 2. to chatter aimlessly (imitative origin)

tch, tch, tch

sound of chopping off branches of wood ("Sebgugugu the Glutton: A Bantu Tale from Rwanda", by Verna Aardema)

terwit terwoo

bird vocalization, the cry of an owl. also: hoo hoo, hoot, tu-whu, whit woo, twit twoo

thisshig rrrerrk

sounds coming out of the loudspeaker in the subway during an important announcement ( ref )

human voice electronic static noise crack

thith-thith-thith

thong-thong

sound of badminton rackets hitting the shuttle

(of the heart) to beat strongly

sound of a hit or punch ( Batman comics) Find more hit/ punch words

to play a guitar

sound of a running horse

to hit with a dull sound

1. to strike or beat with or as if with something thick or heavy so as to cause a dull sound, as in a punch during a fight, or the sound of heavy footsteps 2. a verb for sound made by a big engine, as in thumping, chunking engines going.. (from the poem "engineers" by Jimmy Garthwaite, in "Noisy poems" by Jill Bennett)

sound of a blow to a metal object (features in a Roy Lichtenstein painting

sound of impact

the sound of flogging. Find more hit/ punch words

Spiderman web shooter

misc weapon

sound of a baseball, hitting a catcher's mitt ( ref )

sports ball movement hit

Sound produced by quickly opening a folding fan. Urban Dictionary . Made famous by drag queen Katya Zamolodchikova

a light rhythmic audible tap or beat

light_hit music

sound of a clock. also: tic toc

light_hit movement metal

Possibly of onomatopoeic origin, from the sound of light hammering on metal. Etymonline

a gentle, ringing sound. Also means "to urinate" (in sort of a childish way) possibly because of the sound.

metal liquid wet water pee

sound of sleigh bells, (features in the poem "The Bells" by Edgar Allan Poe )

tintinnabulation

sound of bells

sound of suppressed giggle

tk.tk.tk.tk.tk.tk

sound of a dog's claws as he/she walks on a wooden floor ( ref )

animal movement claw hit

sound of clicking with the tongue ( "Misoso: Once Upon a Time Tales from Africa", by Verna Aardema )

Tlick - Tlock Tlick - Tlock

Sound of a ticking clock ( Squeak, Rumble, Whomp Whomp Womp. Wynton Marsalis & Paul Rogers, 2012

metal clock

sound of horse's hooves. used in the poem " The Highwayman " by Alfred Noyes. Tlot tlot, tlot tlot! Had they heard it? The horse-hooves, ringing clear; Tlot tlot, tlot tlot, in the distance! Were they deaf that they did not hear?

tluck....tlock

The sound of a leaking faucet ( Squeak, Rumble, Whomp Whomp Womp. Wynton Marsalis & Paul Rogers, 2012 )

liquid metal water bath tub

Tluuck tluck tlawck tlock tlaack tlack tlick!

Sound of a pizzicato violin ( Squeak, Rumble, Whomp Whomp Womp. Wynton Marsalis & Paul Rogers, 2012

toc - toc - toc

sound of a woodpecker rapping with his beak on a tree Plays of Edmond Rostand: The Eaglet

tocotocotoco

sound of a helicopter. more helicopter sounds

funeral bells (features in the poem "The Bells" by Edgar Allan Poe )

a monotonous beating, rhythm, or rhythmical sound / a percussive musical instrument played with hands

to blow or sound an instrument (as a horn)

sound of a flute ("the ceremonial band" by James Reeves, in "Noisy poems" by Jill Bennett)

quavering or warbling in singing

animal bird music

bird species name, see gray-winged trumpeter

pronounced as an alveolar click; often in quick repetition, as an exclamation of contempt, disdain, impatience, etc.

bird vocalization, the cry of an owl. also: hoot, hoo hoo, terwit terwoo, twit twoo, whit woo

tuckaTHUCKtuckaTHUCKtucka

sound of engine knocking. Car Talk

automotive engine metal

sound of a shuriken, or throwing star, hitting a target

fighting metal weapon

Common name for auto rickshaw , imitative of the sound of the small two-stroke engine ( thailandtuktuk.net ). Also called trishaw, auto, rickshaw, autorick, bajaj, rick, tricycle, mototaxi, or baby taxi.

sound of a guitar, or of a bow (and arrow)

bird vocalization (small bird)

loudspeaker for high frequencies

to touch lightly, or to play with. imitative origin

bird vocalization, cry of an owl. also: hoo hoo, hoot, tu-whu, terwit terwoo, whit woo

to utter a succession of light chirping or tremulous sounds, chirrup

the sound of a bullet hitting the ground (features in Roy Lichtenstein painting "Live Ammo (Tzing!)")

exclamation expressing pain, frustration or annoyance

human human pain

1. sound of coughing, 2. used to indicate the sound of a cough or grunt or to express disgust or horror

human human disease

interjection used to indicate affirmation, agreement, or gratification, also: huh

interjection used to indicate dismay or concern

the sound produced by a large brass instrument. see also: Oompah

untz untz untz

The sound of rave music or the sound a raver makes while raving, the sound of a techno groove

sound of a fast driving car or an explosion (Also the title of a Roy Lichtenstein painting. Find more explosions.

explosion engine automotive movement

(Catharus fuscescens) bird species belonging to the larger group of thrushes. voice: Song a resonating, ethereal "da-vee-ur, vee-ur, veer, veer," descending slightly in pitch. Call note is a nasal "phew" or "veer" about this bird

Sound of a moving object (Also the title of a Roy Lichtenstein painting

sound of explosive impact (weapon) (features in the Roy Lichtenstein painting "O.K., Hot Shot"). Find more explosions. Find more weapon sounds.

explosion movement weapon

vooRRRR, vooRRR, vooRRR

Engine revving up and down Cartalk

Sound of a lightsaber swinging through the air in Star Wars movies. Also: Ffffkrrrrshhzzzwooooom..woom..woooom.. Reddit

vreeeeeeeeeeeeeeew

Sound of a whistle of an old steam locomotive. This is a high-pitched one. A lower-pitched one might do "vroo-vroo"

air engine movement

Sound of a whistle of an old steam locomotive. This would be a low-pitched one. A high-pitched one would be more like "vreeeeeeeeeeeeeeew"

gas movement engine

sound of a car

In Doctor Who comic strips, the sound of the Tardis is represented as vworp! vworp!

comics misc

the sound of a sword drawn from a sheath. Also: shiiiiing, shashing

sound of a train horn ( ref )

horn tone alarm train

brass instrument effect of using a mute, or electric guitar sound effect (wah pedal)

interjection used to express exuberance or enthusiasm or to attract attention

duck vocalization. More duck sounds

sound of a hit or punch ( Batman comics). Find more hit/ punch words

violent noisy movement

hit/blow. Find more hit/ punch words

to shed tears

sound of explosive impact ( Roy Lichtenstein painting). Find more explosions . Find more weapon/a> sounds.

to strike sharply. Find more hit/ punch words

a heavy blow. Find more hit/ punch words

sound of a hit / punch ( Garfield , Jim Davis). Find more hit/ punch words

1. to throw one's self quickly, or by an abrupt motion; to turn suddenly; (eg. she whapped down on the floor; the fish whapped over), 2. to beat or strike, 3. a blow, or quick, smart stroke. Find more hit/ punch words

Whargharble

Sound of a canine syphoning drink from high-velocity hydropneumatic system, or sprinkler. Also: Wharrgarbl. Example , KnowYourMeme . Thanks, Joshua!

Animal liquid eat_drink water dog jet spray mouth

1. pig vocalization, also: oink, grunt 2. (human) exclamation expressing positive excitement.

to breathe with difficulty usually with a whistling sound

wher, wher, wher

Sound of a chainsaw being started

wood engine saw

exclamation of astonishment or relief making a whistling sound

a quick puff or slight gust especially of air, odor, gas, smoke, or spray

to utter a low somewhat shrill protracted sound

horse vocalization, to neigh especially in a low or gentle way

whip-poor-will

bird species noted for its call. about this bird

see eastern whipbird

to move swiftly with a vibratory sound, eg of a small electric motor, electronic film transport in an analog photo camera.

to make a sibilant sound

to speak softly under one's breath

tubular wind instrument, or the act of whistling

cry of an owl. also: hoo hoo, hoot, tu-whu, terwit terwoo

a humming, hissing sound

1. command to stop (horse) 2. command to slow an action or thought, often used to express alarm or astonishment

sound of palm-muted rhythmic strumming on an electric guitar with wah pedal , as in the intro of Jimi Hendrix’s "Voodoo Chile", for example. often combined with playing "airguitar" . see also: neow, jug, bwow-chcka-bwow

the sound of an explosion. Find more explosions

1. to cry out or creating a disturbance. Also: whoopee, whoop it up, whoop-de-doo. 2. Sound of a siren (whoop, whoop, whoop)

whooping cough

an infection of the respiratory system caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis (or B. pertussis). It's characterized by severe coughing spells that end in a "whooping" sound when the person breathes in

whooping crane

bird species name, the tallest North American bird, an endangered crane species named for its whooping sound and call

interjection used typically to express mild apology, surprise, or dismay, also: oops, woops

a sibilant sound, or a swift movement or flow

to beat, strike. Find more hit/ punch words

whop whop whop

sound of a helicopter. Find more helicopter sounds

the sound of colliding bodies, a slamming sound, or the sound of a punch to the jaw. Find more hit/ punch words

whumpa-whumpa-whumpa-whumpa

whup-whup-whup

bird species (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus). a large sandpiper of the interior West (north america) and the ocean beaches, the willet is known by its piercing calls and bright black-and-white flashing wings. Call: a loud, ringing "pill-will-willet.". about this bird

wlu-wlu-wlu-wlu-wlu-wlu-wlu

A sound recording played backward. ref

woah, oh, oh, oh!

signature laugh of cartoon character Elmer Fudd

woh woh woh woh

(automotive) sound of a bad bearing in the timing belt tensioner

signature laugh of cartoon character Daffy Duck, often uttered when Daffy has to escape from someone he has just pulled a prank on

woo-woo-woo

Sound of a lightsaber swinging through the air in Star Wars movies. Also:vrãu, vrãu Reddit

Sound of a police car in the United States. Police often use the siren intermittently. Also spelled whoop whoop. This onomatopoeia is used in the chorus of the 1993 hip hop track Sound of da Police by KRS-One. Hear a police car

alarm tone music

interjection used typically to express mild apology, surprise, or dismay, also: oops, whoops

interjection used to express amazement

The sound of the signature repetitive bass (wobble bass) in 'dubstep' music (a kind of electronic dance music). Other dubstep sounds: WOB WOB WOB WEB WEEEEEB WEEB WOOOB WOOOOB breeeeaaaaa breaaaaaaa WOBB WOBB, nehnehweeh, YOI YOI YOI WAHBWUHB - ref . Related: The sound of a bass guitar dirnt

wubba lubba dub-dub

Catchphrase used by Rick from the cartoon Rick & Morty Fandom

wuh-uh-uh-uh

the sound of someone muttering, grunting, in protest ( Misoso: Once Upon a Time Tales from Africa, by Verna Aardema )

The sound of solid door closing and the air being pushed out as the door seals. (thanks Peter!)

door air hit

wuppa wuppa

engines movement helicopter

yackety-yak

yadda yadda

boring or empty talk - often used interjectionally especially in recounting words regarded as too dull or predictable to be worth repeating. also: yada yada

1. interjection used to express positive excitement or to attract attention, also: yoo-hoo , 2. popular name for the Grey-crowned Babbler (see babbler )

yakyakyakyak

sound of a cat eating wet food ( ref ). More cat sounds

cat animal eatdrink food vocalization

growling sound

1. to utter a sharp cry; yelp. 2. to talk loudly, raucously, or coarsely.

interjection used to express exuberant delight or triumph

YEEeeEEeeEEeeEEeeEEee!

Sound of a loose belt in a car engine Cartalk

yeeha, yeehaw, yee-haw

the traditional cry of a cowboy, often as an expression of positive excitement, similar to yahoo

a short, sharp cry of a dog. Find more dog vocalizations

exclamation expressing pain

interjection expressing shock and alarm, often for humorous effect: "Yikes! It is cold!"

cheep, like a bird

to sing by suddenly changing from a natural voice to a falsetto and back; also: to shout or call in a similar manner

the "sound" of someone stealing something. the word is spoken to make obvious or humorous the playful theft of an item in front of others. (e.g. "you shouldn't leave your wallet lying around like that...Yoink!". used often in the cartoon series "the Simpsons")

misc human animal movement

interjection used to attract attention, also: yahoo

the sound of wind (in the poem "the night wind" , by Eugene Field: "... For the wind will moan in its ruefullest tone: 'Yoooooooo!', 'Yoooooooo!', 'Yoooooooo!' ...")

weather gas

to cry loudly with pain, caterwaul, howl

human pain animal vocalization

interjection expressing pain

exclamation expressing disgust

exclamation expressing disgust. Sometimes "yuck yuck" is used as the sound of laughter, but for that "yuk yuk" is used more often

human laughter eat_drink

laughter. similar in flavor to "har har", but more old fashioned and more hick

highly attractive or pleasing, exclamation to express joy derived from the prospect of eating tasty food

to destroy or kill by or as if by shooting

sound of a defibrillator ( ref )

medical human electronic hit electric shock therapy heart attack

a shrill humming sound, such as from a bullet or vibrating string. As a verb: to move very quickly, especially while making a high pitched sound. As a noun used figuratively, meaning zest, vitality, or (in cuisine) spicy flavor. In comedy, zing is sometimes used as an interjection to acknowledge a witty comeback. The witty comeback itself is then called a zinger .

misc metal movement

to travel with a sharp hissing or humming sound

sound of a man falling during a fight (Batman episode 13 season 1)

hard_hit hit punch fight fall

the sound of a karate chop. Find more hit/ punch words

to speed along with a low hum or buzz. also: to focus a camera on an object using a zoom lens (to 'zoom in' or 'zoom out'), also imitative of sound when motorized.

zoomba-zoom

sound of a bass (musical instrument) ("the ceremonial band" by James Reeves, in "Noisy poems" by Jill Bennett)

ZOOOSH ZOOOSH ZOOOOOOOSH DING DING DING

locomotive antique old engine

the sound of a person or animal sleeping

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How to Write Onomatopoeia

Home » Editor Blog » How to Write Onomatopoeia

Many writers are familiar with the ways in which sounds can improve their storytelling. No matter if you write in first person or third person, your story (and ultimately, your readers) benefit when you bring in other senses.

Think about the last time you smelled a freshly baked cake coming out of the oven or watched the tangerine glow of a sunset. Can you smell the sugar and flour hanging in the air or visualize the glowing horizon? In the same way that smell and sight memories trigger our senses, so too can the description of sound help us relate to the action in a story.

What is Onomatopoeia?

Onomatopoeia is a term that describes when a word is formed from the sound associated with what it’s named. Words like sizzle and snap and ping are perfect examples of onomatopoeia you can use not only to describe the sound within description, but the words also stand alone as verbs.

For instance, the word sizzle works well here: “The sizzle of the fajita dish and brightly colored peppers adorning the plate piqued his interest as his mouth began to water.”

Are you hungry yet after reading that? I sure am!

Using the concept of onomatopoeia in your storytelling helps your readers use other senses to understand what is taking place. You want your readers to engage the story, and applying onomatopoeia helps with the idea of “show, don’t tell”  many writers adopt in order to enrich their stories.

There is no better place to be as a writer than when a reader feels like they’re part of the action. That participation is essential to your success, so it’s important to incorporate it as often as you can. Adding in sensory elements using onomatopoeia assists this.

Example of Onomatopoeia

One of my favorite examples from over the years working as an editor for fiction writers comes from Jeff Altabef’s SHATTER POINT  (no spoilers below). In the scene where sound is a crucial element of storytelling, a character throws a tennis ball against a wall repeatedly during a conversation until his brother knocks it away in annoyance. Readers can almost feel the frustration build as the ball repeatedly hits the wall and experience reliefs as the noise stops.

When working on this scene, it was important to not only incorporate the sound of the ball, but build up the tension. The author and I worked together to get this right because if done correctly, onomatopoeia can put the reader in the setting as if it’s happening in real time, regardless of the book being written in first person or third person (and, rarely in fiction, in second person).

Common Ways to Format Sounds

In your first draft, you might not think a lot about how to format onomatopoeia, and that’s okay so long as you revisit it in the editing stage. You might want to get feedback from other people as you revise so that more than one set of eyes can read the words, and this is especially important when polishing a rough draft.

Below are some examples of formatting onomatopoeia in your later drafts so that you can help a reader understand the significance of an action scene, sound, smell, etc. without taking them out of the story.

First Person Narrative

In general, sounds in fiction are formatted using italics. If the context requires the sound to stand alone for emphasis, it is usually recommended the author use the sound on its own line. If someone is describing sound in first person narrative, there are instances where italics might include dashes.

Or, if you wish to forego the dashes when using a sound in your narrative, you can still use italics and commas to emphasize the onomatopoeia and add a “beat” where appropriate. This formatting parallels human speech and makes it easier for readers to understand the emphasis on the sounds.

Crash! I looked up and couldn’t believe what I saw. “Did you see that?” I said to my companion at the table. “One minute he was making his way to the kitchen and then – smash – he ran right through the glass door.”

Alternative Formatting:

Crash! I looked up and couldn’t believe what I saw. “Did you see that?” I said to my companion at the table. “One minute he was making his way to the kitchen and then smash , he ran right through the glass door.”

Both of the examples above emphasize the unseen action (a person running through a glass door) and someone’s observation of what happened.

Third Person Narrative

Pop!  The champagne cork bounced off the wall as Alex and his bride, Virginia, celebrated their nuptials at the reception.

In third person narrative, the rules for formatting onomatopoeia are similar to first person in terms of using dashes; some choose to use them whereas others don’t.

No matter what you choose, make sure it is consistent and reads right. There is nothing worse than trying to emphasize something in your novel only for noticeable formatting differences to take place.

It can be daunting to figure out the how and why of writing sounds into your story, but with a little practice, you can learn to do it in no time! And if you’re still having trouble, contact an editor who can help!

Enjoy this post? Need more inspiration and resources? Check out my author resources page for more!

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How to Write Sound Effects in a Script — Examples & Tips

S ound design is a key element of filmmaking that gives the world of a story more depth. This can be ambient sound from cars passing by or even birds chirping overhead. But what about sounds that literally move a film’s plot along? Filmmakers have used sound effects across all genres to motivate characters’ actions, create suspense, or trigger a sequence of events.

Before making it to the big screen, these important sound effects are written into screenplays as storytelling devices. So how to write sound effects in a script correctly? The answer is much simpler than one might think.

Watch: Diegetic vs. Non-Diegetic Sound Explained

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How To Write Sound Effects in a Script

How to write sfx in script.

When learning how to write sounds in text it is important to first note if the sound is important to the plot. If the sound is important to the scene, such as the sound of a gun shot that causes characters to run, then it is typically written in an action line in all capitalized letters. 

When using the StudioBinder screenwriting app , select the “Action” icon in the top toolbar. Write out the action and when the story comes to the sound effect, write the sound effect in all capitalized letters. Because these sound effects fall under the category of diegetic sound , they should be written as onomatopoeia rather than the description of the sound effect itself. For example, rather than writing sounds like “gunshot” write “bang”.

How to write sound effects in a script  •   Read Example

Also note that any SFX in screenplay that has to do with a characters’ dialogue and performance should not be written in the screenplay as a sound effect. For example, if a character is yelling, you do not need to write 

James YELLS at Miranda from the parking lot.

Rather, write the dialogue blocks as normal with exclamation points and allow the actors to interpret the line of dialogue to perform it how they or the director sees fit.

It’s important to remember that sound effects that are important to the script, such as plot points or setting elements, should be formatted this way. Learning how to write sound effects in a script is a necessary tool for any working or aspiring screenwriter. Check out our video in which we break down how to format sound effects and other key elements of a screenplay.

How to write sound effects in a script  •   Subscribe on YouTube  

Sound effects are one of the unique aspects of screenwriting that give the written page a more cinematic experience. Whenever a sound effect is used in your screenplay that affects the plot, be sure to format in this way to draw the reader’s attention to the sound just as it would in the theatre.

How to Write a Montage in a Script 

Screenwriters are tasked with the unique challenge of writing a cinematic story on paper. Sound effects are among the many tools screenwriters have to do this. Another one of these tools is the montage. Whether you know your script will contain a montage or not, knowing how to format one will make you a more prepared and better equipped screenwriter. Learn how to write a montage in screenplay format now.

Up Next: How to Write a Montage in a Script →

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How to Write Sound Effects: Onomatopoeia Usage and Other Techniques

Speak right now to our live team of english staff.

Sound effects in writing serve as the invisible architects of a reader’s auditory experience. Just as sounds enhance a movie, your words can make your stories come alive with a variety of sounds. This guide explores how to write sound effects, making your stories more vibrant and engaging.

1. Use Onomatopoeia

At its core, onomatopoeia is the linguistic phenomenon where words imitate the natural sounds they represent. It adds a sensory layer to your writing, allowing readers to not only see and feel but also hear the narrative unfold. In English, we encounter a plethora of onomatopoeic words that enrich our language, from the gentle “rustle” of leaves to the emphatic “crash” of thunder.

Creating Atmosphere with Onomatopoeia

The judicious use of onomatopoeic words can profoundly impact the atmosphere of your writing. Consider describing a rainy day, where the “pitter-patter” of raindrops on the window creates a soothing backdrop. By incorporating onomatopoeia, you immerse your readers in the auditory experience, fostering a deeper connection with the narrative.

Engaging the Senses

Onomatopoeia goes beyond mere auditory representation; it engages multiple senses. Describing a bustling market with the “buzz” of conversations, the “clatter” of carts, and the “sizzle” of street food not only paints a sonic picture but also infuses the narrative with the rich tapestry of everyday life. Through this multi-sensory approach, your writing becomes immersive and compelling.

Avoiding Overkill

While onomatopoeia adds vibrancy to your writing, it’s essential to strike a balance. Overusing these words can dilute their impact and distract readers. Integrate onomatopoeia seamlessly, letting it enhance rather than overshadow the narrative. Like any literary device, moderation is key to maintaining the flow of your prose.

2. Choose Your Moments Wisely

Not every scene requires a series of sounds. Select key moments where sound can enhance the atmosphere or evoke specific emotions. Whether it’s the creaking of a door in a suspenseful thriller or the laughter of children in a heartwarming scene, strategic use of sound effects amplifies the impact of your writing. 

The key lies in understanding the emotional resonance of each sound effect. Ask yourself: How does the sound contribute to the atmosphere? What emotions does it evoke? Is it a subtle note or a crescendo that demands attention? By posing these questions, you can pinpoint the moments where sound becomes more than an accessory—it becomes an integral part of the narrative structure.

3. Vary Your Vocabulary

Diversify your vocabulary to avoid monotony. Instead of repeatedly using generic terms like “crash” or “bang,” delve into the richness of the English language. Explore synonyms and descriptive adjectives to add nuance to your sound effects. A “shattering” glass has a different impact than a mere “break.” 

Rather than relying on the familiar, consider the dynamic interplay of consonants and vowels that can create an auditory aesthetic unique to each sound effect. Experiment with alliteration to add a rhythmic quality, or employ consonance and assonance to infuse a musicality into your prose.

Let your choice of vocabulary be a deliberate act of storytelling. If a door closes with a “resounding thud,” the reader can almost feel the reverberations. Conversely, a door that “slams” carries a different emotional weight, conveying urgency and perhaps a hint of frustration.

4. Experiment with Punctuation

Punctuation can be a powerful tool in conveying sound effects. Use exclamation points, ellipses, or dashes to convey the abruptness, continuity, or suddenness of a sound. Experiment with punctuation placement within sentences to achieve the desired pacing and impact. 

Ellipses introduce an element of continuity and anticipation. They suggest a sound that resonates or lingers, drawing the reader into a sustained auditory experience. Consider the difference between a gunshot described as “bang” and “bang…,” where the ellipses extend the echo of the sound, creating a moment of lingering suspense.

Dashes , both em and en, act as dynamic pauses or abrupt interruptions, reflecting the abruptness or suddenness of a sound. Placing a dash before or after a sound effect can convey a sudden halt or an unexpected commencement. Picture the stark contrast between a “whisper—silence” and a “whisper—shout,” where the dash punctuates the transition from quiet to loud with dramatic effect.

5. Edit with Precision

During the editing process, scrutinise your sound effects with precision. Ensure that each sound serves a purpose in advancing the narrative or contributing to the atmosphere. Trim unnecessary repetitions and refine your descriptions to strike the right balance between vividness and conciseness.

Elevate Your Narrative Using Written Sounds

From the judicious use of onomatopoeia to the dynamic dance of punctuation, each element contributes to the rich tapestry of your storytelling. By diversifying vocabulary, experimenting with literary devices, and embracing the subtleties of punctuation, you infuse your writing with a sonic quality that resonates with readers on a visceral level.

Remember that your words have the power to not only describe but to immerse, not only narrate but to evoke. The careful selection of sounds and the artful arrangement of words create a multisensory experience that lingers in the hearts and minds of your audience.

Do you have a hidden manuscript in your drawer? Whether you’re seeking guidance on onomatopoeia, punctuation nuances, or refining the overall auditory experience, our team of skilled editors is ready to provide personalised assistance for your writing projects. Get a bespoke quote today .

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106 Ways To Describe Sounds – A Resource For Writers

Writers know that using the senses is a great way to make stories come alive. Use this comprehensive list of words that describe sounds when you write.

According to Oxford Dictionary, to hear is to ‘perceive with the ear the sound made by (someone or something)’.  Sounds  are ‘vibrations that travel through the air or another medium and can be heard when they reach a person’s ear’.

You have to use the five senses when you write. Readers want to experience what your characters see, smell, hear, taste, and touch. Using the senses is one of the best ways for writers to learn how to show and not tell.

Writers Write is a resource for writers and we have written about words that describe taste , smell , and  touch  in previous posts. (We even have one for words that describe colours .) In this post I have included words that describe sounds.

106 Ways To Describe Sounds

General words describing sounds.

• audible – a sound that is loud enough to hear
• broken – a sound that has spaces in it
• emit – to make a sound
• grinding – a sound of one hard thing moving against another
• hushed – a sound that is quiet
• inaudible – a sound that is difficult to hear
• monotonous – a sound that is always the same and never gets louder or quieter, or higher or lower
• muffled – a sound that is not easy to hear because it is blocked by something
• plaintive – a sound that has a sad quality
• rhythmic – a sound that has a clear, regular pattern
• staccato – a sound where each word or sound is clearly separate

Describing Pleasing Sounds

• dulcet – soft and pleasant
• lilting – a sound that has a rising and falling pattern
• listenable – easy to listen to
• mellow – a soft, smooth, pleasant sound
• melodic – beautiful sound
• musical – sounds like music
• pure – a clear, beautiful sound
• rich – a sound that is strong in a pleasant way
• soft – quiet and peaceful
• sonorous – a sound that is deep and strong in a pleasant way
• sweet – a pleasant sound

Describing Noisy Sounds

• at full blast – as loudly as possible
• almighty – used for emphasising how loud something is
• brassy – a sound that is loud and unpleasant
• deafening – a sound so loud you cannot hear anything else
• ear-splitting – extremely loud
• explosive – a sound that is loud and unexpected
• howling – a continuous, low, loud noise
• insistent – a continuous, loud, strong noise
• loud – a sound that is strong and very easy to hear
• noisy – a sound that is full of  noise
• percussive – a sound that is short, like someone hitting a drum
• piercing – a sound that is very  loud, high, and unpleasant
• pulsating – strong, regular pattern
• raucous – rude, violent, noisy
• resounding – a sound that is loud and that continues for a while
• riotous – lively and noisy
• roaring – a deep, loud noise
• rowdy – noisy and causing trouble
• sharp – a sound that is sudden and loud
• shrill – a sound that is loud, high, and unpleasant
• thundering – extremely loud
• thunderous – loud
• tumultuous –  a sound that includes noise, excitement, activity, or violence
• uproarious – extremely noisy

Words That Help You Show And Not Tell

Many of these words that help you show and not tell are examples of onomatopoeia . These words imitate natural sounds. ‘It creates a sound effect that mimics the thing described, making the description more expressive and interesting.’

Here are some examples:

• The bees buzzed outside my window.
• The wind sighed .
• The leaves crackled and crunched under his feet.

Use this list to make your writing come alive.

• babble – a gentle, pleasant sound of water as it moves along in a river
• bang – to move, making loud noises
• beep – a short high sound or several short high sounds
• blare – to make a loud and unpleasant noise
• blast – to make a loud sound with a car horn
• bleep – a short high sound or several short high sounds
• boom – to make a deep loud sound that continues for some time
• caterwaul – an unpleasant loud high noise
• chime – a high ringing sound like a bell or set of bells
• chink – a high ringing sound when knocked together, or to make something do this
• clack -to make a short loud sound like one hard object hitting against another
• clang – a loud, metallic sound
• clank – a short, loud sound
• clash – a loud, metallic sound
• clatter – a series of short, sharp noises
• click – a short sound like the sound when you press a switch
• clink – to make the short high sound of glass or metal objects hitting each other, or to cause objects to make this sound
• cluck – to make a short, low sound with your tongue
• crash – a sudden loud noise, as if something is being hit
• creak – if something creaks, especially something wooden, it makes a high noise when it moves or when you put weight on it
• drone – to make a low continuous noise
• fizz – a soft sound that small gas bubbles make when they burst
• groan – a long, low, sound
• growl – a low, unpleasant noise
• grunt – to make a short low sound in your throat and nose at the same time
• gurgle – the low sound water makes when it is poured quickly from a bottle
• honk – to make a loud noise using a horn, especially the horn of a car
• hoot – to make a short loud sound as a warning
• mewl – crying with a soft, high sound
• moan – a long, low sound
• neigh – to make a high loud sound like a horse’s neigh
• peal – if a bell peals, or if someone peals it, it makes a loud sound
• peep – if a car’s horn peeps, it makes a sound
• ping – to make a short high sound like the sound of a small bell
• pipe – to make a very high sound, or to speak in a very high voice
• pop – a sudden noise like a small explosion
• putter – a short, quiet, low sound at a slow speed
• ring – to make a bell produce a sound
• roar – to make a continuous, very loud noise
• rumble – a continuous deep sound
• scream – to make a very loud high noise
• screech – to make a loud, high, and unpleasant noise
• scrunch – to make a loud noise like something being crushed
• sigh – a long, soft, low sound
• squeak – to make a short, high noise
• squeal – to make a long high sound
• squee – to make a loud high noise because you are excited or happy
• thrum- to make a low regular noise like one object gently hitting another many times
• thud – a dull sound when falling or hitting something
• thump – to hit against something with a low loud sound
• tinkle – to make a high, ringing sound
• wail – to make a long, high sound
• wheeze – a high sound, as though a lot of air is being pushed through it
• whine – a high, loud sound
• whirr – a fast, repeated, quiet sound
• whisper – to make a quiet, gentle sound
• whistle – to make a high sound by forcing air through your mouth in order to get someone’s attention
• yelp – a short, loud, high sound, usually caused by excitement, anger, or pain
• yowl – a long, loud, unhappy sound or complaint

Use these words to describe sounds and make your writing come alive.

Top Tip : Find out more about our workbooks and online courses in our shop .

© Amanda Patterson

If you enjoyed this post, read:

• 75 Words That Describe Smells
• 20 Words Used To Describe Specific Tastes And Flavours
• 209 Words To Describe Touch
• Three Simple Ways To Show And Not Tell
• 12 Crucial Things To Remember About Setting
• Cheat Sheets for Writing Body Language
• 20 Fun Ways To Find An Idea For A Plot

Sources: https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/miscellaneous-words-used-to-describe-sounds https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/describing-sounds-that-are-unpleasant-to-listen-to https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/describing-sounds-that-are-low-and-or-deep https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/describing-sounds-that-are-quiet-and-or-soft https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/describing-sounds-that-are-high-and-short https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/to-make-a-loud-sound https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/to-make-a-high-sound https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/to-make-a-quiet-or-low-sound

• Description , Show Don't Tell , Writing Resource , Writing Tips from Amanda Patterson

6 thoughts on “106 Ways To Describe Sounds – A Resource For Writers”

Nice one, Amanda. I’m finding your website extraordinarily useful. I’m very new to the novel-writing scene, and for all my working life, the stuff I wrote was mainly serious business items – frightfully formal. Minutes of meetings, reports, training manuals – these were my bread-and-butter. Creative writing is proving to be much more fun, and I’m enjoying spreading my verbal wings. Many thanks for your help and guidance.

Thank you so much, Anne. Creative writing is much more fun. We’re so glad you’re finding the site to be useful.

I found this really useful. Thank you. The first thing I’m going to do is show it to my daughter, too! We’ve been talking about her using her senses more in her writing and your list is so practical. I’m sure it will really help her writing. I’m looking forward to exploring your links to the other sensory words, as well.

BTW – is there a typo in the heading ‘show and note tell’?

Thank you, Rowena. We really appreciate the feedback. And we fixed the typo.

This list will be quite useful for my poetry and Gothic Horror novel. If you don’t have one already, I’d love to see a list of touch, taste, and smell words.

Thanks, Sarah. We have these for taste: https://writerswrite.co.za/20-words-used-to-describe-specific-tastes-and-flavours/ and these for touch: https://writerswrite.co.za/209-words-to-describe-touch/ and these for smell: https://writerswrite.co.za/75-words-that-describe-smells/

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© Writers Write 2022

Onomatopoeia in an Essay: How to Use Onomatopoeia in Essay Writing

Writing features various branches such as creative and technical writing and so much more where there are many aspects involved including, formatting techniques, grammar, punctuation, and citation. A not so much addressed issue is the integration of onomatopoeia in an essay.

There are instances where you will be required to describe a sound to arouse the reader’s imagination and engage them further. You have probably used onomatopoeia without realizing it when crafting your essay. To help you understand what onomatopoeia is and how to include it in your essay sentences, I have gone the extra step of writing the below piece for you to read on for further insights.

What is onomatopoeia?

Onomatopoeia refers to a word that represents and describes a sound. You will come across onomatopoeia when researching animal noises and loud sounds. However, you should note that people living in different countries use different words to describe the same sound.

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It is, therefore, crucial to research deeper when dealing with different audiences. Identify your audience and their location to choose the most appropriate sounds.

The use of onomatopoeia helps give your essay a concrete visual effect. Consequently, it allows the reader to transfer himself into another world based on their imagination.

How to write onomatopoeia in an essay

When you integrate onomatopoeia in your essay, you engage the reader’s imagination as they get to say that word mentally. You successfully invoke the image you intend to get across. For you to successfully use onomatopoeia, you need to;

• Create a scene that features a sound
• Choose a word or design one that imitates the sound. The words you choose should flow in your sentences naturally.

You can use onomatopoetic words as adjectives, nouns, or verbs. Using these words is advisable instead of integrating interjections in your essay. You avoid pulling the reader out of your story because the terms become part of the flow of your events.

Verbs as onomatopoeia

When you incorporate powerful active verbs in your creative essay, you provide an ideal way of showing instead of telling. You give your reader the perfect platform to experience a specific scene and help them set the tone. Strong verbs also add specificity to the essay.

Some examples of onomatopoetic verbs include;

• He turned the ignition key, and the engine roared to life.
• I trembled and heavily panted in pain as the doctor twisted my broken wrist.

If you write the above sentences without onomatopoeia, the reader can’t really relate to what is happening.

For example, the first sentence will read;

He turned the ignition key, and the engine started.

In the above example, the reader will not understand the situation as vividly as before. Was the sound of the engine loud or low?

  Nouns as onomatopoeia

There is a wide range of onomatopoetic words you can use as nouns like bang, splash, roar, chatter, clang, and so on. They help add a degree of specificity and realness to the various descriptions in your essay.

Below are examples of onomatopoetic nouns;

• A crash sounded from the opposite junction, followed by scrapes.
• He jumped into the water with a splash.

If you fail to incorporate onomatopoetic nouns in the above examples, you will ultimately use general words like noise and sound. There exist different types of sounds and noise, and your reader may find it hard to find the ideal effect for themselves. Ensure you use a word that will allow the audience to hear it in their mind.

  Adjectives as onomatopoeia

Although you should use onomatopoetic adjectives sparingly throughout your essay, they can be highly effective. Examples in sentences include;

• The barn is housing bleating sheep and squealing ducks.
• The drizzling rain complemented by rumbling thunder made me question my bravery.

Use onomatopoetic adjectives if you want your audience to pay specific attention to the surrounding in your story.

How do you punctuate sound effects in an essay?

Onomatopoeia appears as either nouns, adjectives, or verbs. To successfully incorporate your preferred sounds, you have two options. First, you can italicize them. For example, W oof  or  grr .

Secondly, use quotation marks to highlight the word.

For example;

The bag landed with a “thud.”

You have the above options or just set them like ordinary text. For convenience, use one style throughout your essay. For verb onomatopoeias, set them as conventional texts, especially if they are renowned words.

The cat meowed.

How do you use onomatopoeia in a sentence?

Remember that onomatopoeia helps bring your essay alive. Most writers use it in creative writing. Avoid using onomatopoeia in technical writing as much as possible. However, if you are writing a history essay, you can use onomatopoeia to describe certain events.

To use onomatopoeia in a sentence, you need to choose an ideal word for the specific occasion. Knowing the sound created by a particular action is an added advantage because you skip the process of formulating one. The below examples showcase how onomatopoeia makes your essay interesting:

  Example 1;

They began to run when they heard the alarm

The screeching alarm prompted them to run.

  Example 2;

I first heard loud footsteps and then the sound of the door.

Thud, thud – I heard loud footsteps and then the creaking sound of the door.

  Conclusion

When you use onomatopoeia in an essay, you integrate a powerful literary device that enriches your story. Your main task as a writer is to ensure your work is lively. Consequently, one effective way of spicing up your descriptions is by integrating tone-appropriate onomatopoeia.

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Crash, Bang! How to Use Onomatopoeia Effectively

Krystal N. Craiker

I remember the first time I learned about onomatopoeia. There was a popular commercial of a little girl spelling the word in a spelling bee, so it was already on my radar. Not long after, my elementary teacher explained this literary device.

“It’s a word that describes a sound, like crash and bang .” We didn’t get much deeper than this cursory explanation, but the young writer in me fell in love with this funny word.

As I got older, I learned more about the exciting world of literary devices. There were anaphora and parallelism, litotes and hyperbole, assonance and consonance. My senior English teacher gave us a four-page list of literary devices to memorize and learn to identify. There wasn’t a lot of focus on onomatopoeia, but I eventually learned that onomatopoeia is more nuanced than a comic book-style interjection .

I soon learned that a lot of writers—and readers—hate it. I have a sentence in an early chapter of my second book, The Consort’s Journey , that describes the “clip-clopping of the horses’ hooves.” When I presented this chapter to my critique group before publication, five of the six writers commented on how much they liked that phrasing. One was almost angry as he argued with everyone else. He said it was cheesy and amateur.

If you spend time searching through writing and literature forums, you’ll find that the use of onomatopoeia is a contentious subject. My colleague was not alone in his opinions of onomatopoeia. The overall consensus is that it’s okay to use sparingly, but there’s not a lot of discussion on how to use it effectively.

Understanding Onomatopoeia

Problems with onomatopoeia, effective use of onomatopoeia, final thoughts.

My third-grade teacher was right. Onomatopoeia is a word that describes a sound. In many cases, its only meaning is to describe a sound, like kapow !

The most easily identifiable examples of onomatopoeia are in comic books. The panels describe sounds through bubbles with words like crash , bang , pow , and zap . In other forms of fiction, these words often appear as standalone sentences or interjections.

• Crash! I jumped at the noise and looked up to see my cat staring guiltily at a broken vase on the floor.
• I was walking to work when—bang!—a piano dropped out of a window directly in front of me.

But onomatopoeia includes plenty of other words. It’s any word that sounds like the word it describes. A hum is a low, close-mouthed noise, and it sounds a lot like the word hum . If you tell your kid not to splash in the bathtub, you’re describing not only the action of splashing but also the noise water makes when you splash .

You have probably used onomatopoeia in your writing without even realizing it. Maybe there’s a creaking door or a sizzling sausage on the skillet. Onomatopoeia can be a powerful literary device when used effectively. It falls under the important skills of word choice and showing versus telling.

Before we discuss the right ways to use onomatopoeia, let’s talk about some of the problems with this tool. One of the main issues is the overuse of onomatopoeia. We want to include the five senses when we describe scenes. We want our readers to not only see our stories, but to use their sense of smell, taste, sound, and touch in their imaginations to fully experience the world we have built for them. Onomatopoeia is an effective way to include the sense of sound.

The overuse of onomatopoeia typically comes from too many interjections or one-word sentences. These can affect the pacing of your writing and jolt your reader out of the story. Repetition can quickly become cliché.

Word choice is another issue with onomatopoeia. The words you use to describe sound should match the tone, target age group, and genre of your book. Often, onomatopoeia interjections are used more commonly in middle-grade and young adult fiction. The diction must be simpler and easier to read for younger readers who don’t have an advanced vocabulary.

Onomatopoeia is by no means meant only for young audiences, but be mindful that the word you choose matches the tone of your writing. A plop is a great descriptor for comedic writing or contemporary, informal scenes. Plops of water do not, however, fit in a dramatic scene in a Medieval-inspired fantasy world.

So, we know what to avoid doing. But how can we use this tool to make our descriptions more powerful?

Choose sound words to flow in your sentences. Onomatopoetic words can be used as verbs, nouns, and even adjectives. Using these words is far more effective than just sprinkling in interjections. It won’t pull your reader out of the story because it’s part of the overall flow of your descriptions.

Verbs as Onomatopoeia

Description isn’t just about adjectives. Choosing powerful, active verbs is the best way to show instead of tell. They allow the reader to fully experience a scene and help set the tone. They also add specificity to your writing.

Let’s look at some examples of onomatopoetic verbs:

• He flipped a switch, and the furnace roared to life.
• The cabinet doors were opened, revealing forgotten plates and chipped mugs. Trash overflowed from the garbage can, and flies buzzed around it. Water dripped from the faucet into the dirty sink.
• She gasped as she looked out the window. He was home.
• He hissed at me to get away from him. I took a step back. He was trembling, and he panted in pain. Fear shone from his bruised eyes, and blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth.

Let’s take a look at the same scenes without onomatopoeia:

• He flipped a switch, and the furnace turned on.
• The cabinet doors were opened, revealing forgotten plates and chipped mugs. Trash overflowed from the garbage can, and flies circled around it. Water fell from the faucet into the dirty sink.
• She took a deep breath as she looked out the window. He was home.
• He told me to get away from him. He was trembling, and he was breathing in pain. There was fear in his bruised eyes and blood on the corner of his mouth.

The onomatopoeia examples give us a much clearer picture of each of these scenes. In the second set of examples, we can’t hear what’s going on. We don’t understand the situation as clearly as before. Was it a small, quiet furnace or a large, loud one? Was the water gushing or dripping from the faucet? How did she feel when she saw he was home? Is the blood fresh or an old wound?

Nouns as Onomatopoeia

Verbs aren’t the only words we can use for sounds. There are plenty of onomatopoetic words that can be used as nouns. Again, these add a degree of realness and specificity to your descriptions.

Here are some examples:

• A crash sounded from the opposite room, followed by scrapes and clangs .
• He jumped into the water after me with a splash and a euphoric chortle .
• In December, the shops are filled with chatter and jingles and friendly greetings of “Happy Holidays.”

The alternative to these onomatopoeic nouns would be using generic words like sound and noise . But there are many different types of noise, and it can be hard for your reader to conjure the right effect for themselves. Using a precise word that echos the sound will allow your reader to hear it in their imagination.

Adjectives as Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoetic adjectives should be used sparingly, but can be highly effective:

• The middle-school teachers avoided the hallway with the cacophonous band and orchestra classes.
• The barn was full of squealing pigs and bleating sheep.
• I walked through the drizzling rain and rumbling thunder.

Use them when you want the reader to pay particular attention to the manner of the environment in your story.

Onomatopoeia doesn’t have to make your readers cringe. When used correctly and effectively, it can be a powerful literary device to enrich your story. As writers, one of our main jobs is to bring the words on the page to life for our readers. Spice up your descriptions with some tone-appropriate onomatopoeia, and make your next work hit the shelves with a bang !

Be confident about grammar

Check every email, essay, or story for grammar mistakes. Fix them before you press send.

Krystal N. Craiker is the Writing Pirate, an indie romance author and blog manager at ProWritingAid. She sails the seven internet seas, breaking tropes and bending genres. She has a background in anthropology and education, which brings fresh perspectives to her romance novels. When she’s not daydreaming about her next book or article, you can find her cooking gourmet gluten-free cuisine, laughing at memes, and playing board games. Krystal lives in Dallas, Texas with her husband, child, and basset hound.

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How to describe sounds in your writing.

By Julie Shackman

Creating an atmosphere and effective world building are both paramount when engaging your readers. And being able to describe the effect of sounds is important when writing a book. 

From bands such as Pink Floyd and Thin Lizzy, to artists and writers like William Wordsworth, Eminem and James Joyce, the use of sound writing to trigger emotion has been used ever since creatives began putting pen to paper. 

In this article, I will demonstrate how we can channel the effect of sounds in writing, and how it can be used to chime (sorry for the pun!) with the reader’s imagination. 

Sounds In Writing

Writing is about showing, not telling , so being able to use all five senses in a piece of writing is a surefire way to draw your readers into the story. And that includes sound.   

There are an infinite amount of words at our disposal to describe sounds in our work, whether it’s the sound something makes or the way someone says something. Everything from ‘mumbled’, ‘spat’ and ‘whispered’ to demonstrate how a person is speaking, to ‘shattered’, ‘splintered’ and ‘cracked’ to add a visual to a sound, helps to add emotion , character and/or tension to dialogue and prose . 

Good writers strive to create a picture in their reader’s mind so that the reader is able to see, hear, feel and imagine the same sounds the character is hearing – including tone, volume and intent. Through the use of effective sound writing techniques, readers should feel like they themselves have dropped that China cup onto a wooden floor, or that they’re in the same quiet room when the branch of a tree crashes through the window and sends glass flying in all directions. 

So how can a writer describe sounds in an effective way? 

Different Types Of Sounds  

The different types of sounds that can be incorporated into writing range from pleasing and melodic sounds, to mellow, brassy, banging or a jarringly insistent cacophony of noise. 

Writers can use these types of words and descriptions to create different moods (calm, suspense, tension, fear, overwhelm), pulling the reader into the story and heightening the atmosphere. 

Five of the most effective methods of using words and language to improve and enhance your sounds in writing are Onomatopoeia, Alliteration, Metaphors/Similes, Hyperbole and Assonance. 

So what do these five methods mean and how can they be used effectively to describe sounds in writing? 

Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia is the use of a word to imitate natural sounds. These words sound like the sound they are describing. Using onomatopoeia in your writing is a very effective way to add drama and punch to your sentence, and is used especially frequently when writing for children. 

For example: 

I trod on the leaves and they crunched and crackled under my feet.

By using “crunched” and “crackled”, we are pulling our reader into the sensation of the dry and brittle leaves making such noises under the character’s feet. We are giving the reader the opportunity to recall how it feels to walk on dry leaves. 

The wind howled and rattled at the window pane.

Again, the use of the words “howled” and “rattled”, personifies the wind, adding a more menacing touch to the sound of the wind outside. There is also an animalistic element to the word “howled” which, used in this context, helps the reader hear the loud, imposing noise of the wind as though it were a wild animal in pain. Again, this heightens tension and atmosphere and makes the reader feel as though they are standing in the shoes of the character.  

The bird let out a screech , before flapping away.

The words “screech” and “flapping” in this sentence, capture the ear-piercing sound of the bird before it flaps its wings and takes flight. Again, like in the previous sentence, the use of the word “screech” carries frightening, almost monstrous overtones, as we imagine the shrill sound of the bird before flying away. The word “flapping” (instead of simply “flying”) conjures up the sound of the bird’s wings beating together. 

Alliteration

Alliteration is, put simply, when words start with the same letter and/or sound. An example of this would be “leaping lizards”, “fabulous flamingo” and  “wonderful whale watching.” 

Alliteration is about the repitition of sound. It creates a rythym and gives your writing an almost musical element. Poets very often use alliteration in their work, to enhance the sing-song sound as the work is read aloud.  

It is also a fun way of writing for children, especially with picture books that are often read out loud.    The book Primrose , by Alex T Smith, uses alliteration really well. In this picture book we meet Primrose, a “ princess who lives in a pretty pink palace and has a pretty pink tiara, two prancing pink ponies and a plump little pug named Percy .” 

Metaphors, Similes And Hyperbole

When describing sounds, sometimes it helps to compare them to something else using a simile or metaphor . Or, you may want to make an exaggerated comparison, using hyperbole to really drive home the tone of the scene.    For instance, instead of simply saying, “She dropped the book on the floor with a bang”, you could say, “She dropped the book on the floor with a thundering bang loud enough to wake her dead mother next door.”    It’s dramatic, but if this is the first sentence of your novel your readers would instantly want to know what was happening. That loud sound would make them sit up!

Assonance is the repetition of the same or similar rhyming vowel sounds within a group of words. 

Here are three examples of assonance: 

He was too cool for the new school as a rule.

It is the “oo” sound incorporated into this sentence,which matters, not the concoction of different letters. It makes the description soft and rhythmical. 

He creeps and sleeps, like an old man in a deep trance.

In this example, it is the “ee” sound being used, that gives the sentence a certain resonance and elongates its delivery. It carries an almost easy, sleepy quality when said aloud, which fits in with the description of the old man being slow and sleepy. 

His spitting lips and jutting hips.

It is the repeated use of the “i” in this description, which gives the idea of the man an almost whispering and soft sound. It is as if the spitting can be heard and the idea of “jutting” hips, is carried along by the extending sound of the “ju.”   

Assonance can give a piece of writing musicality, and emphasises particular words or vowel sounds that resonate with the ideas and themes in a piece of work or book. 

It is a sound writing technique which is constantly used by song writers, to enscapulate beauty, mood and atmosphere in their music. It also tends to feature heavily in poetry , where rhythm and sound are key. 

An Example Of Different Sounds In Writing

And how about a paragraph mixing them all up? You don’t want to do this too often, no one likes purple prose , but it can add drama and tension if used sparingly:    So instead of saying, “His feet thud along the pavement as he ran past her” you could say, “He ran past her – a man with a plan. With each step he took the pavement shook as if it were a herd of buffalo running past, so loud the birds in the trees cried out in protest, the frantic flurry of their feathered wings beating a rhythm in time with his.”    OK, this isn’t a great piece of writing, but you get the idea!

Why Is Sound Important In Writing?  

The most important thing to ask yourself when considering sound in your writing is – what are you trying to achive? What mood or atmosphere are you hoping to create? What do you want your readers to hear and feel?  

Selecting the right sound word for writing, can make the difference between making a scene jar or joyful to read.  

For example, describing the sound of a wolf as having a “haunting howl,” is using alliteration to create an effective image and conjure up a sound which is both atmospheric and memorable. 

Describing a wolf’s cry as a “loud cackle” doesn’t make sense and fails to capture the real essence of what a wolf’s howl actually sounds like. This description, unlike the previous one, is neither chilling nor recognisable to anyone who has happened to hear an actual wolf howl. Using such a description in this way, would make the reader pause and possibly lose interest in the scene – unless your intention is to make the reader stop, re-read the sentence, and wonder whether the wolf is perhaps an evil witch in disguise! This is because a “loud cackle” is an effective piece of sound writing to describe the sound a witch would make. The word “cackle” has a raspy, edgy element to it. It’s similar to “crackle” and “shackle” – all words that are sharp, menacing and quite negative (don’t underestimate the power of the subconcious when using words that sound like others). 

Used effectively, sound writing and descriptions can paint pictures, trigger empathy and help the reader to get inside the mind of the book’s characters. By using effective sound writing in books, short stories or poetry, the writer is creating an immersive world for their readers. 

How Can Writers Add To Their Sound List?  

As writers it’s very easy to find ourselves using the same words to describe the same sounds. So how can we add texture to our work, and describe sounds in our stories in new and exciting ways? 

1. Take a stroll through different areas of your neighbourhood and note the cacophony of sounds that can be heard.   

Other than birds in the park, what else can you hear? Perhaps you can hear the distant sound of children playing, the scurry of small creatures in the undergrowth, the chattering of people, the squeaky wheel of a pushchair, the leaves rustling in the trees. 

What are you reminded of? How would you decribe each sound effectively or originally? Are the cries of the children in the playground shrill and piercing? Or are they distant and happy?  

What if you’re in a more urban area? What do you hear?  

The sound of car horns blaring, people shouting, the hiss of a teenager spraying a wall with graffitti, the clip clop of heels as a business woman marches by shouting into her phone. But these are all negative city sounds. If you want your reader to associate the same setting with something positive, perhaps you would describe the city having its own beat that the character is walking to, neighbours hanging over their balconies calling out greetings to one another, people laughing into their phones as they waltz by, the soft hum of traffic and the mix of music from different stores. 

2. Pay attention to the way authors implement their own sound writing.     How are they able to capture the ringing tone of a bell so succinctly? What writing sound methods do they use? Perhaps they use similes and metaphors to compare the sound to other things (‘the bell chimed one singular time like Big Ben on the first hour of the day’). Or onomatepeia (‘the bell ding-donged once’). Or even alliteration (‘the brass bell binged and bonged’).  

How does their description impact on what a character might have heard? Why might an author have opted for that particular method of sound writing? Who is their audience and what genre are they writing? 

3. Let your imagination run wild.  

Listen out for how you can improve your sound writing. Play around with different techniques, mix them up, break the rules, surprise your readers – but never ever forget to immerse them fully into the story. 

Get Writing!

Have fun with writing sounds in your work. And remember, by absorbing and paying attention to everyday sounds around you, you will not only benefit your writing but also your readers’ enjoyment, bringing an extra, sharper dimsension to the work. And that’s something every writer wants to hear! 

About the author

Julie Shackman is a feel-good romance author from Scotland. Her fifth novel, A Secret Scottish Escape , was published by the HarperCollins imprint One More Chapter in 2021. Julie trained as a journalist and studied Communication and Media but has always loved reading and writing. After reading Princess Daisy by Judith Krantz at the age of thirteen, she was hooked. As well as feel-good romance, she also writes verses and captions for greetings card companies and enjoys entering writing competitions. When not trying to tackle her growing To Be Read pile, Julie loves watching comedies, movies, indulging her love of Fleetwood Mac and all things Stevie Nicks, and taking lovely long walks with her Romanian rescue pup Cooper. You can find her on Twitter , Facebook , and Instagram , and see her Amazon author page for more.

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Onomatopoeia: The sounds we make and how to spell them Posted by Gabriele on Jun 24, 2014 in English Language

I’ve written about onomatopoeia in the past, but focused mainly on animal and ‘thing’-related sounds. Today we are going to look at some of the sounds that humans make and how they are spelled. First of all take a look at this great infographic from Grammar.net and all the examples it has of onomatopoeia. (Remember: onomatopoeia is a word that imitates a natural sound.)

Image from http://www.grammar.net/hi-res.

There are three examples of human sounds in the picture above: giggle , gurgle, and hiccup , but there are so many more examples of human-made onomatopoeia I want to share with you. Below is a more extensive list.

Sounds humans make and how to write these sounds as words:

achoo ( or atchoo)  – the sound of sneezing ah ( or ahhhhhhhhhh)  – a sound that expresses relief or relaxation aha – the sound we make when we discover something (Example: Aha, there are my keys!) arg – a sound used to express upset or pain bah – this is used to express contempt, disdain or severe upset boo  –  a sound made when startling someone or trying to surprise them burr – the sound a person makes to indicate he or she is cold chomp  – the sound of taking a bite crunch – the sound made when eating crunchy food like crackers or chips; also the sound of footsteps on hard stones like gravel d’oh – a sound made when someone suddenly realizes they have made a foolish mistake; Homer Simpson is famous for making this sound, you can hear him do this here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlL6cQAzLdE

eek – the sound a person makes when he or she is scared; this sound is often made when someone is scared by something small like a mouse, not when being scared by something big like a bear glug – the sound of swallowing a lot of liquid quickly ha-ha – the sound of laughter humpf ( or humph) – an expression of stubbornness, doubt, or contempt hooray ( or hurrah) – an exclamation of joy huh – a sound that expresses confusion; this sound is usually made to invite someone to respond or provide more information ooh – an expression of amazement, wonder, or understanding phew – a sound related to fatigue or being tired shoo – a sound made when trying to drive something (usually an animal) away (Exmpale: Shoo, shoo, get out of here.) sniff – the sound of smelling ta-da ( or ta-dah) – a sound that means ‘here it is’ or ‘all done look at this’; this sound is usually made after completing something uggh – an exclamation of frustration and annoyance uh-huh – a sound that is used to indicate agreement uh-oh – an expression of concern or dismay that something unexpected just happened wahoo – an exclamation of joy and enthusiasm yikes – an expression that indicates shock and usually has a negative connotation yippee – a sound made to indicate delight (Example: Yippee, I just learned a lot of new English words!)

Build vocabulary, practice pronunciation, and more with Transparent Language Online. Available anytime, anywhere, on any device.

About the Author: Gabriele

Hi there! I am one of Transparent Language's ESL bloggers. I am a 32-year-old native English speaker who was born and raised in the United States. I am living in Washington, DC now, but I have lived all over the US and also spent many years living and working abroad. I started teaching English as a second language in 2005 after completing a Master's in Applied Linguists and a Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults' (CELTA). Since that time I have taught ESL in the United States at the community college and university level. I have also gone on to pursue my doctorate in psychology and now I also teach courses in psychology. I like to stay connected to ESL learners around the world through Transparent Languages ESL Blog. Please ask questions and leave comments on the blog and I will be sure to answer them.

nice to meet you! hope you respond. I’m in Korea. thanks for your contributions to education!

@ben Ben, Nice to meet you. I’m glad you are enjoying the blog! -Gabriele

Yippee. 😉 hey! Am George Uzoma from Nigeria. Thank u very much Gabriele for ur blog. It is helpful. Hope u reply me too. Takecare.

@George George, You are very welcome. I’m glad this blog has been helpful to you! Take care, Gabriele

I’m a 23 year old College student. I love creative writing and I think even native English speakers really need lessons on how to spell the sounds we make. It helps bring stories to life.

I am a seventh grader. I love to write stories. I have written a story for the Flickering Flames, book written entirely by students of my school. It is published in the name of Kinjal Goyal. I feel that when we write we need to be immensely careful of grammar and spellings. This site helped me to write a scene of another story am writing. Thanks a lot.

What would the spelling for this emoji ?

Otacimar Cardoso:

Hi! Gabriele.

I´d like to know If “MAKE A SOUND” is an expression in English Language? I really thank, for your help.

Hello Gabriele. What would be the sound someone makes when scared by something big like a bear? Or a ghost? How would you spell it please? Thank you, Carol in Missouri

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GUIDE – Writing Process for Audio Essays

Step 1: rough draft.

If you’d like to produce an audio essay, the first step is to write a rough draft the same way you would for any other kind of essay project. You might find it useful to start with an outline or cluster map that helps you identify key moments in the story, or you might simply start drafting and see where the writing takes you, keeping in mind that what you’re working on is a rough draft that may need substantial revision.

Once you have a draft you can share with classmates, you’ll do so in a word processing document rather than in storyboard format, which is what your classmates will use for audiovisual or visual projects.

Here are a few writing tips:

Write in a conversational style.

You might find it helpful to imagine that you’re writing your story to a friend by email, so that you can break free from the typical academic essay style you may be accustomed to with other college papers.

Use vivid details that paint a movie in the listeners’ mind.

Listeners are far more likely to pay attention to your essay if it’s grounded in vivid, concrete details that enable them to imagine what you’re talking about, almost as though they can see it as a mental movie. Keep abstract observations to a minimum as these are harder for listeners to pay attention to. Concrete details might include descriptions of appearance, sound, smell, taste, or touch, as well as dialogue and observations about people’s behavior and personalities.

Use a simple and very clear method of organizing your essay.

Listeners can’t follow a complex organizational structure as easily as readers can, so keep your structure simple and easy to follow, and make generous use of topic sentences, transitions, foreshadowing, recaps, and other “sign posts” for your listeners.

STEP 2: TRIAL RECORDING

After you make further revisions to the transcript, it’s time to make a trial recording. When you listen to words conveyed as audio, you’ll gain insight into how to revise the transcript and also how to improve your delivery.

You’ll also gain experience with using the audio tools you’ll continue to use throughout the process.

For help making a trial recording, see the handout under the Composing with Audio category.

STEP 3: FULL DRAFT

After you receive feedback on your trial recording, the next step is to further revise the transcript to improve structure, writing style, and use of details to make the essay or story more appealing to those who will listen to it rather than read it.

You’ll also want to work on your delivery, so that the audio recording sounds natural and conversational rather than like someone reading a paper out loud. To hear what effective audio delivery sounds like, go to Audible.com and search for a fiction audiobook that gets high ratings for performance. Listen to the free sample and take note of what makes the delivery appealing.

At this stage you might also want to consider whether you’d like to incorporate some sound effects, like short segments of music in the opening, between major sections, and at the end. Music can help establish a mood or tone or signal a transition. It also gives listeners a brief moment to pause and reflect on what they’ve just heard.

For examples of how music and sound effects can enhance audio, try listening to a few stories from This American Life , which airs regularly on public radio.

For help making a full draft, see the handout under the Composing with Audio category.

STEP 4: FINAL VERSION

After you receive feedback on the full draft, you’ll take time to revise your transcript before you prepare a final recording, which should demonstrate proficiency with the technicalities of recording an essay or story for audio delivery. For example, your voice should be clear and easy to hear, and the recording should be free of any background noises or other distractions.

You’ll export the final version in mp3 format and upload it to the class blog, along with any additional materials described on the relevant assignment or calendar entry for your class.

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Audio Narrative Essay

Use audio to transform a traditional narrative essay.

An audio narrative essay or ‘radio essay’ is an essay designed to be heard as a voice recording rather than read silently as text. The audio narrative essay project follows many of the same steps as writing a traditional essay, but incorporates principles of audio composition, such as strategic use of sound effects. In this project you will write an essay meant to be read aloud and record it, enhancing it with sound. Finally, you will share your essay to the cloud.

• Storytelling

Learning Goals

After you finish this activity you will be able to:

• Research and better understand a subject
• Make a quality audio recording
• Do basic audio editing, combining voice and music tracks

Share your work to the cloud

• Assignment Rubric

Instructions

Follow these steps to complete the project.

To track your progress, click each step as you finish.

Get inspired

An excellent first step in creating any media work is to examine exemplary works of the same type. Make a list for yourself of what makes these examples strong and inspiring.

Don't skip this step!

Tame your tools

By growing your skills in the tools used in any project, you save yourself time and produce stronger work.

Create a folder to store project resources

When beginning a new media project, it's best to organize your resources in a single location.

Alternate File Storage You may also organize your documents in cloud storage, such as Box or Google Drive .

Plan your essay

The narrative essay differs from a research essay in both form and function: 1) It doesn't rely heavily on research, and 2) It is narrated as a story. Additionally, the audio narrative essay is meant to be narrated verbally, instead of read.

• ex., 'Discipline is remembering what you want!' (hook -- open w/ a quote) ×
• ex., Define procrastination and how many people suffer through it. ×
• ex., Introduce the time when procrastination was preventing my success. ×

Write your essay

As you write, structure your essay as a series of scenes and make notes about secondary sound (effects or music) that could enhance your listener’s experience of those scenes.

Choose (and use) your recording equipment

There are several options for recording your narrative essay, from using professional equipment to using your own mobile device or computer.

• Sound Booth
• OIT Audio Equipment
• Mobile Device

The Hesburgh Libraries offers a sound-dampening Sound Booth with fabric walls in which you can record high-quality audio using your own laptop. For the best audio, we recommend you borrow a USB microphone .

Book the Sound Booth

Bookings do not include assistance with using the studio. For assistance, contact the Media Corps .

Faculty, staff and students may reserve audio recording equipment from OIT, such as the Tascam audio recorder .

Equipment used for class assignments may often be reserved for free for brief periods. For more information, or to borrow equipment visit the OIT:

DeBartolo 115 (574) 631-6423 [email protected]

While the sound will be of higher quality using professional equipment, you may record your narrative essay with your own computer or mobile device. Audacity is a free, cross-platform application for recording and editing sound on a computer. There are also many apps available for recording your voice on a mobile device. One good option is the free app VoiceRecord Pro :

• VoiceRecord Pro (iOS)
• VoiceRecord Pro (Android)

For instructions on using VoiceRecord Pro to record audio, see Tame Your Tools . Note that you will need an adapter if you intend to connect a professional quality microphone to you phone or mobile device.

Choose a soundtrack

Now, you'll choose a soundtrack to layer behind your essay. Make sure to choose music that matches the theme and tone of the essay.

Giving Proper Attribution If you choose the "Attribution required" option, you must credit the composer of any music you use in your project.

Choose sound effects

Layering sound effects into your narrative essay can certainly enhance the storytelling. If you use sound effects, remember that less is more—err on the side of subtlety.

Create an Audacity project

Now, you'll create an audacity project for layering together all the audio you've found and created.

Import your audio tracks

Next, we'll import your recorded narrative essay file(s) and your soundtrack and any sound effects into your new Audacity project.

Edit and sync your tracks

In this step, you will edit each of your tracks, layering and syncing them so that they sound like one polished audio track, beginning to end. Remember that the volume level of the soundtrack should be low enough that it underscores your reading of the essay rather than dominating it.

Export your finished project to an MP3

Now, you'll need to export your narrative essay to a format which can be shared on the web, such as MP3.

In this last step, you'll upload your essay to Soundcloud, to share with others.

Congratulations!

You've grown your multimedia literacy while creating cool things! Well done, you!

You might consider nominating work you are proud of to the Remix Project Showcase !

Walkthrough

Watch a walkthrough for this project.

Get Inspired

Explore examples of similar projects.

• We Believe We Are Invincible Audio Essay
• This American Life This American Life
• This I Believe This I Believe
• Beauty in Imperfection Anna Kluender
• Sweeping Statements Judith Sloan

Tame Your Tools

Master the skills used in this project.

• Basic Audio Recording Audio Technica
• Voice Over Tips Voice Acting 101
• How to Write a Narrative Essay That Stands Out Naomi Tepper
• Record Great Audio with your Smartphone StoryGuide
• Recording Audio with Voice Record Pro Nick Parkin

Notre Dame has many helpful resources, including our Media Corps coaching staff , located in the Hesburgh Library.

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Remix is continually evolving. Please help us improve by providing feedback on this project or any other feature of Remix.

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Should I use speech marks for sounds? [duplicate]

If I were to describe a sudden sound, in this example: Boom! Were I to put it in speech marks: "Boom!" Just like in a dialogue, or to do something else, in that case what?

• onomatopoeia

• 3 Unless someone is saying, “Boom”, don’t put it in quotes. –  Jim Commented May 17, 2016 at 19:37
• Alright, but if we say the sound is made of a meteor hitting the ground, I should use some kind of punctuation right? –  Fine-ish Commented May 17, 2016 at 19:50
• 2 You might choose to put that in italics: Boom! The meteor cratered into the ground producing a shock wave that knocked him to the ground. –  Jim Commented May 17, 2016 at 19:55
• 1 "Bang!" went the tire. is perfectly valid. –  Hot Licks Commented Nov 6, 2018 at 18:22
• 1 @HotLicks I tried looking for examples where the object making the noise is referred to. Here are three examples that refute your comment: 1 , 2 , and this book intentionally leaves out the quotation marks in between other segments of speech . This book is in favour , but that does refer to a person making the noise, rather than an inanimate object. (I had to shorten the URLs because otherwise the comment would be over the character limit.) –  ahorn Commented Nov 7, 2018 at 7:43

3 Answers 3

Quotation marks should not be used for emphasis, only to indicate something that is spoken or quoted.

• What should be used for emphasis? –  herisson Commented May 17, 2016 at 20:50
• 1 Italics, as Jim said. –  ahorn Commented May 17, 2016 at 20:57
• @sumelic If you can't use italics, bold or underline; I'd suggest using * or _ "around" the emphasized text... It's often used in plain text-files for emphasis. Strictly speaking; / = italics, * = bold and _ = underscored; but I think most prefer to use either * or _ , and then as just "emphasized". So putting Boom! between two * should work... –  Baard Kopperud Commented May 17, 2016 at 23:45
• 1 @BaardKopperud that only applies to a coding context, not a WYSIWIG context. –  ahorn Commented May 18, 2016 at 11:40
• 2 Uh, the quotation marks are used to indicate the sound made by something. Just because it's not human doesn't mean it can't be quoted. –  Hot Licks Commented Nov 7, 2018 at 4:00

Generally, do not. An exception being when you personify the object, as was mentioned in the comments.

• Hello, and welcome to the EL&U. Your answer could be improved by explaining a bit more and providing references. See tour . –  fev Commented Aug 25, 2021 at 7:22

and if you're trying to personify something like a cupboard door swinging you could creatively use "squeak!" instead of squeak! to give it more charecter...But thats an exception.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged speech onomatopoeia sounds or ask your own question .

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NigellaStory88 Banned

Writing sound effects.

Discussion in ' Word Mechanics ' started by NigellaStory88 , Jan 18, 2018 .

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_93dd1b12f6757d590b6764b08cd1afa3'); }); Just wondering how do you write sound effects such as a clothing being torn, etc?  

NiallRoach Contributor Contributor

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_93dd1b12f6757d590b6764b08cd1afa3'); }); I'd just describe the action, most times. I think most people would find anything approaching Batman-esque POW, ZAP risible.  

Cave Troll It's Coffee O'clock everywhere. Contributor

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_93dd1b12f6757d590b6764b08cd1afa3'); }); I write war so my guns don't go bang or pop. Though for some things like under-mount grenade launchers go thoomph, and rail guns give off a loud crack. Though I don't know what the sound of fabric ripping would sound like... How would you describe the sound of tearing cloth?  

Mink Contributor Contributor

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_93dd1b12f6757d590b6764b08cd1afa3'); }); Sometimes writing the action can be enough, but if you like to write out sounds, you can grab a thesaurus and/or dictionary to help with descriptions. I like to write out what different sounds sound like (usually not in a pow! or wham! sense unless it's something like " Smack! He rubbed his head where it had collided with the wall, grumbling beneath his breath."). I use descriptors the most like "gritty asphalt" or "the pinging of pebbles". Similar things can create the sound of an object without relying on sound effects.  

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_93dd1b12f6757d590b6764b08cd1afa3'); }); Mink said: ↑ Sometimes writing the action can be enough, but if you like to write out sounds, you can grab a thesaurus and/or dictionary to help with descriptions. I like to write out what different sounds sound like (usually not in a pow! or wham! sense unless it's something like " Smack! He rubbed his head where it had collided with the wall, grumbling beneath his breath."). I use descriptors the most like "gritty asphalt" or "the pinging of pebbles". Similar things can create the sound of an object without relying on sound effects. Click to expand...

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_93dd1b12f6757d590b6764b08cd1afa3'); }); Thanks. Been trying to figure this thing out for ages  

GingerCoffee Web Surfer Girl Contributor

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_93dd1b12f6757d590b6764b08cd1afa3'); }); Sometimes you need the sound if the action goes unseen. I'm big on using lists for onomatopeia. This one is an excellent compilation.  

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_93dd1b12f6757d590b6764b08cd1afa3'); }); GingerCoffee said: ↑ Sometimes you need the sound if the action goes unseen. I'm big on using lists for onomatopeia. This one is an excellent compilation. Click to expand...

newjerseyrunner Contributor Contributor Contest Winner 2022

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_93dd1b12f6757d590b6764b08cd1afa3'); }); I would not use onomatopoeia, I would simply say that there was a tearing sound. Your reader knows what that is.  

Bosco Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_93dd1b12f6757d590b6764b08cd1afa3'); }); Well since we're on the subject, how do describe flavors? My 11 year-old son claims it's easy since there's only three sensations on the tongue, but he's such a little smart-ass I can't really trust him on this.  

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_93dd1b12f6757d590b6764b08cd1afa3'); }); Bosco said: ↑ Well since we're on the subject, how do describe flavors? My 11 year-old son claims it's easy since there's only three sensations on the tongue, but he's such a little smart-ass I can't really trust him on this. Click to expand...

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_93dd1b12f6757d590b6764b08cd1afa3'); }); newjerseyrunner said: ↑ I would not use onomatopoeia, I would simply say that there was a tearing sound. Your reader knows what that is. Click to expand...

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_93dd1b12f6757d590b6764b08cd1afa3'); }); Bosco said: ↑ ...My 11 year-old son claims it's easy since there's only three sensations on the tongue, but he's such a little smart-ass I can't really trust him on this. Click to expand...

makrothymia New Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_93dd1b12f6757d590b6764b08cd1afa3'); }); Maybe it depends on the genre and the room that you have for descriptions, metaphors or similes. But if you have that room and if you have the ideas, it can be quite interesting. A description of the situation often causes an acoustic image in the readers ear, which is very individual and depends on his personal experience: “His cough reminded me of an old rusty horn” or “When the wind stroke the leaves, the forest began to whisper.”  

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_93dd1b12f6757d590b6764b08cd1afa3'); }); I especially like the wind stroked leaves and whispering forest @makrothymia .  

Lew Contributor Contributor

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_93dd1b12f6757d590b6764b08cd1afa3'); }); I agree, if the sound is a common one, just describe the action. However in one scene in the E&D, the ship was firing "automatic" six-foot torsion crossbow ballistae, which were cocked by a ratcheted windlass in the rear, until fully cocked, the next turned dropped a bolt in place from a magazine, and the next crank fired it. So I described the sound as "ratchety-ratchety-thunk, ratchety-ratchety thunk" as there were two automatic polyboli in operation amidships, There were also two single shooters at the bow and stern, also cocked by ratcheted windlass, firing fiery incendiaries in a night action. It might have gotten a bit noisy,m though not by modern standards!  

Iain Aschendale Lying, dog-faced pony Marine Supporter Contributor

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_93dd1b12f6757d590b6764b08cd1afa3'); }); I read a bit of semi-erotica years ago that referred to "the soft unfocused ripping of silk."  

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Author of THE ELEVENTH TRADE

5 Ways to Use Sound When Writing

Sound is one of the most powerful ways to get into a scene, and when utilized can help your writing flow easier. Below are my favorite tips for using sound to kick you into writing mode (from least to most obvious).

5. Make the sounds of your scene on your computer.

Credit for this idea goes to friend/classmate Annie (who is awesome).

With an app like White Noise , you can actually create the sound of your scene. Characters are walking near a harbor? No problem. Character’s are sitting by a fire? You got it. Place yourself in the center of that scene and use the sounds to help you become fully immersed.

4. Get a theme song.

Pick one song that really gets your blood pumping. While I was drafting Blessings , Lie to Me was that song. The song you select doesn’t have to be strictly about the story (though of course that’s a plus), but it should be something upbeat.

Every time I sat down to write Blessings , I would play this song. Like a well trained dog, eventually when I was procrastinating all I had to do was switch this song on and I was itching to work. (Heck, I am playing the song while I write this and suddenly I have the urge to go do revisions.) Easy way to get yourself in the writing mood fast.

3. Coffitivity.

If you’re like me, you love writing out of the house—at a coffee shop or a pub or a library. But unfortunately sometimes the weather is terrible, or you don’t want to spend a few bucks on a drink, or you just can’t be bothered to put on real clothes. That’s where Coffivity comes in! With a variety of sounds to choose from (I love Morning Murmur myself), this website gives you the quiet bustle of busy wherever you’re at!

2. Movie or mood soundtracks.

I told you I was going to get obvious. Soundtracks can make a scene come together. Your thief is running around rooftops? Give him some Sherlock Holmes . Your heroine is contemplating something? Sounds like Pride and Prejudice . Your main characters find themselves confronted with death and creepy elves? Look not further than Secret of Kells .

You can also find some excellent instrumental playlists over at 8tracks. ( I have a whole category for writing and mood music. )

If you believe in overkill (I do) you can even make your own soundtrack. Think about the sound of your book and go rob borrow tracks from various soundtracks. Put them together and make your own playlist!

Speaking of…

1. Make a playlist.

The most obvious of them all, but still so relevant. Collect songs that sound like your story or have lyrics that make you hit repeat again and again. Put them on a playlist and listen to it when you’re writing, walking, on the bus, in the car, riding your dragon, or saving kittens. A lot of ideas and reveals will flow out of the music as you listen, trust me.

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The Art Of Writing Great Voice Over Scripts

by Connie Malamed

Remember all those essays and reports you wrote in school? They were written for a teacher to silently read. They were rarely read aloud. Fast forward to the world of work where you are responsible for writing voice over scripts. Unless you’ve had special training, how could you suddenly know how to write for the ear?

Yet, that’s what you’re expected to do when storyboarding for audio or writing audio scripts. Writing to be heard is a different kind of writing. If you need help making the transition from eye to ear, here are some tips.

1. Write like you speak

In most cases, writing for the ear is more informal than writing to be read. Imagine you are speaking to someone while you are writing. When you write like you speak, you will naturally use smaller words, a more conversational tone and shorter sentences. Pro Tip: a voice over script should not sound like it was scripted.

2. Get to the point quickly

When you’re writing for audio, you don’t have much time to lead up to the point. You have to get there quickly before you lose your audience. Focus on what’s most important and be concise. I like to think of it as intelligent simplicity.

3. Learn from radio commercials

Have you stopped listening to the radio, choosing podcasts instead? You may want to listen now and then because you can learn from their 30-second commercials. Radio commercials fly by quickly. The writers focus on one relevant point. They often use this formula: say it-explain it-repeat it. The lead sentence gets your attention and evokes curiosity. The next few sentences provide the details. This is followed by repeating it. This isn’t a bad formula for instructional scripts—say it-explain it-repeat it.

4. Speak with one voice

Perhaps you’re on a big project with several instructional designers furiously writing away, oblivious to the voice they are using. Or perhaps you’re the only one writing, but some days you start with one voice and other days you use another.

Speaking with one voice arises out of consistency. It sounds like the voice artist understands the topic, because consistency makes the speaker credible. To achieve the sound of one voice, consider defining these aspects of a voice over script from the start:

• Tone: Decide on a tone that will best connect with your audience (conversational, folksy, sophisticated, etc.)
• Role: Determine if the speaker is playing the role of a colleague or peer, an expert, a teacher or an omniscient narrator.
• Person: whether you’ll be using first, second or third person. If you forget what all of this is, Wikipedia explains.
• Contractions: Will you use them or not?

Then let one anointed editor read the scripts to smooth out all of the inconsistencies.

5. Keep sentences short but varied

Many people recommend using short sentences when writing for audio. And it’s true that in an eLearning environment, you can’t count on your busy audience to click Replay if they miss something. The risk of relying on short sentences, however, is that the script may sound stilted or too simplistic.

A better approach might be to aim for short sentences that vary in length. This is closer to how we speak. To keep sentences on the shorter side: 1) stick to one idea per sentence; 2) delete all the extra verbiage; and 3) break sentences into two whenever possible.

6. Avoid reading text

No one likes screens filled with text, but there are some situations that demand it, due to legal regulations or other requirements. In these cases, use audio to introduce what needs to be read and then let the participant do the reading. Adults tend to dislike being read text that is on the screen.

Also, Mayer addresses this in his Redundancy Principle. It takes more cognitive resources to match up redundant information, such as reading text while listening to audio than it does to manage one modality alone. Note: to accommodate those who are visually impaired, provide an option for having the text read aloud.

7. Pay attention to rhythm or beat

Speaking is similar to music—it’s got a rhythm related to the tempo of the speech and the alternation of stressed and unstressed words. When you read your voice over script aloud, you can improve the rhythm by considering the words as sounds and listening to their flow and timing. A pleasing rhythm has the potential to hold the listener’s attention longer and to enhance the listening experience.

8. Use silence effectively

Silence is to audio as white space is to visuals. Listeners need time to process the verbal content and to watch what’s on the screen. You can work brief pauses into your script by indicating where the talent should stop for a moment (often referred to as a beat) during the recording. I usually indicate this with an ellipsis (…). Frequent pauses also give you time to add elements for screen builds. Silence is your friend. Use it with purpose.

9. Watch your transitions

Transition words, such as yet, but, however, therefore and meanwhile, let listeners know that a change from the previous thought is coming. Use transitions as cues to help clarify your message.

10. Edit in phases

Some accomplished writers recommend editing in several passes while honing one aspect of your writing at a time. In Getting the Words Right, author Theodore Cheney recommends that your first revision should focus on massive changes, which he calls reducing. Then he advises less ambitious revisions, such as rearranging. Finally, there is rewording. Or create your own phases of editing that work for your style of writing.

11. Calculate the length of segments

You don’t want things to run on and on. A rule of thumb for calculating time is that in one minute, a narrator will read approximately 100 words. If you want your segment to last a minute, pare it down to 100 words or less.

12. Read all voice over scripts aloud

Reading your script aloud is mandatory. That’s how you can determine whether the wording is awkward or smooth and whether the sentences flow from one to the next. Reading aloud helps you know when it’s best to use contractions, if juxtaposed words are difficult to pronounce and whether the whole script is well-connected. Finally, this is how you know if a narrator can get through a sentence without having to stop for a breath in the middle.

13. Consider sound effects

Many public radio producers add depth and realism to their stories through sound effects. When used with sophistication, sound effects can add richness to straight narration, scenarios, interactions and games. And their cost is minimal.

14. Use active voice

Active voice is one in which the subject is performing the action. In passive voice, the subject is not performing the action. Active voice is more likely to keep listeners engaged because it is a clear and direct form of communication. Attempt to write in the active voice as much as possible.

Recommendations for Writing More Effectively: Getting the Words Right by Theodore Cheyney Bird by Bird by Anne Lamont Behind the Scenes with Three Voice Actors

Got tips? Share them in the Comments below.

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December 17, 2020 at 7:30 pm

Hi Hedwig, I would advertise for an instructional designer/editor/scriptwriter. Experienced people in this field are good at breaking things down and writing in a casual voice. One place to advertise is at the Learning Guild Job Board and another is eLearning Heroes. Good luck with this! Connie

December 17, 2020 at 5:09 am

Dear Connie, Thank you for this article. Do you know editors that can help out reviewing a voice over text that is still too formal/scientific? Best wishes, Hedwig

September 29, 2020 at 2:07 pm

I will email you a few of my favs.

September 25, 2020 at 10:05 am

Dear Connie,

Thank you for the nice post. For a client of mine I need a voice over text. Could you advise someone to do that for us.

Thank you, Eric

May 6, 2020 at 12:03 pm

Hi Andrew, That would be a great question to research and I don’t know the answer. It’s possible that more important than role, might be tone and attitude: 1) keeping things conversational, 2) ensuring it is very relevant to the audience’s experience, and 3) assuming the audience member’s intelligence. And very important: avoid a condescending attitude. It’s probably easier to do this as a colleague or peer, but it could be done as a humorous omniscient narrator or a very friendly teacher or expert. I am familiar with Mayer’s principles but kinda forgot about the personalization one. Thanks for the reminder 🙂 Connie

May 5, 2020 at 12:48 pm

Hey Connie, great post! I’m curious if you are familiar with the Personalization principle that Richard Mayer documented? You mention “Role” and provide a few examples: colleague, peer, expert, teacher omniscient narrator… In your experience, have you found that any of those work better than others? Mayer’s work would seem to suggest that the first two work best. Thanks! Andrew

February 7, 2020 at 5:17 pm

Thanks for the reply, Connie. I’m already familiar with scriptwriting format from taking a formal course and reading books and magazines. Many of the guidelines above would apply to my project but I wish I could track down documentary scripts or the like just to see if what I’m doing looks similar – there’s TONS of free features and shorts to review but all have dialogue.

Again, I appreciate your reply. The quest continues! 🙂

– Stephanie

February 4, 2020 at 6:52 pm

Stephanie – Some of these guidelines may be similar but I don’t feel that I’m qualified to say much about screenplays. I do know that they are in another format. There are many books on writing screenplays. Have you searched Amazon? I’ve also seen a lot online, such as Screenwriting and here’s a screenplay example . There are a lot of examples around.

Also, check out the courses on Masterclass . Good luck! Connie

February 2, 2020 at 6:42 pm

Very helpful article. Would you suggest these same guidelines for converting a short story written in 3rd person into a screenplay? I’ve been having difficulty finding sample scripts to study written in this way. The voice-over would approach the narrative as a cautionary tale, and sound effects and music would be used to evoke the alien environment, as well as tension.

Any suggestions on sample scripts for study or further tips on this manner of conversion would be greatly appreciated – thank you *

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Cause and Effect Essay Outline: Types, Examples and Writing Tips

20 June, 2020

9 minutes read

Author:  Tomas White

This is a complete guide on writing cause and effect essays. Find a link to our essay sample at the end. Let's get started!

What is a Cause and Effect Essay?

A cause and effect essay is the type of paper that the author is using to analyze the causes and effects of a particular action or event. A curriculum usually includes this type of exercise to test your ability to understand the logic of certain events or actions.

If you can see the logic behind cause and effect in the world around you, you will encounter fewer problems when writing. If not, writing this kind of paper will give you the chance to improve your skillset and your brain’s ability to reason.

“Shallow men believe in luck or in circumstance. Strong men believe in cause and effect.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

In this article, the  Handmade Writing team will find out how to create an outline for your cause and effect essay – the key to successful essay writing.

Types of the Cause and Effect Essay

Before writing this kind of essay, you need to draft the structure. A good structure will result in a good paper, so it’s important to have a plan before you start. But remember , there’s no need to reinvent the wheel: just about every type of structure has already been formulated by someone.

If you are still unsure about the definition of an essay, you can take a look at our guide:  What is an Essay?

Generally speaking, there are three types of cause and effect essays. We usually differentiate them by the number of and relationships between the different causes and the effects. Let’s take a quick look at these three different cases:

1. Many causes, one effect

This kind of essay illustrates how different causes can lead to one effect. The idea here is to try and examine a variety of causes, preferably ones that come from different fields, and prove how they contributed to a particular effect. If you are writing about World War I, for example, mention the political, cultural, and historical factors that led to the great war.

By examining a range of fundamental causes, you will be able to demonstrate your knowledge about the topic.

Here is how to structure this type of essay:

• Introduction
• Cause #3 (and so on…)
• The effect of the causes

2. One cause, many effects

This type of cause and effect essay is constructed to show the various effects of a particular event, problem, or decision. Once again, you will have to demonstrate your comprehensive knowledge and analytical mastery of the field. There is no need to persuade the reader or present your argument . When writing this kind of essay, in-depth knowledge of the problem or event’s roots will be of great benefit. If you know why it happened, it will be much easier to write about its effects.

Here is the structure for this kind of essay:

• Effect #3 (and so on…)

3. Chain of causes and effects

This is the most challenging type. You need to maintain a chain of logic that demonstrates a sequence of actions and consequences, leading to the end of the chain. Although this is usually the most interesting kind of cause and effect essay, it can also be the most difficult to write.

Here is the outline structure:

• Effect #1 = Cause #2
• Effect #2 = Cause #3
• Effect #3 = Cause #4 (and so on…)

Cause and Effect Essay Outline Example

Let’s take a look at an example. Below, you will find an outline for the topic “The causes of obesity” (Type 1) :

As you can see, we used a blended strategy here. When writing about the ever-increasing consumption of unhealthy food, it is logical to talk about the marketing strategies that encourage people to buy fast food. If you are discussing fitness trainers, it is important to mention that people need to be checked by a doctor more often, etc.

In case you face some issues with writing your Cause and Effect essay, you can always count on our Essay Writers !

How do I start writing once I have drafted the structure?

If you start by structuring each paragraph and collecting suitable examples, the writing process will be much simpler. The final essay might not come up as a classic five paragraph essay – it all depends on the cause-effect chain and the number of statements of your essay.

In the Introduction, try to give the reader a general idea of what the cause and effect essay will contain. For an experienced reader, a thesis statement will be an indication that you know what you are writing about. It is also important to emphasize how and why this problem is relevant to modern life. If you ever need to write about the Caribbean crisis, for instance, state that the effects of the Cold War are still apparent in contemporary global politics. 

Related Post: How to write an Essay introduction | How to write a Thesis statement

In the Body, provide plenty of details about what causes led to the effects. Once again, if you have already assembled all the causes and effects with their relevant examples when writing your plan, you shouldn’t have any problems. But, there are some things to which you must pay particular attention. To begin with, try to make each paragraph the same length: it looks better visually. Then, try to avoid weak or unconvincing causes. This is a common mistake, and the reader will quickly realize that you are just trying to write enough characters to reach the required word count.

Moreover, you need to make sure that your causes are actually linked to their effects. This is particularly important when you write a “chained” cause and effect essay (type 3) . You need to be able to demonstrate that each cause was actually relevant to the final result. As I mentioned before, writing the Body without preparing a thorough and logical outline is often an omission.

The Conclusion must be a summary of the thesis statement that you proposed in the Introduction. An effective Conclusion means that you have a well-developed understanding of the subject. Notably, writing the Conclusion can be one of the most challenging parts of this kind of project. You typically write the Conclusion once you have finished the Body, but in practice, you will sometimes find that a well-written conclusion will reveal a few mistakes of logic in the body!

Cause and Effect Essay Sample

Be sure to check the sample essay, completed by our writers. Use it as an example to write your own cause and effect essay. Link: Cause and effect essay sample: Advertising ethic issues .

Tips and Common Mistakes from Our Expert Writers

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How to master the art of writing a successful cause and effect essay that captivates your readers and earns you top grades.

Are you intrigued by the interconnected nature of events and phenomena? Do you aspire to unravel the hidden threads that link causes to effects? Crafting a cause and outcome essay provides an excellent platform to explore and dissect these connections, allowing you to showcase your analytical skills and express your ideas with precision and clarity.

In this comprehensive guide, we will delve deep into the art of writing cause and outcome essays, equipping you with effective strategies, invaluable tips, and real-life examples that will help you master the craft. Whether you are a seasoned writer looking to enhance your skills or a beginner eager to embark on a new writing journey, this guide has got you covered.

Throughout this journey, we will navigate the intricate realm of cause and outcome relationships, examining how actions, events, and circumstances influence one another. We will explore the essential elements of a cause and outcome essay, honing in on the importance of a strong thesis statement, logical organization, and compelling evidence. By the end of this guide, you will possess the necessary tools to produce a captivating cause and outcome essay that engages your readers and leaves a lasting impact.

Tips for Writing a Cause and Effect Essay

When composing a paper that focuses on exploring the connections between actions and their consequences, there are several essential tips that can help you write a compelling cause and effect essay. By following these guidelines, you can ensure that your essay is well-structured, clear, and effectively communicates your ideas.

By following these tips, you can enhance your ability to write a compelling cause and effect essay. Remember to analyze the causes and effects carefully, organize your ideas effectively, provide clear explanations, use transitional words, and proofread your essay to ensure a polished final piece of writing.

Understand the Purpose and Structure

One of the most important aspects of writing a cause and effect essay is understanding its purpose and structure. By understanding these key elements, you can effectively communicate the relationship between causes and effects, and present your argument in a clear and organized manner.

In a cause and effect essay, the purpose is to analyze the causes of a specific event or phenomenon and explain the effects that result from those causes. This type of essay is often used to explore the connections between different factors and to demonstrate how one event leads to another.

To structure your cause and effect essay, consider using a chronological or sequential order. Start by introducing the topic and providing some background information on the causes you will discuss. Then, present your thesis statement, which should clearly state your main argument or claim.

In the body paragraphs, discuss each cause or group of causes in a separate paragraph. Provide detailed explanations, examples, and evidence to support your claims. Make sure to use transitional words and phrases to guide the reader through your essay and to show the logical progression of causes and effects.

Finally, in the conclusion, summarize your main points and restate your thesis, reinforcing your overall argument. You can also discuss the broader implications of your analysis and suggest possible solutions or further research.

By understanding the purpose and structure of a cause and effect essay, you can effectively convey your ideas and arguments to your readers. This will help them follow your reasoning and see the connections between causes and effects, leading to a more convincing and impactful essay.

Choose a Topic

When embarking on the journey of writing a cause and effect essay, one of the first steps is to choose an engaging and relevant topic. The topic sets the foundation for the entire essay, determining the direction and scope of the content.

To select an effective topic, it is important to consider your interests, as well as the interests of your intended audience. Think about subjects that captivate you and inspire curiosity. Consider current events, personal experiences, or areas of study that pique your interest. By choosing a topic that you are genuinely passionate about, you will be more motivated to conduct thorough research and present compelling arguments.

Additionally, it is essential to select a topic that is relevant and meaningful. Identify an issue or phenomenon that has a clear cause-and-effect relationship, allowing you to explore the connections and consequences in depth. Look for topics that are timely and impactful, as this will ensure that your essay resonates with readers and addresses significant issues in society.

Moreover, a well-chosen topic should have enough depth and breadth to support a comprehensive analysis. Avoid selecting topics that are too broad or shallow, as this can make it challenging to delve into the causes and effects in a meaningful way. Narrow down your focus to a specific aspect or aspect of a broader topic to ensure that you have enough material to explore and analyze.

In conclusion, choosing a topic for your cause and effect essay is a critical step that will shape the entire writing process. By selecting a topic that aligns with your interests, is relevant and meaningful, and has enough depth and breadth, you will lay the foundation for a compelling and informative essay.

Conduct Thorough Research

Before diving into writing a cause and effect essay, it is essential to conduct a comprehensive research on the topic of your choice. This research phase will provide you with the necessary background information and context to develop a strong and well-supported essay.

During the research process, explore various sources such as books, academic journals, reputable websites, and credible news articles. Utilize synonyms for “research” like “investigate” or “explore” to keep your writing engaging and varied.

Avoid relying solely on a single source or biased information. Instead, strive to gather a variety of perspectives and data points that will enhance the credibility and validity of your essay.

Take notes as you research, highlighting key points, statistics, and quotes that you may want to include in your essay. Organize your findings in a clear and structured manner, making it easier to refer back to them as you begin writing.

Incorporating well-researched evidence and supporting examples into your cause and effect essay will lend credibility to your arguments, making them more persuasive and convincing. By conducting thorough research, you will be able to present a well-rounded and informed analysis of the topic you are writing about.

Create an Outline

One of the crucial steps in writing any type of essay, including cause and effect essays, is creating an outline. An outline helps to organize your thoughts and ideas before you start writing, ensuring that your essay has a clear and logical structure. In this section, we will discuss the importance of creating an outline and provide some tips on how to create an effective outline for your cause and effect essay.

When creating an outline, it is important to start with a clear understanding of the purpose and main points of your essay. Begin by identifying the main cause or event that you will be discussing, as well as its effects or consequences. This will serve as the foundation for your outline, allowing you to structure your essay in a logical and coherent manner.

Once you have identified the main cause and effects, it is time to organize your ideas into a clear and logical order. One effective way to do this is by using a table. Create a table with two columns, one for the cause and one for the effect. Then, list the main causes and effects in each column, using bullet points or short phrases. This will help you see the connections between the different causes and effects, making it easier to write your essay.

In addition to listing the main causes and effects, it is also important to include supporting details and examples in your outline. These can help to strengthen your argument and provide evidence for your claims. Include specific examples, facts, and statistics that support each cause and effect, and organize them under the relevant point in your outline.

Lastly, make sure to review and revise your outline before you start writing your essay. Check for any gaps in your logic or missing information, and make any necessary adjustments. Your outline should serve as a roadmap for your essay, guiding you through the writing process and ensuring that your essay is well-structured and coherent.

In conclusion, creating an outline is an essential step in writing a cause and effect essay. It helps to organize your thoughts and ideas, ensuring that your essay has a clear and logical structure. By identifying the main cause and effects, organizing your ideas into a table, including supporting details and examples, and reviewing your outline, you can create an effective outline that will guide you through the writing process.

Develop the Body Paragraphs

Once you have identified the main causes and effects of the topic you are writing about, it is time to develop your body paragraphs. In these paragraphs, you will present specific evidence and examples to support your claims. The body of your essay should be well-structured and focused, with each paragraph addressing a single cause or effect.

Start each body paragraph with a topic sentence that clearly states the main point you will be discussing. Then, provide detailed explanations and evidence to support your argument. This can include statistics, research findings, expert opinions, or personal anecdotes. Remember to use clear and concise language to convey your ideas effectively.

In order to make your writing more coherent, you can use transition words and phrases to connect your ideas and create a logical flow between paragraphs. Words like “because”, “as a result”, “therefore”, and “consequently” can be used to show cause and effect relationships.

Additionally, it is important to use paragraph unity, which means that each paragraph should focus on a single cause or effect. Avoid including unrelated information or discussing multiple causes/effects in a single paragraph, as this can confuse the reader and weaken your argument.

Furthermore, consider using examples and evidence to enhance the clarity and persuasiveness of your arguments. Concrete examples and real-life scenarios can help illustrate the cause and effect relationship and make your writing more engaging to the reader.

• Use accurate data and precise details to back up your claims
• Include relevant research and studies to support your arguments
• Provide real-life examples and cases that demonstrate the cause and effect relationship

In conclusion, developing the body paragraphs of your cause and effect essay is crucial in presenting a well-structured and persuasive argument. By using topic sentences, clear explanations, transition words, and relevant evidence, you can effectively convey your ideas and convince the reader of the cause and effect relationship you are discussing.

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How to write for sound effects

So, this is a little hard to explain but basically, I'm trying to open a chapter with the whole "sullenly bouncing a tennis ball against a wall cliche" but I have no idea how to write out the sound effect. m trying to focus on the sound before "pulling back" to the character. Basically, does anyone know how I would write the sound without seeming awkwardly placed? Any help would be appreciated thanks!

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What is Sound Design in Film? Definitions and Examples

The phrase “sound design” is used a lot when talking about film production, but what exactly is sound design in film? What does it include, and how can sound design be used well in films? Let’s take a look.

What is Sound Design in Film? Definitions.

Definitions of sound design will vary and some will argue that sound design is done in post-production, not in recording. There’s definitely some merit in this, but also the old adage of Garbage In, Garbage Out still applies, you can’t get great sound in post-production if you’ve got missing elements or poor quality recordings in the production phase. So for the purposes of this article, we’re looking at an overview - going into the job of a sound engineer or mixer is an article in itself! Sound design in film is all of the auditory (everything you hear) elements that make up the whole sound experience of the production. This includes…

1. Music (Score)

Also known as the ‘score’, this is the music that goes alongside the film written by a composer specifically for the movie based on the scenes filmed and what atmosphere or emotion it needs to reflect. The score is usually instrumental.

2. Soundtrack (OST)

The soundtrack (or Original Sound Track) is different to the score in that it can include tracks that already exist and are just licensed for use in the film. The soundtrack also refers to the wider sound of the movie as a whole, but isn’t the same as the sound design because it doesn’t include effects, ambient noise, or dialogue.

3. Sound Effects

Sound effects could be things like footsteps, creaking doors, cars starting up, to more elaborate things like explosions or animal roars. Sound effects should help whatever is on-screen feel more real. They can also help to emphasise or add impact actions or events that are happening, give information to the audience (a phone ringing, for example), and of course generally add to the mood and atmosphere.

4. Ambient Noise

Ambient noise in film is sound that would occur naturally in the place being shown; things like city noise (traffic, sirens etc), birdsong, wind blowing, the hum of a refrigerator indoors, background chatter in a public place… you get the idea.

4.5 Sidebar: What is Foley?

Foley is the reproduction of the effects just mentioned (rather than recording the genuine thing), named after sound-effects artist Jack Foley. It started in the early ‘20s for radio plays, where specifically created sounds accompanied voice actors to make plays seem more realistic. Jack started to work in film during the time of silent movies, and later, worked on The Jazz Singer (1927) , where he and a team watched the produced film and recorded sounds live, scene by scene, which were then layered over the top – so it had to be perfect!

5. Dialogue / Narration

It seems obvious but it’s worth mentioning anyway, that the dialogue and narration are part of the soundscape, though they’re two very different things. Dialogue is the words spoken between characters and narration is a voice-over commentary delivered by someone who (usually) isn’t seen. Narration can be objective: providing factual or useful information, or subjective: reflecting a character’s thoughts or experience.

The quality and placement of the sounds in the film are part of the design too, so not just the audio itself but how it’s used and how good it is!

What is the Purpose of Sound Design?

In essence, it’s about improving the viewing experience. The sound should complement the visuals and help with storytelling, and it shouldn’t jar or feel uncomfortable, unless that’s on purpose. Audio plays a really important role in the pacing and rhythm of a film and good sound should be as compelling and engaging as good footage; if it’s done well you may not even particularly notice it, but if it was taken away or changed then you might notice its absence!

What is Sound Mixing?

Everything that comes after the recording of the audio, in the post-production phase is the sound mixing. It’s putting together everything that’s been captured in a way that ties everything seamlessly together so it sounds polished and clear.

If you think about sound being recorded, it can be all sorts of different volumes, so part of the job of the sound mixer is to bring everything to a similar level with the exception of those things that need to be louder or quieter. Sound mixing can be done by a team of people or by one person, but it's a really important job to get right.

Some of the Best Sound Design in Film Examples

Inception (2010).

Inception by Christopher Nolan appears in a lot of round-ups when talking about sound design in films. It’s a bit of a love/hate split kind of movie, but there’s no arguing that its sound is fantastic, particularly that wonderful score by Hans Zimmer , who managed to make every piece have a nod to the tempo of Non, je ne regrette rien by Édith Piaf .

Such was the success of the use of sound, that the noise, BRAAAM (no, we’re not kidding, it’s a real thing) a loud, low sound, has actually become associated with the film, even though it didn’t originate there. The layered sounds are also worth mentioning, how through the layers of worlds similar sounds might become different things, and there’s a great use of pitch shifting to give the audience a feeling of something being off, like through the dream sequences.

Birdman (2014)

Birdman is shot as if it’s one long take, so visually it’s already quite unusual, and the sound design complements that beautifully. Birdman was nominated for quite a few sound awards including an Oscar and BAFTA, and won the CAS Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing.

On a technical level, Birdman was really hard to record, and if you’re a bit of a sound-tech-whiz then you’ll enjoy this interview with Thomas Varga (the sound designer) from Local 695, who sheds some light on how they managed to pull it all together.

“We can only record what is in the room; if the room is noisy, our recordings include that noise. It doesn’t make a difference what mics you use.” - Thomas Varga in Local 695 .

The Birds (1963)

Hitchcock is known for his finesse when it comes to building tension, and his innovative use of sound has been well-written about through the course of his film-making.

When it comes to The Birds, there’s no score, though Hitchcock’s long time collaborator Bernard Herrmann , who had created the score for a variety of Hitchcock films like Psycho and Vertigo , was brought in as a sound consultant. This means the film’s whole soundtrack is structured and carried by the sound effects, predominantly bird sounds. It’s been argued that this paved the way for the subgenre: Quiet Horror . Herrmann and Remi Glassmann, an electronic composer, recreated the sound of birds electronically

How to Master Sound Design in Film

Getting your sound production right is a balance of technical know-how, attention to detail, and a bit of artistry thrown in too. Here are some tips on how you can get the best sound design in your film.

Use Quality Equipment

The first step is probably making sure you have the best sound recording equipment that’s within your budget. Different microphones will be better for particular jobs, so you might want a variety of shotgun microphones for directional audio capture, lav mics when you need to be hands free (essential if it’s a one-person tech team!), condenser mics for in-studio narration and performances… making sure you get the best gear for your particular needs is an important first step.

Reduce Unwanted Noise

You want your audio to be as clean as possible, which means trying your best to get rid of any external noises that may creep in. If you can, recording dialogue and sound effects separately to the visuals can help in that a) you can hopefully record a cleaner sound without movement or background noise and b) it will give you more options in post-production. If you’re recording outside make sure to use a dead cat (a fluffy wind shield) to reduce noise, and a pop shield to reduce plosives (puh and buh sounds) for dialogue or narration recording.

Get Lots of Foley, Sound Effects, Ambient Sound

It depends how many people are in your filming crew, but having someone dedicated to picking up ambient sound in the places you’re filming, as well as recreating those sounds you’re not able to get, later, can be really useful.

If all else fails and you can’t do it yourself, then there are tons of pre-made sound effects available. Remember to always get some room tone (the natural sound of the environment you’re in) so that any dialogue you record isn’t weirdly isolated, it’ll sound jarring.

Choose the Right Music

It’s unlikely that most of us are going to have the budget to have an original score written for our productions, so how do you find music? There’s a ton of great library music and stock music available if you know where to look, it’s just choosing from the many options that might have you stuck!

Licensing and budget are likely to be your biggest factors, and that’s why subscriptions sites like Envato Elements can be really useful. You can search for audio tracks by the mood you want, the genre of your production, and even sort by instrument and tempo, whether you want vocals… it’s a great way to narrow down your choices so you can select something that works well for you.

Learn How to Edit and Produce Audio

If you don’t have a dedicated sound editor and you’re doing it yourself, learn how to produce audio, specifically. Although there are similarities, it’s a very different skill in its own right with many different facets like

• Tidying up and editing dialogue . Things like removing unwanted noise, adjusting the levels, and make sure everything is clear and consistent.
• Sound Effects editing . Adding and manipulating sound effects and synchronising them with action on the screen.
• Track selection and editing . Making sure the music fits the film well and is edited to help with tone, impact, and narrative flow.
• Mixing . Blending all the audio elements together and fine tuning everything to a perfect balance.
• Spatial Audio and Surround Sound . For certain types of distribution a specific format might be required (like Dolby Atmos etc) so that the mix works properly in theatres with that setup.

All the sounds collected during production, and many that are created or enhanced post-production, go towards making up the sound design of a film. To really nail your sound, you need to have a clear idea of what you want, and make sure you get as good a quality recording of that as possible and have someone who can bring it all together in post-production. It can be a big ask, but start slowly and concentrate on learning the basics first before you build up your skills to greater things. Remember that the sound isn’t just about what you hear, it’s how what you’re hearing makes you feel and how it fits with what we’re seeing. Bad sound will become obvious quickly, if it’s done properly, the only reasons for it to be noticed is that it sounds fantastic, and that’s job well done!

Envato Elements

If you’re a film mak er, or sound designer (or both!) then you’ll love and evolving your own style, Envato Elements , where you can find tons of useful tools like stock video, templates, audio tracks, sound effects, and more more. Once you subscribe you can download and use as much as you like!

Every month, there are some free files to choose from too.

More Free Articles and Resources For Film Makers

A bout This Page

This page was written by Marie Gardiner . Marie is a writer, author, and photographer. It was edited by Andrew Blackman . Andrew is a freelance writer and editor, and is a copy editor for Envato Tuts+.

Spring 2025 Semester

Undergraduate courses.

Composition courses that offer many sections (ENGL 101, 201, 277 and 379) are not listed on this schedule unless they are tailored to specific thematic content or particularly appropriate for specific programs and majors.

• 100-200 level

ENGL 201.ST2 Composition II: The Mind/Body Connection

Dr. sharon smith.

In this online section of English 201, students will use research and writing to learn more about problems that are important to them and articulate ways to address those problems. The course will focus specifically on issues related to the body, the mind, and the relationship between them. The topics we will discuss during the course will include the correlation between social media and body image; the psychological effects of self-objectification; and the unique mental and physical challenges faced by college students today, including food insecurity and stress.

English 201 S06 and S11: Composition II with an emphasis in Environmental Writing

S06: MWF at 10–10:50 a.m. in Yeager Hall Addition 231

S11: MWF at 12–12:50 p.m. in Crothers Engineering Hall 217

Gwen Horsley

English 201 will help students develop skills to write effectively for other university courses, careers, and themselves. This course will provide opportunities to further develop research skills, to write vividly, and to share their own stories and ideas. Specifically, in this class, students will (1) focus on the relationships between world environments, land, animals and humankind; (2) read various essays by environmental, conservational, and regional authors; and (3) produce student writings. Students will improve their writing skills by reading essays and applying techniques they witness in others’ work and those learned in class. This class is also a course in logical and creative thought. Students will write about humankind’s place in the world and our influence on the land and animals, places that hold special meaning to them or have influenced their lives, and stories of their own families and their places and passions in the world. Students will practice writing in an informed and persuasive manner, in language that engages and enlivens readers by using vivid verbs and avoiding unnecessary passives, nominalizations, and expletive constructions.

Students will prepare writing assignments based on readings and discussions of essays included in Literature and the Environment and other sources. They will use The St. Martin’s Handbook to review grammar, punctuation, mechanics, and usage as needed.

Required Text: Literature and the Environment: A Reader On Nature and Culture. 2nd ed., edited by Lorraine Anderson, Scott Slovic, and John P. O’Grady.

LING 203.S01 English Grammar

TuTh 12:30-1:45 p.m.

Dr. Nathan Serfling

The South Dakota State University 2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog describes LING 203 as consisting of “[i]nstruction in the theory and practice of traditional grammar including the study of parts of speech, parsing, and practical problems in usage.”

“Grammar” is a mercurial term, though. Typically, we think of it to mean “correct” sentence structure, and, indeed, that is one of its meanings. But Merriam-Webster reminds us “grammar” also refers to “the principles or rules of an art, science, or technique,” taking it beyond the confines of syntactic structures. Grammar also evolves in practice through application (and social, historical, economic changes, among others). Furthermore, grammar evolves as a concept as scholars and educators in the various fields of English studies debate the definition and nature of grammar, including how well its explicit instruction improves students’ writing. In this course, we will use the differing sensibilities, definitions, and fluctuations regarding grammar to guide our work. We will examine the parts of speech, address syntactic structures and functions, and parse and diagram sentences. We will also explore definitions of and debates about grammar. All of this will occur in units about the rules and structures of grammar; the application of grammar rhetorically and stylistically; and the debates surrounding various aspects of grammar, including, but not limited to, its instruction.

ENGL 210 Introduction to Literature

Jodi andrews.

Readings in fiction, drama and poetry to acquaint students with literature and aesthetic form. Prerequisites: ENGL 101. Notes: Course meets SGR #4 or IGR #3.

ENGL 222 British Literature II

TuTh 9:30-10:45 a.m.

This course serves as a chronological survey of the second half of British literature. Students will read a variety of texts from the Romantic period, the Victorian period, and the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, placing these texts within their historical and literary contexts and identifying the major characteristics of the literary periods and movements that produced them.

ENGL 240.ST1 Juvenile Literature

Randi l. anderson.

A survey of the history of literature written for children and adolescents, and a consideration of the various types of juvenile literature.

ENGL 240.ST1 Juvenile Literature: 5-12 Grade

In English 240 students will develop the skills to interpret and evaluate various genres of literature for juvenile readers. This particular section will focus on various works of literature at approximately the 5th-12th grade level.

Readings for this course include works such as Night, Brown Girl Dreaming, All American Boys, Esperanza Rising, Anne Frank’s Diary: A Graphic Adaptation, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451, The Giver, The Hobbit, Little Women, and Lord of the Flies . These readings will be paired with chapters from Reading Children’s Literature: A Critical Introduction to help develop understanding of various genres, themes, and concepts that are both related to juvenile literature, and also present in our readings.

In addition to exploring various genres of writing (poetry, non-fiction, fantasy, historical, non-fiction, graphic novels, etc.) this course will also allow students to engage in a discussion of larger themes present in these works such as censorship, race, rebellion and dissent, power and oppression, gender, knowledge, and the power of language and the written word. Students’ understanding of these works and concepts will be developed through readings, discussion posts, quizzes and exams.

ENGL 240.ST2 Juvenile Literature Elementary-5th Grade

April myrick.

A survey of the history of literature written for children and adolescents, and a consideration of the various genres of juvenile literature. Text selection will focus on the themes of imagination and breaking boundaries.

ENGL 242.S01 American Literature II

TuTh 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

Dr. Paul Baggett

This course surveys a range of U.S. literatures from about 1865 to the present, writings that treat the end of slavery and the development of a segregated America, increasingly urbanized and industrialized U.S. landscapes, waves of immigration, and the fulfilled promise of “America” as imperial nation. The class will explore the diversity of identities represented during that time, and the problems/potentials writers imagined in response to the century’s changes—especially literature’s critical power in a time of nation-building. Required texts for the course are The Norton Anthology of American Literature: 1865 to the Present and Toni Morrison’s A Mercy.

WMST 247.S01: Introduction to Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies

As an introduction to Women, Gender and Sexuality studies, this course considers the experiences of women and provides an overview of the history of feminist thought and activism, particularly within the United States. Students will also consider the concepts of gender and sexuality more broadly to encompass a diversity of gender identifications and sexualities and will explore the degree to which mainstream feminism has—and has not—accommodated this diversity. The course will focus in particular on the ways in which gender and sexuality intersect with race, class, ethnicity, and disability. Topics and concepts covered will include: movements for women’s and LGBTQ+ rights; gender, sexuality and the body; intersectionality; rape culture; domestic and gender violence; reproductive rights; Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW); and more.

ENGL 283.S01 Introduction to Creative Writing

MWF 1-1:50 p.m.

Prof. Steven Wingate

Students will explore the various forms of creative writing (fiction, nonfiction and poetry) not one at a time in a survey format—as if there were decisive walls of separation between then—but as intensely related genres that share much of their creative DNA. Through close reading and work on personal texts, students will address the decisions that writers in any genre must face on voice, rhetorical position, relationship to audience, etc. Students will produce and revise portfolios of original creative work developed from prompts and research. This course fulfills the same SGR #2 requirements ENGL 201; note that the course will involve creative research projects. Successful completion of ENGL 101 (including by test or dual credit) is a prerequisite.

English 284: Introduction to Criticism

This course introduces students to selected traditions of literary and cultural theory and to some of the key issues that animate discussion among literary scholars today. These include questions about the production of cultural value, about ideology and hegemony, about the patriarchal and colonial bases of Western culture, and about the status of the cultural object, of the cultural critic, and of cultural theory itself.

To address these and other questions, we will survey the history of literary theory and criticism (a history spanning 2500 years) by focusing upon a number of key periods and -isms: Greek and Roman Classicism, The Middle Ages and Renaissance, The Enlightenment, Romanticism, Realism, Formalism, Historicism, Political Criticism (Marxism, Post-Colonialism, Feminism, et al.), and Psychological Criticism. We also will “test” various theories we discuss by examining how well they account for and help us to understand various works of poetry and fiction.

• 300-400 level

ENGL 330.S01 Shakespeare

TuTh 8-9:15 a.m.

Dr. Michael S. Nagy

This course will focus on William Shakespeare’s poetic and dramatic works and on the cultural and social contexts in which he wrote them. In this way, we will gain a greater appreciation of the fact that literature does not exist in a vacuum, for it both reflects and influences contemporary and subsequent cultures. Text: The Riverside Shakespeare: Complete Works. Ed. Evans, G. Blakemore and J. J. M. Tobin. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1997.

ENGL 363 Science Fiction

MWF 11-11:50 a.m.

This course explores one of the most significant literary genres of the past century in fiction and in film. We will focus in particular on the relationship between science fiction works and technological and social developments, with considerable attention paid to the role of artificial intelligence in the human imagination. Why does science fiction seem to predict the future? What do readers and writers of the genre hope to find in it? Through readings and viewings of original work, as well as selected criticism in the field, we will address these and other questions. Our reading and viewing selections will include such artists as Ursula K. LeGuin, Octavia Butler, Stanley Kubrick and Phillip K. Dick. Students will also have ample opportunity to introduce the rest of the class to their own favorite science fiction works.

ENGL 383.S01 Creative Writing I

MWF 2-2:50 p.m.

Amber Jensen

Creative Writing I encourages students to strengthen poetry, creative nonfiction, and/or fiction writing skills through sustained focus on creative projects throughout the course (for example, collections of shorter works focused on a particular form/style/theme, longer prose pieces, hybrid works, etc.). Students will engage in small- and large-group writing workshops as well as individual conferences with the instructor throughout the course to develop a portfolio of creative work. The class allows students to explore multiple genres through the processes of writing and revising their own creative texts and through writing workshop, emphasizing the application of craft concepts across genre, but also allows students to choose one genre of emphasis, which they will explore through analysis of self-select texts, which they will use to deepen their understanding of the genre and to contextualize their own creative work.

ENGL 475.S01 Creative Nonfiction

Mondays 3-5:50 p.m.

In this course, students will explore the expansive and exciting genre of creative nonfiction, including a variety of forms such as personal essay, braided essay, flash nonfiction, hermit crab essays, profiles and more. Through rhetorical reading, discussion, and workshop, students will engage published works, their own writing process, and peer work as they expand their understanding of the possibilities presented in this genre and the craft elements that can be used to shape readers’ experience of a text. Students will compile a portfolio of polished work that demonstrates their engagement with course concepts and the writing process.

ENGL 485.S01 Writing Center Tutoring

MW 8:30-9:45 a.m.

Since their beginnings in the 1920s and 30s, writing centers have come to serve numerous functions: as hubs for writing across the curriculum initiatives, sites to develop and deliver workshops, and resource centers for faculty as well as students, among other functions. But the primary function of writing centers has necessarily and rightfully remained the tutoring of student writers. This course will immerse you in that function in two parts. During the first four weeks, you will explore writing center praxis—that is, the dialogic interplay of theory and practice related to writing center work. This part of the course will orient you to writing center history, key theoretical tenets and practical aspects of writing center tutoring. Once we have developed and practiced this foundation, you will begin work in the writing center as a tutor, responsible for assisting a wide variety of student clients with numerous writing tasks. Through this work, you will learn to actively engage with student clients in the revision of a text, respond to different student needs and abilities, work with a variety of writing tasks and rhetorical situations and develop a richer sense of writing as a complex and negotiated social process.

ENGL 492.S01 The Vietnam War in Literature and Film

Tuesdays 3-5:50 p.m.

Dr. Jason McEntee

In 1975, the United States officially included its involvement in the Vietnam War, thus marking 2025 as the 50th anniversary of the conclusion (in name only) of one of the most chaotic, confusing, and complex periods in American history. In this course, we will consider how literature and film attempt to chronicle the Vietnam War and, perhaps more important, its aftermath. I have designed this course for those looking to extend their understanding of literature and film to include the ideas of art, experience, commercial products, and cultural documents. Learning how to interpret literature and movies remains the highest priority of the course, including, for movies, the study of such things as genre, mise-en-scene (camera movement, lighting, etc.), editing, sound and so forth.

We will read Dispatches , A Rumor of War , The Things They Carried , A Piece of My Heart , and Bloods , among others. Some of the movies that we will screen are: Apocalypse Now (the original version), Full Metal Jacket , Platoon , Coming Home , Born on the Fourth of July , Dead Presidents , and Hearts and Minds . Because we must do so, we will also look at some of the more fascinatingly outrageous yet culturally significant fantasies about the war, such as The Green Berets and Rambo: First Blood, Part II .

ENGL 492.S02 Classical Mythology

TuTh 3:30-4:45 p.m.

Drs. Michael S. Nagy and Graham Wrightson

Modern society’s fascination with mythology manifests itself in the continued success of novels, films and television programs about mythological or quasi-mythological characters such as Hercules, the Fisher King, and Gandalf the Grey, all of whom are celebrated for their perseverance or their daring deeds in the face of adversity. This preoccupation with mythological figures necessarily extends back to the cultures which first propagated these myths in early folk tales and poems about such figures as Oðin, King Arthur, Rhiannon, Gilgamesh, and Odysseus, to name just a few. English 492, a reading-intensive course cross-listed with History 492, primarily aims to expose students to the rich tradition of mythological literature written in languages as varied as French, Gaelic, Welsh, Old Icelandic, Greek, and Sumerian; to explore the historical, social, political, religious, and literary contexts in which these works flourished (if indeed they did); and to grapple with the deceptively simple question of what makes these myths continue to resonate with modern audiences. Likely topics and themes of this course will include: Theories of myth; Mythological Beginnings: Creation myths and the fall of man; Male and Female Gods in Myth; Foundation myths; Nature Myths; The Heroic Personality; the mythological portrayal of (evil/disruptive) women in myth; and Monsters in myth.

Likely Texts:

• Dalley, Stephanie, trans. Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others. Oxford World’s Classics, 2009
• Faulkes, Anthony, trans. Edda. Everyman, 1995
• Gregory, Lady Augusta. Cuchulain of Muirthemne: The Story of the Men of the Red Branch of Ulster. Forgotten Books, 2007
• Jones, Gwyn, Thomas Jones, and Mair Jones. The Mabinogion. Everyman Paperback Classics, 1993
• Larrington, Carolyne, trans. The Poetic Edda . Oxford World’s Classics, 2009
• Matarasso, Pauline M., trans. The Quest of the Holy Grail. Penguin Classics, 1969
• Apollodorus, Hesiod’s Theogony
• Hesiod’s Works and Days
• Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Homeric Hymns
• Virgil’s Aeneid
• Iliad, Odyssey
• Apollonius of Rhodes Argonautica
• Ovid’s Heroides
• Greek tragedies: Orestaia, Oedipus trilogy, Trojan Women, Medea, Hippoolytus, Frogs, Seneca's Thyestes, Dyskolos, Amphitryon
• Clash of the Titans, Hercules, Jason and the Argonauts, Troy (and recent miniseries), Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?

ENGL 492.ST1 Science Writing

Erica summerfield.

This course aims to teach the fundamentals of effective scientific writing and presentation. The course examines opportunities for covering science, the skills required to produce clear and understandable text about technical subjects, and important ethical and practical constraints that govern the reporting of scientific information. Students will learn to present technical and scientific issues to various audiences. Particular emphasis will be placed on conveying the significance of research, outlining the aims, and discussing the results for scientific papers and grant proposals. Students will learn to write effectively, concisely, and clearly while preparing a media post, fact sheet, and scientific manuscript or grant.

Graduate Courses

Engl 575.s01 creative nonfiction.

In this course, students will explore the expansive and exciting genre of creative nonfiction, including a variety of forms such as personal essay, braided essay, flash nonfiction, hermit crab essays, profiles, and more. Through rhetorical reading, discussion, and workshop, students will engage published works, their own writing process, and peer work as they expand their understanding of the possibilities presented in this genre and the craft elements that can be used to shape readers’ experience of a text. Students will compile a portfolio of polished work that demonstrates their engagement with course concepts and the writing process.

ENGL 592.S01: The Vietnam War in Literature and Film

Engl 704.s01 introduction to graduate studies.

Thursdays 3-5:50 p.m.

Introduction to Graduate Studies is required of all first-year graduate students. The primary purpose of this course is to introduce students to modern and contemporary literary theory and its applications. Students will write short response papers and will engage at least one theoretical approach in their own fifteen- to twenty-page scholarly research project. In addition, this course will further introduce students to the M.A. program in English at South Dakota State University and provide insight into issues related to the profession of English studies.

ENGL 792.ST1 Grant Writing

This online course will familiarize students with the language, rhetorical situation, and components of writing grant proposals. Students will explore various funding sources, learn to read an RFP, and develop an understanding of different professional contexts and the rhetorical and structural elements that suit those distinct contexts. Students will write a sample proposal throughout the course and offer feedback to their peers, who may be writing in different contexts, which will enhance their understanding of the varied applications of course content. Through their work in the course, students will gain confidence in their ability to find, apply for, and receive grant funding to support their communities and organizations.