Sound and the Senses Flashcards
All 12 cards in this deck
What is alliteration, and what can it do?
Repeating the same consonant sound at the start of nearby words. It draws attention to a phrase and can create rhythm. Hard sounds feel harsh, as in 'the bitter, biting breeze'.
What is sibilance, and what effects can it create?
Repeated s and sh sounds. They can sound soft and hushed ('the sea sighed in its sleep') or sinister and hissing, depending on the words around them.
What is onomatopoeia, and what does it do?
A word that sounds like the noise it describes, such as crackle, thud or hiss. It makes a scene audible and immediate for the reader.
What is assonance, and what effect can it have?
Repeated vowel sounds in nearby words. Long vowels can slow the pace and create a mournful or calm mood, as in 'the low moan of the old road'.
What are plosive sounds, and what effect do they have?
The sounds p, b, t, d, k and g, made with a burst of air. Clustered together they can feel abrupt, aggressive or explosive.
What is sensory language, and why do writers use it?
Description that appeals to sight, sound, smell, taste or touch. It immerses the reader in the scene, and the sense chosen matters: smell often triggers memory, while touch often conveys discomfort or comfort.
What is synaesthesia in description?
Describing one sense in terms of another, such as 'a loud yellow coat' or 'a sharp smell'. It makes an impression feel intense and unusual.
How should you write about a sound effect such as alliteration?
Link the sound to meaning: say what noise it imitates or what mood it creates, and connect that to the focus of the question. Just spotting alliteration is feature spotting and earns little.
A passage uses sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. Should you comment on all five?
No. Choose the sensory detail that does the most work and explain why that sense was chosen. Working through all five like a checklist leads to thin comments.
In 'The gravel crunched under the tyres', which technique is used and what is its effect?
Onomatopoeia. 'Crunched' makes the arrival loud and noticeable, as if it breaks a silence and announces that someone has come.
In 'Soft snow settled silently on the sleeping street', which technique is used and what is its effect?
Sibilance. The repeated s sounds are hushed, like a whisper, creating a calm, muffled, peaceful atmosphere.
In 'The air tasted of salt and diesel', what is the effect of the sensory language?
Describing air by its taste makes the harbour physically immediate. Pairing natural salt with industrial diesel suggests a working place, not a picture-postcard one.