Which line is an example of onomatopoeia?

Which line is an example of onomatopoeia?

• A. Buzz!
• B. My alarm clock screamed at me from the corner of the room
• C. Eric is a monster on the field
• D. Grandma clucked like a hen as she fussed over the sick child

Answer: (A)

Onomatopoeia are words that imitate real sounds. Buzz! directly names the buzzing sound and is written to resemble the sound itself, which is why it’s the best example. The other lines show sound or mood in different ways: the alarm clock line uses vivid personification to make the clock seem alive; the monster line is a metaphor comparing someone to a monster; the grandma line describes clucking as an action, not a word that imitates a sound. So Buzz! is the clear onomatopoeia.

Onomatopoeia are words that imitate real sounds. Buzz! directly names the buzzing sound and is written to resemble the sound itself, which is why it’s the best example. The other lines show sound or mood in different ways: the alarm clock line uses vivid personification to make the clock seem alive; the monster line is a metaphor comparing someone to a monster; the grandma line describes clucking as an action, not a word that imitates a sound. So Buzz! is the clear onomatopoeia.