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Words of sound
Find the sound words in the story, and learn what they add to it.
'The Day the River Spoke' is full of sound words. A sound word does more than say there was a noise: it tells you what the noise was like, so you can hear the scene. Try saying each one aloud!
Here are the sound words from the story (your book explains them in the margin):
| Word | Meaning | In the story |
|---|---|---|
| splashed | fell in drops, making a sound | a tear splashed down her nose |
| slithered | moved by sliding side to side (like a snake) | a lizard slithered to the water |
| murmuring | speaking in a low voice | the River's sleepy, murmuring voice |
| shrieked | made a high-pitched sound | parrots shrieked |
| startled | surprised | Jahnavi was startled |
That's how Jahnavi knew the voice wasn't a parrot: parrots shriek, and this voice murmured.
Four more:
| Word | Meaning | In the story |
|---|---|---|
| rustle | the light sound of leaves rubbing together | why do bamboo trees rustle? |
| rattling | the noise of things shaking | trains rattling past the bridge |
| wailed | complained in a loud voice | "They'd never let me!" Jahnavi wailed |
| conspiratorially | secretly, as if sharing a secret | the River spoke conspiratorially |
When you write a story, pick a sound word instead of just 'said' or 'went'. "The leaves rustled" lets your reader hear them!
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