Portuguese Year 4: Tools that give a text more force
Portuguese, Year 4 (Portugal): Recognise onomatopoeia, interjections, comparisons and puns, and see what they do to the meaning of a text.
Tricks to hear, feel and see
Writers use tricks to make a text heard, felt and seen. An onomatopoeia imitates a sound: «pum!», «tic-tac», «miau». An interjection is a cry of feeling: «Ai!», «Uf!», «Viva!». A comparison joins two things with «como» (like): «rápido como o vento» (fast as the wind). A pun (trocadilho) plays with a word that has two meanings or sounds like another. All of them strengthen the meaning of the text.
What they add
Without these tools, «The balloon burst» only states a fact; with «Pum!», you hear the balloon. A comparison lets you see what someone is like, an interjection lets you feel the emotion, and a pun makes you laugh. That is why they appear in poems, comics, riddles and jokes: they give the text colour and sound.
Finding the tools in a text
«Pum! O balão rebentou. — Ai! — gritou o Tiago, e fugiu, rápido como um coelho.» (Boom! The balloon burst. “Ouch!” shouted Tiago, and ran away, fast as a rabbit.) Step 1: «Pum!» imitates the sound of the balloon: onomatopoeia. Step 2: «Ai!» is a cry of fright: interjection. Step 3: «rápido como um coelho» joins Tiago and a rabbit with «como»: comparison. Pun: «Porque é que o livro de matemática estava triste? Porque tinha muitos problemas.» (Why was the maths book sad? Because it had many problems.) «Problemas» means sums and troubles.
Onomatopoeia or interjection?
Many people mix up onomatopoeia and interjection. Ask yourself: does this imitate a sound of the world, or is it what a person says when feeling something? «Pum!» and «tic-tac» imitate sounds: onomatopoeias. «Ai!» and «Uf!» come from someone in pain or relieved: interjections. Beware of «como», too: in «Eu como uma maçã» (I eat an apple), «como» is the verb «comer», so there is no comparison.
Comics, songs and adverts
You see these tools in comics («Pum!», «Plof!»), in songs, in riddles and in adverts. You use them without noticing: you say «Ui!» when you burn a finger, and «rápido como o vento» (fast as the wind) about a classmate. A pun on a poster or in an advert makes you remember the brand.
Test what you learned
In a text about a clock, «tic-tac» is which tool?
- a) Onomatopoeia, because it imitates a sound
- b) Comparison, because it has two words
- c) Pun, because it is funny
Correct answer: a) Onomatopoeia, because it imitates a sound — Yes: «tic-tac» imitates the noise the clock makes.
Read: «Uf! — suspirou a Ana, calma como um lago.» (Phew! sighed Ana, calm as a lake.) Which tools does the sentence have?
- a) Onomatopoeia and pun
- b) Interjection («Uf!») and comparison («calma como um lago»)
- c) Only a comparison
Correct answer: b) Interjection («Uf!») and comparison («calma como um lago») — Yes: «Uf!» shows a feeling, and «como» joins Ana and a lake.
«— Ai! — gritou a Rita.» (“Ouch!” shouted Rita.) The word «Ai!» is…
- a) an onomatopoeia, because it imitates a sound
- b) a comparison, because it is short
- c) an interjection, because it shows a feeling
Correct answer: c) an interjection, because it shows a feeling — Yes: «Ai!» is a cry of pain or fright, which is what an interjection is.
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