sss
part of speech
interjection, sound word (sss, ssss, sssss)
meaning for a pupil
1) "Sss" is the hissing sound of a snake, written down. tree →
2) It can be the sound of air or steam escaping, or of something sizzling. tree →
3) In phonics, /s/ or "sss" is how teachers say the sound of the letter s. tree →
sense in the lessons
In stories and comics, "Sss!" shows a snake hissing, which tells the reader it may be angry or warning. In phonics lessons, children learn to say "sss" for s, not "ess". It is also similar to "shh" or "psst", used to get attention quietly. It is a sound, not a real word.
examples
- "Sssss!" hissed the snake from behind the rock. tree →
- The tyre went "sss" as the air came out. tree →
- Sausages went "sss" in the hot pan. tree →
- In phonics, the letter s says "sss", like a snake. tree →
- "Sss — keep your voice down!" whispered my friend. tree →
- The kettle went "sssss" before it boiled. tree →
- Draw a snake and write "sss" in a speech bubble. tree →
note
Not a dictionary word but a written sound (onomatopoeia). You can add more s's to make the sound longer. Different from "shh" (be quiet) and "psst" (to catch someone's attention).
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «sss» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.