Thunderstorm
👀 Sight (10)
1. Bolt – a jagged flash of lightning
A bolt tore across the sky like a vein of molten silver.
2. Overcast – a grey sky, heavy with cloud
The overcast heavens (poetic term for sky) loomed with silent threat.
3. Torrent – a violent stream of water/used metaphorically for a sudden rush of
ANYTHING (a torrent of noises)
Torrents gushed from rooftops like furious waterfalls.
4. Deluge – an overwhelming flood
The deluge swallowed the streets in seconds.
5. Fork – a branch of lightning
Each fork of light carved the darkness like a blade.
6. Nimbus – a rain-filled storm cloud
A nimbus hovered, swollen and trembling.
7. Darkness – thick, oppressive absence of light
Darkness pooled in the crevices of the trembling world.
8. Silhouette – black shapes against lit sky
The tree stood a twisted silhouette beneath the flashes.
9. Flash – sudden burst of light
Each flash exposed the world in ghostly snapshots.
10. Skyline – the horizon’s edge
The skyline shimmered with electric tension.
👂 Sound (10)
1. Thunderclap – sudden loud boom
The thunderclap was so fierce it shook windowpanes.
2. Roar – deep, powerful sound
A roar rolled through the valley like a waking beast.
3. Crackle – high, sharp static sound
Crackles danced along the power lines.
4. Rumble – continuous, low noise
A distant rumble whispered the storm’s approach.
5. Howl – wind’s screaming voice
The wind howled like a grieving ghost.
6. Drum – rhythmic pounding
Raindrops drummed a war rhythm on the rooftop.
7. Crash – violent impact noise
A crash of thunder split the silence like a cleaver.
8. Hiss – soft whisper of rain
A hiss rose as raindrops kissed the pavement.
9. Boom – loud, resonant noise
The boom echoed like cannon fire in the hollow sky.
10. Whistle – wind cutting through small gaps
The storm’s breath whistled through broken shutters.
✋ Touch (10)
1. Spray – fine mist of water
The spray clung to his skin like cold lace.
2. Chill – an icy feeling
A chill crept beneath his clothes like fingers.
3. Pelting – forceful striking of rain
The pelting rain lashed at skin like thrown nails.
4. Mud – wet, sticky earth
Each step sunk into mud that gurgled in protest.
5. Pressure – heavy air before lightning
A crushing pressure held the air taut with tension.
6. Vibration – the tremble of thunder
The ground vibrated with every distant boom.
7. Slickness – smooth wet surfaces
The stones grew slick, betraying every step.
8. Dampness – moisture clinging to everything
Dampness soaked into sleeves, into breath, into bone.
9. Static – tingling sensation before a strike
A prickle of static lifted the hairs on his arm.
10. Grime – rain-mixed filth
Rain turned the dust to grime that streaked windows.
👃 Smell (10)
1. Ozone – the sharp, electric smell before lightning
Ozone bit the air — clean, fierce, expectant.
2. Earth – rich scent of soil
The scent of split earth bloomed in the downpour.
3. Petrichor – smell after rain hits dry ground
Petrichor rose like incense from the cracked dirt.
4. Smoke – something smouldering in the distance
Somewhere, lightning had summoned the scent of smoke.
5. Wet leaves – decay and dampness
The air was thick with the musk of wet leaves.
6. Rust – metallic tang of wet iron
The iron gate bled rust into the storm’s breath.
7. Rain – soft, fresh scent
The rain’s breath was sharp and alive.
8. Damp wood – moldy, forest scent
The branches exhaled the scent of damp wood and rot.
9. Ash – faint burning carried on the wind
The storm stirred ash from forgotten fires.
10. Mildew – wet, stale smell
Walls oozed the smell of mildew and stillness.
Taste (5)
1. Metal – tang on the tongue during lightning
The air tasted faintly of metal and warning.
2. Rain – cool, soft taste
Rain tapped her lips like a shy ghost.
3. Salt – in coastal storms
Salt clung to the wind, stinging and wild.
4. Dust – dry taste before the rain breaks
She tasted dust — the silence before the scream.
5. Smoke – acrid taste in the wind
Smoke curled past her teeth like a swallowed whisper.
🎨 Literary Devices (Thunderstorm)
🌩 Similes
1. Lightning forked like shattered glass across the heavens.
2. The wind screamed like a banshee in mourning.
3. Raindrops hammered the roof like a thousand tiny fists.
4. The clouds churned like blackened ocean waves.
5. Thunder cracked like bones breaking in the sky.
⚡ Metaphors
1. The sky was a bruised battlefield, trembling with fury.
2. Angry gods seemed to war above, hurling their wrath to Earth.
3. The rain was a curtain of nails, slicing the landscape.
4. Darkness poured from the clouds like ink across a painting.
5. The house held its breath, walls tense with waiting.
💬 Personification
1. The thunder grumbled in discontent across the hills.
2. Lightning licked the treetops with electric tongues.
3. The wind snatched at her coat, howling for attention.
4. Raindrops raced down the window, weeping in unison.
5. The storm stalked the land, a predator of silence.
🔊 Alliteration
1. Forked flashes flickered fiercely across the firmament.
2. Ruthless rain rattled against the rooftops.
3. Boiling blackness bled into the skyline.
4. Hollow howls haunted the highway.
5. Twisted trees trembled in torment.
🔮 Symbolism
1. Lightning: sudden truth, divine punishment, or clarity.
2. Thunder: warning, suppressed emotion, or divine voice.
3. Rain: cleansing, sorrow, rebirth.
4. Darkness: the unknown, fear, approaching chaos.
5. Wind: fate, the breath of nature, unrest.
Sample Full-Mark IGCSE Descriptive Writing Response
Prompt: Describe a place during a thunderstorm.
The world stood still as the sky fractured open. Forked lightning slashed through the
overcast canopy, each flash exposing the land in fractured glimpses — the gnarled silhouette
of trees, the shimmer of puddles forming like silver wounds in the earth. Thunder did not
simply roll; it roared, a primal cry from the belly of the clouds.
Rain descended in sheets — not gentle, not forgiving — but as a cascade of punishment,
drenching rooftops and soil alike in a flood of cold fury. It was not merely falling; it attacked,
pelting windowpanes, ricocheting off stone, racing in frantic rivulets down the alleyways. A
nimbus, swollen and trembling, hung overhead like a curse yet to be spoken.
Each bolt of lightning carved the darkness with surgical precision, illuminating the storm's
terrible beauty — the twisted branches clawing at the sky, the shutters flailing against their
frames, the desperate tremble of nature overwhelmed. The wind howled — not through
gaps but into souls — shrieking like a wounded animal, shoving against doors, unhinging
peace.
And within it all, the silence between strikes held the most menace. The silence was waiting.
It carried a tension that pressed on the lungs, a quiet that made every heartbeat louder. The
air itself trembled — thick with ozone, slick with damp — as though it, too, feared what
came next.
And then, another flash. Another roar. The storm had not passed. It had only begun to
speak.
