Figures of Speech

• Metaphor


  A metaphor compares two different things, including objects, ideas, feelings or thoughts. We say that something is something else.
• Metaphor examples


  • Jim is a giraffe
  • Life is a roller coaster
• Simile


  A simile compares two different things using the words 'like' or 'as'.
• Simile examples


  • Jim is as tall as a giraffe
  • She swam like a fish
• Onomatopoeia


  A word that sounds like what it describes, used to make writing more interesting and help the reader hear the sounds.
• Onomatopoeia examples


  • The water went splash
  • The lion roared
  • The balloon popped
• Personification


  Assigning human qualities to something non-human, to make the writing more interesting and create an image.
• Personification examples


  • The tree is dancing in the wind
  • The stars winked in the night sky
• Idiom


  A group of words with a different meaning from the literal meaning, used to get a point across in an interesting way.
• Idiom examples


  • Break a leg (meaning good luck)
  • The exam was a piece of cake (meaning the exam was very easy)
• Alliteration


  The repetition of the same letter or sound at the beginning of words, used to make writing more interesting, create rhythm and set the mood.
• Alliteration examples


  • The sly snake slithers slowly in the sand
  • Fair is foul and foul is fair
• Hyperbole


  An exaggerated statement to describe something as worse or better than it actually is, used to catch the reader's attention and make writing more interesting.
• Hyperbole examples


  • They were dying of laughter
  • My suitcase weighs a ton
• Assonance


  The repetition of the same vowel sound in a sentence, used to make writing more interesting and fun, create rhythm and set the mood.
• Assonance examples


  • Sam claps his hands and stamps his feet
  • The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain
• Oxymoron


  A sentence or phrase with two opposite or contradicting words, used to interest the reader and add playfulness.
• Oxymoron examples


  • The chair is pretty ugly
  • Alex is seriously funny
• Pun


  A humorous use of words that convey another meaning, used to make writing more interesting and create a humorous effect.
• Pun examples


  • I like kids but I don't think I could eat a whole one
  • A boiled egg for breakfast is hard to beat