Figurative language

• Figurative Language


  Compare two unlike ideas to increase understanding of one<|>Describe ideas sometimes difficult to understand<|>Show a deeper emotion or connection<|>Influence the audience<|>Help make connections<|>Make descriptions easier to visualize<|>Elicit an emotion
• Types of Figurative Language

  • Simile
  • Metaphor
  • Personification
  • Onomatopoeia
  • Oxymoron
  • Hyperbole
  • Litotes
  • Idiom
  • Alliteration
  • Allusion
• Simile


  A comparison between two unlike things using the words "like," "as" or "than." Often used to highlight a characteristic of one of the items, similes rely on the comparison.
• Simile


  • My mother is as busy as a bee.
  • They fought like cats and dogs.
  • My dog has a bark as loud as thunder.
  • Her love for her children is as constant as the passing of time.
• Metaphor


  A direct comparison without using the comparative words "like" or "as." Metaphors equate the two things being compared to elicit a stronger connection and deepen the meaning of the comparison.
• Metaphor


  • Her smile is the sunrise.
  • Your son was a shining star in my classroom.
  • The tall trees were curtains that surrounded us during our picnic.
  • The ants soldiered on to steal our dessert.
• Personification


  Attributing human characteristics to nonhuman things. This personifies objects and makes them more relatable.
• Personification


  • The chair squealed in pain when the hammer smashed it.
  • The tree's limb cracked and groaned when lightning hit it.
  • My heart jumped when my daughter entered the room in her wedding dress.
  • The computer argued with me and refused to work.
• Onomatopoeia


  The use of descriptive words that sound or mimic the noise they are describing.
• Onomatopoeia


  • The water splashed all over the top of the car.
  • Owls screech through the night and keep us awake when we are camping.
  • My stomach grumbled in hunger as we entered the restaurant.
  • Thumping and booming in excitement, my heart pounded to hear the results of the lottery.
• Oxymoron


  A description using two opposite ideas to create an effective description. The format is often an adjective proceeded by a noun.
• Hyperbole


  An over-exaggeration used to emphasize an emotion or description. Sometimes this figurative also implements the use of simile and comparative words.
• Hyperbole


  • I am so hungry I would eat dirt right now.
  • My brother is taller than a skyscraper.
  • The concert was so loud the drums echoed in space.
  • Racing through the day was a marathon run for me.
• Litotes


  Figures of speech that use understatement to make a point. It is often sarcastic in tone. The statement is affirmed by negating the opposite.
• Idiom


  A commonly used expression that has acquired a meaning different from its literal meaning. These phrases vary by culture and language. They are often difficult to grasp for language learners because the expression's true meaning is so different than what is being expressed.
• Idiom


  • My grandmother's garden is flourishing because of her green thumb.
  • The children could not play baseball because it was raining cats and dogs outside.
  • You must play your cards right to win at the game of life.
  • Some people throw in the towel before they should and never learn the value of working hard for success
  • under the weather
• Alliteration


  The repetition of the same consonant sound at the start of one or more words near one another. It is often used to emphasize an emotion or reveal a stronger description.
• Allusion


  A reference to a well-known person, place, thing or event of historical, cultural or literary merit. It requires the audience to use their background knowledge to understand the meaning.
• Allusion


  • You stole the forbidden fruit when you took his candy.
  • He didn't do anything as bad as chopping down a cherry tree.
  • She was Helen of Troy of the class and made all the boys fight.
  • My little girl ran faster than a speeding bullet when she grabbed my lipstick.