Figurative Language

is used when a writer describes something using comparisons that go beyond literal meaning. The words mean more than what they say on the surface.

is NOT MEANT to be interpreted by the definition of the words.

is used in all types of writing

Simile

A simile is a comparison between two unlike things that have something in common.

A simile always uses the words “like” or “as” to make a comparison.

EXAMPLE: Her dress is as bright as the sun.

Let’s try to create a few similes!

Leon’s hat is as ____ as ________________________

The deer ran like the wind during a tornado on a Kansas morning.

____________ is as quick as lightening.

_____________ is as solid as a rock.

Metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech comparing two unlike things that have something in common.

A metaphor DOES NOT CONTAIN the use of the words “like” or “as”.

EXAMPLE: Her dress is the bright sun, yellow and shining!

The Difference between Similes and Metaphors!!!

Similes My friend is as tall as a willow tree.

Rebecca is as sharp as a knife. Her dress is as colorful as a rainbow.

It is raining like bullets. Metaphors

My friend is a tall willow tree, strong and bold! Rebecca is a sharp knife, quick and brilliant with her

answers! Her dress is a colorful rainbow after a midday shower.

It is raining bullets.

Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia is the imitation of natural sounds in word form.

These words help us form mental pictures about the things, people, or places that are described.

EXAMPLES: buzz, bang, pop, sizzle, roar

Underline all of the onomatopoeias in this poem. Onomatopoeia every time I see ya My senses tell me hubba And I just can’t disagree I get a feeling in my heart that I can’t describe It’s sort of lub, dub, lub, dub A sound in my head that I can’t describe It’s sort of zoom, zip, hiccup, drip Ding, dong, crunch, crack, bark, meow, whinnie, quack Onomatopoeia in proximity ya Rearrange my brain in a strange cacophony I get a feeling somewhere that I can’t describe It’s sort of uh, uh, uh, uh A sound in my head that I can’t describe It’s sort of whack, whir, wheeze, whine Sputter, splat, squirt, scrape Clink, clank, clunk, clatter Crash, bang, beep, buzz Ring, rip, roar, retch Twang, toot, tinkle, thud Pop, plop, plunk, pow Snort, snuk, sniff, smack Screech, splash, squish, squeak Jingle, rattle, squeal, bong Honk, hoot, hack, belch

Hyperbole Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect. DO NOT confuse a hyperbole with a simile or metaphor (because it often compares two items). However, the difference is that with a hyperbole the comparison is an exaggeration. EXAMPLES: I could sleep for a year. I died laughing. Write your own hyperbole:________________

What is the exaggeration in the following hyperboles?

I had a million dishes to wash last night.

Susan ate a million doughnuts this morning.

Can you think of a hyperbole that doesn’t use a million? Write one here:

______________________________________

Repetition

Repetition is when one or more words are repeated to show urgency or importance.

Example: “The Bells” A poem by Edgar Allan Poe

To the swinging and the ringing

of the bells, bells, bells--

Of the bells, bells, bells, bells

Bells, bells, bells--

To the rhyming and the chiming of the bells!

(As you can see, the word bells is repeated throughout the poem to increase enthusiasm and to create a memorable rhythm)

Where is the Repetition?

Dig it oh oh oh, dig it I don't have to dig tomorrow because I have the gold tube. Dig it oh oh oh, dig it I wish I could talk to my mom and tell her I'm sorry. Dig it oh oh oh, dig it Mr. Sir's sunflower seeds were easy to snatch. Dig it oh oh oh, dig it That Stanley thinks he's tough, but I'm tougher. Dig it oh oh oh, dig it

Personification

Personification is when an author gives an idea, object, or animal human characteristics or traits.

EXAMPLE: The tree danced in the wind.

The tree is the object….danced is the human characteristic.

A few other examples of personification….

The camera loves me!

The car sprinted down the road.

The sun greeted me this morning.

Can you think of an example of personification that personifies an object not a animal?

__________________________________

Alliteration

Alliteration is the repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables.

When writers want to emphasize certain words, they may use alliteration.

EXAMPLE: Sally sold seashells at the seashore.

Idioms

Idioms are words, phrases, or expressions that cannot be taken literally. They are sayings that are specific to a certain language.

EXAMPLES: Write what each idiom means.

• Cat got your tongue:_____________________

• Fish out of water:_______________________

• We are on the same page:___________________

• It’s in the bag:__________________________

• Write an idiom that you have heard before:

____________________________________

More about Idioms…

In other words, idioms have meanings that can't be figured out by looking up the words in the dictionary. They have meanings that are understood by people who speak that language, but are very hard to understand for people who don't speak that language.

Highlight circle similes, underline metaphors, draw a rectangle around alliterations,

highlight hyperboles in yellow & highlight repetitions in another color. “If Only”

The old man’s been stealin’ She’s holding her grievance for a hundred-odd years We all keep believin’ That history repeats itself year after year

All I fear's that the future is worse We have to give in to the hundred-year curse Sweat in the sun like we’re digging a grave Dig deep enough and our fortune we'll save (chorus) If only, if only The woodpecker sighs The bark on the trees was as soft as the skies As the wolf waits below hungry and lonely He cries to the mo-oo-n If only, if only Chasing the sky A beautiful wife You'll make mistakes And it’s my back that breaks And forever my past steals my life To submission I’m beat But there’s hope beneath these feet

Blisters and blood And the sun makes you blind Don’t let it eat Till it can’t help but be kind Cause you know what’s important With your back to the wall You can break metal chains And you’re friends don’t let you fall

(chorus) I’m a soul But I find myself lent That is no use When I’m finding my history, finding my history I am no plane, I’m more like a feather That is no use When I’m finding my history, finding my history I am no plane, I’m more like a feather But I can’t fly away without finding myself (chorus) (repeat chorus)