Figures of MeMaria Jerez

3/22/12Period 8

OnomatopoeiaWords that imitate the sound they represent.

• My dog barks “woof, woof!” every day when I get home from school.

MetaphorComparison of two unlike things without using the words like or as.

• My coach’s lineup for our game this weekend is a recipe for disaster.

SimileComparison of two unlike things using the words like or as.

• For my little sister, Disney Channel is as good as gold.

AlliterationThe repetition of initial consonant sounds.

• Monday mornings make me mad.

PersonificationGiving human traits to non-human things, including animals.

• It always seems that all the radio stations stop singing and give commercials at the same time.

HyperboleObvious and intentional exaggeration.

• My grandpa said: “If Spain doesn’t win the World Cup, I will die.”

IdiomA form of expression natural to a language, person, or group of people.

• When my family and I first got here from Venezuela, we had to struggle to make ends meet.

ClichéA trite or overused expression or idea.

• In fifth grade, whenever I wasn’t sure about an answer, my teacher always told me: “Go with your gut”.

OxymoronFigure of speech in which contradictory terms appear side by side.

• When I got sick on the night of the party, Carlos came over to my house and told me that at least we were alone together.

IronyUse of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning. Sarcasm is verbal irony.

• I think it’s ironic that almost every time I'm online, I see a pop-up to get rid of advertisements.

SymbolismRepresenting things by means of symbols.

• When I went to the emergency room on Friday I saw the Caduceus (symbol for medicine).

AllusionAn indirect reference to a person, place, literary work, etc.

• If I ever tell my mom that I want to do something that everyone else is doing, she tells me that sometimes, the road not taken makes all the difference. (Allusion to “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost).

ImageryVisually descriptive or figurative language, appeals to the senses.

• I still remember the salty smell, the soft feeling of the sand slipping through my toes, and the clashing of the waves around me from the first time I went to the beach in Spain.