Kinds of Figurative Language

By Ms. Luke

Similies

• Definition – a stated comparison of two

unlike things using the words like or as .

• Examples

• Hannah has a mind like a steel trap

• The child was as light as a feather.

• Her evening gown sparkled like a diamond.

• The girls hair was as soft as silk

Metaphors

• Definition- is a figure of speech that compares two different things without using the words like or as.

• Examples

• Alma is a wizard in math.

• Monifah was a perfect angel at the party

• Chauncey’s desk is a junkyard

• Jenny is a walking dictionary.

Hyperbole

• Definition- an exaggeration used for effect

• Examples

• I am so hungry, I could eat a horse.

• I think I just gained fifty pounds after eating this huge dinner.

• I must have a million mosquito bites.

• It will take a year to clean your desk!

Alliteration

• Definition- The repetition of initial sounds in two or more consecutive or neighboring words.

• Example

• Peter Piper picked a pack of pickled peppers

• Sally sold seashells by the sea shore.

• The mouse made millions of muffins.

Imagery

• Definition- The use of language that appeals to the senses and produces mental images.

• Examples-• Grandma's hugs burn my skin.  

sight: the rose is bright redhearing: it sounds like the chirping of several birds, with their high voices.smell: the air smells like going to the countryside. fresh and green. no smell of smoke but the fresh waters and the leaves.touch: it feels bumpy yet gives off a welcoming warmthtaste: it tastes sweet yet spicy at once, with a tinge of orange taste.

Idiom

• Definition- An expression whose meaning cannot be determined by its literal meaning.

• Examples• To keep an eye on

someone• Raining cats and dogs• To have cold feet• Smell a rat• At the end of one’s rope• Hold your horses

• To bury the hatchet• To be tongue tied• Icing on the cake• Hold your horses• All ears• Spill the beans• Under the weather• Eyes bigger than your

stomach• In one ear and out the

other

Pun

• Definition – is a humorous play on words that are similar in sound but different in meaning.

• Examples• In a butcher shop window: "Never a bum steer."

On a diaper service truck: "Rock a dry baby."At a lumberyard: "Come see, come saw."On a plumber's truck: "A flush beats a full house."At the tire store: "We skid you not!"

• My computer is so slow it hertz. MacGyver• Joe refused to eat sushi because it looks fishy.• Trust your calculator. It's something to count on. • When baking dog biscuits, be sure to use collie flour.

Riddle

• Definition-A riddle is a statement or question having a double or veiled meaning, put forth as a puzzle to be solved

• Examples• What does a lazy dog to

for fun? Chase parked cars

• What kind of cheese is made backward? edam

• What month has 28 days? All of them

• What is in the middle of Paris? The letter R

• What goes up but does not go down? Your age

• Why do chickens lay eggs? If they drop them they break

• Why do lions eat red meat ? Because they never learned to cook

Joke

• Definition-a funny, made-up story with a punch line told by one person.

• Examples- • from Akira, age 8,

England• Q: What room do ghosts

not go in.A: The living room.

• from Meghan, age 11, USA

• Q: What's a math teacher's favorite kind of tree? A: A geome-TREE!

Q: What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?A: Frostbite.

Palindrome

• Definition – a word or word phrase which reads the same in both directions.

• Examples- RACECAR• ROTOR• EYE• DEED• CIVIC

• MOM• DAD• ANNA• AVIVA• BOB• NEVER ODD OR EVEN• STEP ON NO PETS.• MA HANDED EDNA

HAM• NUN

Personification

• Definiton- giving human qualities on inanimate objects, ideas,or animals

• Examples• “My computer hates me.”• “The camera loves me.”• “The sun kissed the

flowers. “• The sun woke up and

greeted me this morning.

• Example• "Wind yells while blowing" • "Wind yells while blowing" is

an example of personification because wind cannot yell. Only a living thing can yell.

• Necklace is a friend

• "Necklace is a friend" is an example of personification because Necklace is a thing, and necklaces cannot be friends. Only living things can have friends.

Onomatopoeia

• Definition-the use of words that mimic the sounds they represent.

• Examples-

• Bang, boom, buzz, clatter, crunch, ding dong,hiss,plop,squish,whack,jingle,moan,

• quack,meow,roar,quack and moan

Rhythm

• Definition-the pattern of beats in speech or a line of verse. "flow" of the words in a poem or story.

• Example• A Clumsy Young Fellow Named Tim

There once was a fellow named Tim (A) whose dad never taught him to swim. (A)

He fell off a dock (B) and sunk like a rock. (B)

And that was the end of him. (A)

Quiz

• What type of figurative language?

1. That girl is as thin as a rail2. Please Pack my pink pants.3. You are my sunshine4. RACECAR5. The sunshine kissed my

face6. What is black and white and

read all over? A news paper7. Buzz

8.Q: What room do ghosts not go in.A: The living room.

9. It’s raining cats and dogs10. Trust your calculator. It's

something to count on. 11.I am so hungry I could eat a

horse

Answers

1. Simile2. Alliteration3. Metaphor4. Palindrome5. Personification6. Riddle7. Onomatopoeia8. Joke9. Idiom10. Pun11. Hyperbole