Figures of Speech

1
Figures of Speech
Introducing
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2
Introduction

• Authors often use figures of speech in both
  literature and poetry to enhance their writing.
• Figures of speech present ordinary things in new
  or unusual ways.
• They communicate ideas that go beyond the words
  usual, literal meanings.

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3
Objectives

• By the end of this class, you should be able to
• Recognize nine figures of speech
• Identify figures of speech in poems

4
Directions

• In the first section, you will be introduced to
  seven figures of speech and examples of each.
• You must correctly answer a multiple choice
  question about each term before moving on to the
  next.
• But dont worry youll be given a chance to
  review and re-do a question if you answer
  incorrectly.

5
Imagery
Definition

• Descriptive writing that appeals to the senses
  (sight, taste, touch, smell, and hearing)

Think of it this way
When a writer uses imagery, the descriptive
writing helps create a picture or image in your
mind.
Imagery Mental Image
6
Imagery
Example
The hot July sun cast an orange glare over the
ocean waves.
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Imagery
Another example
The cool waves crashed over my feet as we walked
along the gritty sand.
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Which of the following is another example of
imagery?(Click on a sentence to select your
answer.)
There is a white bird in the sky. The delicate
white bird flew gracefully through the blue sky.
I heard the birds and saw them flying.
Click this arrow if youd like to review before
answering.
9
Try Again

• Remember When a writer uses imagery, he or she
  chooses words that will appeal to some or all of
  the readers five senses.
• Think about which of the sentences most appeals
  to your five senses.

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10
Youre Right!

• The delicate white bird flew gracefully through
  the blue sky is an example of imagery because it
  gives the reader a mental image by appealing to
  the senses.

Click the arrow to continue.
11
Simile
Definition

• Comparing two unlike things using like or as

Example
She ran like the wind.
Explanation
Running and the wind are unlike things. When you
compare the speed of running to the speed of the
wind, you are using a simile.
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Simile
More examples
The snow was as thick as a blanket. She was as
light as a feather. You are acting like a
baby. He felt like a bug under a microscope. His
temper was as explosive as a volcano.

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Which of the following is NOT another example of
a simile?(Click on a sentence to select your
answer.)
Hes as messy as a pig when he eats. He eats
like a pig. He is a pig.
Read the question carefully before answering!

Click this arrow if youd like to review before
answering.
14
Try Again

• When a writer uses simile
• Two unlike things are being compared
• The words like or as are being used to make the
  comparison

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15
Youre Right!

• He is a pig is NOT a simile because even though
  it does compare two unlike things, it does not
  use the words like or as.

Click the arrow to continue.
16
Metaphor

• The definition of a metaphor is similar to the
  definition of a simile but there is one important
  difference between the two.

• Remember the definition of simile has two parts
• Two unlike things are being compared
• The words like or as are used to make the
  comparison

There will also be two parts to the definition of
a metaphor.
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Metaphor vs. Simile

• Use the following examples to figure out the
  definition of metaphor.

Simile Fido is like a teddy bear. Simile Fido
is as soft as a teddy bear. Metaphor Fido is a
teddy bear.
Simile That boy is like a pig. Simile That boy
is as messy as a pig. Metaphor That boy is a
pig.
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Which of the following is the correct definition
for metaphor?(Click on a definition to select
your answer.)
Comparing two similar things by using like or as
Comparing two similar things without using like
or as Comparing two unlike things by using like
or as Comparing two unlike things without using
like or as
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answering.
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Try Again

• Take another look at these examples.

Simile Fido is like a teddy bear. Simile Fido
is as soft as a teddy bear. Metaphor Fido is a
teddy bear.
Consider thisAre the two things being compared
like or unlike each other? Are there keywords
that are used in one figure of speech that are
not used in the other?
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20
Youre Right!

• Although similes and metaphors both compare
  unlike things, metaphor do not use the words like
  or as.

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Alliteration

• Take a look at the following examples of
  alliteration. You will later select the best
  definition for this figure of speech.

Brad wore his blue and brown blazer. Hank held
his head high. Larry loves lemonade and lolly
pops. Six swans went swimming in the sea.
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Alliteration
Have you figured it out yet? Here are more
examples to help refine your definition.


Alliteration ? Sue shook her silky silver hair as
the sun was setting. NOT Alliteration ? Elizabeth
easily eyed an elephant in the elevator.
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Which of the following is the best definition for
alliteration?(Click on a definition to select
your answer.)
Repetition of beginning consonant sounds
Repetition of beginning vowel sounds
Repetition of ending consonant sounds Repetition
of ending vowel sounds
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answering.
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Try Again

• Look at this example again.
• Six swans went swimming in the sea.
• Think about what is repeating.
• Is it a consonant sound or a vowel sound?
• Is it at the beginning or end of the words?

Click the arrow to try again.
25
Youre Right!

• Alliteration is the repetition of beginning
  consonant sounds, such as Six silly swans went
  swimming in the sea.

Its important to note that not every word in the
sentence has to begin with the same letter in
order for it to be considered alliteration. In
the above example, only 5 out of 8 words begin
with an s.
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Hyperbole

• Think about the following examples of hyperbole.
  You will later select the best definition for
  this figure of speech.

My backpack weighs a ton.
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Hyperbole
Another example

The wolf was 100 feet high.
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Hyperbole
More examples

You could have knocked me over with a feather.
Ive told you a million times!
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Which of the following is the best definition for
hyperbole?(Click on a definition to select your
answer.)
A major understatement the opposite of
exaggeration A true statement that accurately
describes a person, place, or thing A major
exaggeration or overstatement used for emphasis
or humor
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answering.
30
Try Again

• Think about the examples again.
• The wolf was 100 feet high.
• My backpack weighs a ton.
• Are these true statements?
• Does it understate or overstate the truth?

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31
Youre Right!

• Hyperbole is a major exaggeration or
  overstatement.
• Authors use this figure of speech to emphasize a
  point or add humor.

Think about many times in a day you exaggerate
what you say and use hyperbole.
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Onomatopoeia
When you see this
You often hear this
Buzz
Ring
Buzz and ring are both examples of onomatopoeia.

• Start thinking about what you think is best
  definition for this figure of speech.

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Onomatopoeia
More examples
When you see this
You often hear this
Moo
Boom
Quack
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Which of the following is the best definition for
onomatopoeia?(Click on a definition to select
your answer.)
A word that looks like its meaning A word that
sounds like its meaning A word that only
describes animal sounds
Click this arrow if youd like to review before
answering.
35
Try Again

• Think carefully about the words buzz, bang, and
  moo.
• Do these words look like their meanings?
• Do these words sound like their meanings?
• Do these words only describe sounds that
  animals make?

Click the arrow to try again.
36
Youre Right!

• Onomatopoeia is a word that sounds like its
  meaning.
• It can also be described as the use of a word
  which imitates a sound.
• Other examples include screech, whirr, sizzle,
  crunch, bang, pow, zap, roar, growl, click, snap,
  crackle, and pop.

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Personification
Definition

• Giving human traits or characteristics to
  something that isnt human, such as animals,
  objects or non-living things

Think of it this way
When a writer uses personification, he or she
gives characteristics of a person to an animal,
object or thing.
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Personification
Example
The willow tree shook her long hair.
Explanation
The example is referring to the way that the
willow trees long branches sway in the wind.
By saying shook her long hair, the tree is
given characteristics of a human.
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Personification
More examples
The car danced across the icy road. The angry
clouds marched across the sky. The stars in the
clear night sky winked at me. The tulips nodded
their heads in the breeze.

40
Which of the following sentences contain
personification?(Click on a sentence to select
your answer.)
The wind juggled the leaves. The wind blew the
leaves. The wind moved the leaves.
Click this arrow if youd like to review before
answering.
41
Try Again

• Think carefully about the choices.
• The wind juggled the leaves.
• The wind blew the leaves.
• The wind moved the leaves.
• Which one of the verbs describes something that
  only a human does?

Click the arrow to try again.
42
Youre Right!

• The wind juggled the leaves is an example of
  personification.

43
Metonymy

• Definition
• Something is named to replace something
• closely related to it.
• Example
• Feathers in my hair
• Applause
• The examples are used to replace social classes
• (the rich and the famous)

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More examples

• Thirty hands are employed in that factory.
• The hostess kept a good table.

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SYNECDOCHE

• Definition
• The whole is replaced by the part or the part by
  the whole.
• Example
• 50 heads of cattle
• Explanation
• head is used to mean whole animals.

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• More examples
• Best brains in the country

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Part TwoDirections

• Youve made it through the first part of the
  tutorial!
• Now you will be given poems and asked to choose
  which figure of speech is shown.
• You will be able to look back at a definition
  page to help you along the way.

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Definitions

• Alliteration Repetition of beginning consonant
  sounds
• Hyperbole A major exaggeration or overstatement
• Imagery Descriptive writing that appeals to the
  senses
• Metaphor Comparing two unlike things without
  using like or as
• Onomatopoeia A word that sounds like its meaning
• Personification Giving human traits or
  characteristics to something that isnt human
• Simile Comparing two unlike things using like or
  as

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slide.
49
Untitled

• Bang! The starters gun
• thin raindrops
• sprint.
• -Dorthi Charles Knock at a Star

Which figure of speech is highlighted in the
above poem? (Click on the figure of speech to
select your answer.) Simile Alliteration
Metaphor Onomatopoeia
Click this button if youd like to review the
definition page before answering.
50
Try Again

• Take a look at the definitions below and decide
  which figure of speech is being used when the
  poet says, Bang!

Simile Comparing two unlike things using like or
as Alliteration Repetition of beginning
consonant sounds Metaphor Comparing two unlike
things without using like or as Onomatopoeia A
word that sounds like its meaning
Click the arrow to try again.
51
Youre Right!

Bang! is an example of onomatopoeia because it
is a word that sounds like its meaning.
52
The Wind

• The wind stood up, and gave a shout
• He whistled on his fingers, and
• Kicked the withered leaves about,
• And thumped the branches with his hand,
• And said hell kill, and kill, and kill
• And so he will! And so he will!
• - James Stephens Knock at a Star

Which figure of speech is highlighted in the
above poem? Alliteration Personification On
omatopoeia Hyperbole
53
Try Again

• Take a look at the definitions below and decide
  which figure of speech is being used when the
  poet says, The wind stood up, and gave a shout /
  He whistled on his fingers.

Alliteration Repetition of beginning consonant
sounds Personification Giving human traits to
something that isnt human Onomatopoeia A word
that sounds like its meaning Hyperbole A major
exaggeration or overstatement
Click the arrow to try again.
54
Youre Right!

When James Stephens says, The wind stood up, and
gave a shout / He whistled on his fingers, he is
using personification. He is giving human
characteristics, such as shouting and whistling
on fingers, to the wind.
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The Runner

• On a flat road runs the well-trained runner,
• He is lean and sinewy with muscular legs,
• He is thinly clothed, he leans forward as he
  runs,
• With lightly closed fists and arms partially
  raised.
• - Walt Whitman Knock at a Star

Which figure of speech is highlighted in the
above poem? Metaphor Personification Imager
y Hyperbole
56
Try Again

• Take a look at the definitions below and decide
  which figure of speech is being used when the
  poet says, As he runs /
• With lightly closed fists and arms partially
  raised.

Metaphor Comparing two unlike things without
using like or as Personification Giving human
traits to something that isnt human Imagery
Descriptive writing that appeals to the senses
Hyperbole A major exaggeration or overstatement

Click the arrow to try again.
57
Youre Right!
When Walt Whitman says, As he runs / With
lightly closed fists and arms partially raised,
he is using imagery. He is using descriptive
writing that appeals to our sense of sight to
help us create a mental image of the runner.
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Peach

• Touch it to your cheek and its soft
• as a velvet newborn mouse
• who has to strive to be alive.
• Bite in. Runny
• honey
• blooms on your tongue-as if youve bitten opena
  whole hive.
• And so he will! And so he will!
• - Rose Rauter Knock at a Star

Which figure of speech is highlighted in the
above poem? Onomatopoeia Simile Hyperbole
Metaphor
59
Try Again

• Take a look at the definitions below and decide
  which figure of speech is being used when the
  poet says, Its soft as a velvet newborn mouse.
  

Onomatopoeia A word that sounds like its
meaning Simile Comparing two unlike things using
like or as Hyperbole A major exaggeration or
overstatement Metaphor Comparing two unlike
things without using like or as
Click the arrow to try again.
60
Youre Right!

When Rose Rauter says, Its soft as a velvet
newborn mouse, she is using a simile. She uses
the word as to compare two unlike things (a
peach and a mouse).
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Excerpt from Im Proud of My Preposterpus

• Im proud of my Preposterpus,
• so ponderous and pale,
• I love the way it whistles
• when it swizzles ginger ale.
• Its magnificent in stature,
• fully twenty-four feet tall,
• so it tends to draw attention
• when I take it to the mall.
• - Jack Pretulsky A Pizza the Size of the
  Sun

Which figure of speech is highlighted in the
above poem? Hyperbole Alliteration Onomatop
oeia Metaphor
62
Try Again

• Take a look at the definitions below and decide
  which figure of speech is being used when the
  poet says, Im proud of my Preposterpus /so
  ponderous and pale.

Hyperbole A major exaggeration or overstatement
Alliteration Repetition of beginning consonant
sounds Onomatopoeia A word that sounds like its
meaning Metaphor Comparing two unlike things
without using like or as
Click the arrow to try again.
63
Youre Right!

When Jack Prelutsky says, Im proud of my
Preposterpus / so ponderous and pale, he is
using alliteration. He is repeating the
beginning consonant sound of p while he is
describing the Preposterpus.
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Dreams

• Hold fast to dreams
• For if dreams die
• Life is a broken-winged bird
• That cannot fly.
•  
• Hold fast to dreams
• For when dreams go
• Life is a barren field
• Frozen with snow.
• - Langston Hughes The Dream Keeper and Other
  Poems

Which figure of speech is highlighted in the
above poem? Simile Personification Metaphor
Onomatopoeia
65
Try Again

• Take a look at the definitions below and decide
  which figure of speech is being used when the
  poet says, Life is a broken-winged bird / That
  cannot fly.

Simile Comparing two unlike things using like
or as Personification Giving human traits or
characteristics to something that isnt
human Metaphor Comparing two unlike things
without using like or as Onomatopoeia A word
that sounds like its meaning
Click the arrow to try again.
66
Youre Right!

When Langston Hughes says, Life is a
broken-winged bird / That cannot fly, he is
using a metaphor. He compares two unlike things
(life and a bird) without using the words like or
as.
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A Pizza the Size of the Sun

• Im making a pizza the size of the sun,
• a pizza thats sure to weigh more than a ton,
• a pizza too massive to pick up and toss,
• a pizza resplendent with oceans of sauce.
• Im topping my pizza with mountains of cheese,
• with acres of peppers, pimentos, and peas,
• with mushrooms, tomatoes, and sausage galore,
• with every last olive they had at the store.
• My pizza is sure to be one of a kind,
• my pizza will leave other pizzas behind,
• my pizza will be a delectable treat
• that all who love pizza are welcome to eat.
• The oven is hot, I believe it will take
• a year and a half for my pizza to bake.
• I hardly can wait till my pizza is done,
• my wonderful pizza is the size of the sun.

Which figure of speech is highlighted in the
above poem? Onomatopoeia Simile Hyperbole P
ersonification
68
Try Again

• Take a look at the definitions below and decide
  which figure of speech is being used when the
  poet says, Im making a pizza the size of the
  sun / a pizza thats sure to weigh more than a
  ton.

Onomatopoeia A word that sounds like its
meaning Simile Comparing two unlike things using
like or as Hyperbole A major exaggeration or
overstatement Personification Giving human
traits or characteristics to something that isnt
human
Click the arrow to try again.
69
Youre Right!

When Jack Prelutsky says Im making a pizza the
size of the sun / a pizza thats sure to weigh
more than a ton, he is using hyperbole. He is
exaggerating about the size of the pizza that is
being made.
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Bibliography

• Hughes, Langston. The Dream Keeper and Other
  Poems. Scholastic, Inc. New York, 1996.
• Kennedy, X. J., and Kennedy, Dorothy. Knock at a
  Star. Little, Brown and Company New York,
  1999.
• Prelutsky, Jack. A Pizza the Size of the Sun.
  Scholastic, Inc. New York, 1996.