Figurative Language

1
Figurative Language

• A tool used to help the reader visualize (or see)
  what is happening in a story or poem.

Similes, metaphors, personification, hyperbole,
onomatopoeia, imagery alliteration, symbolism and
idioms are all types of figurative language you
will learn about in this unit.
2
The Simile

• A comparison using like or as.
• Usually a comparison of two unlike things

• He swims like a fish
• His eyes are as blue as the ocean.
• His feet are as big as boats.

3
The Metaphor
Stating that one thing is something else. It
is a comparison without using like or as

• The car was a sauna when I first got in!

He has giraffe legs
4
Personification

• Giving human qualities, feelings, actions, or
  characteristics to inanimate (non-human) objects.
• The flowers reached for the sun.

The verb reached is a human action. Flowers are
inanimate objects. This results in
personification.
5
Onomatopoeia

• The formations or use of words such as splash or
  buzz that imitate the sounds associated with the
  objects or actions to which they refer.

6
Hyperbole

• An exaggeration of the truth.
• Such statements are not literally true, but
  people make them to sound impressive or to
  emphasize something, such as a feeling, effort,
  or reaction
• I havent seen her in forever!!
• I tried a thousand times!

7
Alliteration

• Alliteration is the repetition of the initial
  consonant. There should be at least two
  repetitions in a row (or with an
  article/conjunction in between).
• Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
• The first letter, p, is a consonant. Its sound
  is repeated many times.
•  

8
Imagery

• Appeals to the five senses using descriptive
  adjectives.

Sight Sound Smell Touch Taste
Which of the five senses does the following
example appeal to? The stench of his sweaty,
moldy gym bag filled the air as he walked in the
room.
9
Symbolism

• Symbolism is using one thing (a symbol) to stand
  for or represent something else.
• Symbols can represent feelings, math, countries,
  religions, people, sports, or words. Authors use
  symbols to represent ideas in their writing.

10
Idioms

• An expression that means something other than the
  literal meaning of its individual words. They
  are overused expressions.

• Examples
• Its raining cats and dogs!
• She is getting under my skin these days!
• My grandfather is no spring chicken!