Figurative Language

Making what we read and write “sing”
Imagery
 Using the five senses to describe (descriptive language,
lots of adjectives)
Example
The breeze from
the kitchen brought
the sweet smell of
cinnamon and
summer peaches,
reminding her of
her childhood.
Clues
 Uses lots of adjectives
 Makes you feel as if you are there
 All about “visualization”
Simile
Comparing two unlike things
by using “like” or “as”
Ex. She loved so completely, it
was as if she could wrap us in
its warmth.
Metaphor
Comparing two unlike things
as to suggest a similarity
between the two (does not
use like or as)
Ex. She cocooned us in the
warmth of her love.
What type?
Examples
•Her hair was like
silk.
•His eyes shined
like stars in the
night sky.
What type?
Examples
•She was a beacon
of light in the vast
darkness that
consumed me.
•His eyes were dark
pools reflecting
nothing.
Alliteration
 The repetition of consonants within close words
Examples:
 Peter piper picked a pack of pickled peppers.
 The wild and wooly walrus waits and wonders when we
will walk by.
Personification
 Giving human like traits to plants animals and ideas
 It is meant to evoke emotion.
Examples
• The teddy bear
smiled as the boy
held him close.
•The tree seemed to
dance to the breath
of the wind.
Onomatopoeia
 Writing the way something sounds
Examples: BOOM!, hisss, buzzzz, woof
Hyperbole
 A big exaggeration!
 Usually meant to be humorous
Examples:
 It was a mile high ice cream cone.
 The dog was so large he could have swallowed me
whole!
Idioms
 Phrases particular to a culture
 Can not be translated literally
Examples:
 She sings at the top of her lungs.
 It is raining cats and dogs.

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