Figurative Language

Figurative Language is important for students to know when reading and writing.

Here is a list of the figurative language we are discussing currently.

Oxymoron- a combination of words that have very different meanings from each other used to describe.

Ex. "pretty ugly" as in "That dog looks pretty ugly to me."

Hyperbole- means an exaggeration.

Ex. "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!"  just means that someone is really hungry not that they could actually eat a horse.

Simile- comparing two unlike things using the words like or as.

Ex. "He was as fast as lightening."            or                 "She was sweet like candy."
Compares a boy's speed to the speed of lightening.      Compares the girl's sweet personality to candy.

Personification- giving a non-living thing human traits.

Ex.  "The walls have ears!"  or "The cloud is crying big tears."

Alliteration- repeating beginning words sounds

Ex. "busy bumbling bee"   or "Sally sells seashells by the seashore."

Metaphor- compares two unlike things by saying that one thing IS another thing.

Ex. "The problem was a sledgehammer on my brain."  or  "She was a graceful swan when she swam."

Idiom- an expression that DOES NOT mean what the individual words mean

Ex. "It's raining cats and dogs."  or "The test was a piece of cake."

Onomatopoeia- the use of words that suggest a sense of sound

Ex. Buzz!  Bang!  Hissss! Clap!