Figurative Language Terms

Figurative Language Is the use of words that go beyond their ordinary meaning. It requires you to use your imagination to figure out the author's meaning.

Alliteration The repetition of beginning consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables. (Tongue Twisters) Example: The wild and woolly walrus waits and wonders when we’ll walk by. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

Imagery What are your five senses? Sight, Hearing, Touch, Taste, and Smell An image conveys a sense perception , i.e., a visual picture, a sound, a feeling of touch, a taste, or an odor Imagery = a noun used to refer to a set of related images in poem or the totality of images in a poem:

Assonance The repetition of vowel sounds in words or syllables, but with different consonant sounds. Example Fleet feet sweep by sleeping.

Hyperbole BIG exaggeration, usually with humor. Example: Mile-high ice cream cones

Idiom An expression of 2 or more words that means something other than the actual meaning of its words. Example: She sings at the top of her lungs. Hold your horses – I’m coming.

Metaphor Comparing two things that are not alike to suggest that they actually have something in common. Example: Sea of grief - How and where does one come across a sea that is filled not with water, but with grief? Broken heart - Your heart is not literally broken into pieces; you just feel hurt and sad.

Personification Giving something actual human qualities Examples: The stuffed bear smiled as the little boy hugged him close. The run down house appeared depressed. The wind howled its mighty objection. The ocean waves lashed out at the boat and the storm continued to brew.

Onomatopoeia Naming a thing or an action by imitating the sound associated with it. Example: Buzz, hiss, roar, woof, bang

Simile A figure of speech comparing two unlike things using the words “like” or “as.” Example “cute as a kitten,” comparing the way someone looks to the way a kitten looks “as busy as a bee” comparing someone’s level of energy to a fast-flying bee You were as brave as a lion.

Understatement Expression with less strength than expected. The opposite of hyperbole. I’ll be there in one second. This won’t hurt a bit.

Rhyme The last words of the lines match with each other in some form. Either the last words of the first and second lines would rhyme with each other or the first and the third, second and the fourth and so on…

Symbolism Conveying ideas through a symbol. Example Heart = Love Skull & Crossbones = poison Black is used to represent death or evil. A chain can symbolize the coming together of two things.

Oxymoron A figure of speech in which two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect Examples: Great Depression Act naturally "I am busy doing nothing." 

Consonance The recurrence of similar sounds, especially consonants. Examples: Mike likes his new bike. It will creep and beep while you sleep.

Allusion An expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference. Examples: “I was surprised his nose was not growing like Pinocchio’s.” This refers to the story of Pinocchio, where his nose grew whenever he told a lie. It is from The Adventures of Pinocchio, written by Carlo Collodi. 

Allusion—examples continued: “He was a real Romeo with the ladies.” Romeo was a character in Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, and was very romantic in expressing his love for Juliet.  

Irony The expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect. Examples: A man who is a traffic cop gets his license suspended for unpaid parking tickets. I posted a video on YouTube about how boring and useless YouTube is.

Irony—examples continued: There are roaches infesting the office of a pest control service. A plumber spends all day working on leaky faucets and comes home to find a pipe has burst in his home.