Figurative Language= Fun Figures of Speech hyperbole alliteration simile Figurative Language= Fun Figures of Speech personification onomatopoeia idiom metaphor

literal and figurative. Literal vs. Figurative To understand figurative language, we must understand the difference between literal and figurative.

Literal To be literal is to mean what you say. For example: If I tell you, “Sit down in your seat.” I mean it literally: “Sit down in your seat.” My meaning is exactly what I say. There is no other interpretation.

Figurative To be figurative is to not mean what you say. For example: If I tell you, “Let’s go chill.” I do not mean it literally. I don’t want us to get inside a freezer. “Let’s go chill” means let’s relax together and do something fun. It has nothing to do with temperature. Other examples?

Figurative as imaginary or exaggerated Confused? Think of it this way: Literal as real Figurative as imaginary or exaggerated

Figurative Language Defined as: Descriptive language that should not be taken literally Techniques to make your writing more interesting, vivid, and dramatic! We will be looking at 7 techniques (also known as figures of speech). Ex: Simile, Metaphor, Alliteration, Onomatopoeia, Hyperbole, Personification, and Idiom.

Technique 1: Alliteration (Review from Poetry) ALLITERATION: The repetition of initial sounds; wonderful words that certainly sound super ex: Sheep shouldn’t sleep in a shack. Sheep should sleep in a shed. ex: Great Green Gorillas Growing Grapes in a Gorgeous Glass Greenhouse. ex: A big black bug bit a big black bear, making the big black bear bleed blood.

Animalia Away From Home Tongue Twisters New Kid on the Block Literature Examples of Alliteration (available for independent reading) Animalia Away From Home Tongue Twisters New Kid on the Block

Technique 2: Simile SIMILE: a comparison between two unlike things using like or as ex: The young child was quiet as a mouse. ex: She eats like a pig. ex: His temper was as explosive as a volcano.

Technique 3: Metaphor METAPHOR:  a comparison of unlike things by suggesting that one thing is something else Note: A simile says that one this is like another thing. A metaphor says one thing is another thing. ex: She is a graceful swan. ex: The unhappy baby was a screaming siren.

Swamp Angel Owl Moon Seven Blind Mice Literature Examples of Similes & Metaphors (available for independent reading) Swamp Angel Owl Moon Seven Blind Mice

Technique 4: Onomatopoeia ONOMATOPOEIA: “Sound words”; Words that imitate the sounds they represent ex: drip ex: squeaky

The Great Pumpkin Switch Listen to the Rain Literature Examples of Onomatopoeias (available for independent reading) The Great Pumpkin Switch Listen to the Rain

Technique 5: Personification PERSONIFICATION: when human qualities are assigned to non-human things (animals, objects, ideas, etc.) ex: The flowers danced in the wind. - Sentence associates the human ability to dance with flowers. ex: The tree branch tapped at my window asking to come in from the rain. - We may ask to come in from the rain… but can trees?

Call Me Ahnighito The Little House Literature Examples of Personification (available for independent reading) Call Me Ahnighito The Little House

Technique 6: Hyperbole HYPERBOLE (an overstatement): an extreme exaggeration used for effect Note: This is a four-syllable word pronounced hye-PER-buh-lee. ex: We have a ton of homework. -Fact or fiction? -A ton is a thousand pounds…

Literature Examples of Hyperboles (available for independent reading) Where the Sidewalk Ends Ex: “WHO” (pg 63) There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat!

Technique 7: Idiom IDIOM: an expression or phrase that means something different from what its words actually mean ex: It’s raining cats and dogs. ex: He is down in the dumps.

Literature Examples of Idioms (available for independent reading) Punching the Clock Mad as a Wet Hen