Intro to Figurative Language What is figurative language? **any figure of speech which depends on a non-literal meaning of some or all of the words used. Why do authors use figurative language? **to help the reader form a mental image of what occurs and to engage the reader It’s your job to determine what the author means!

Types of Figurative Language Personification Similes/Metaphors Hyperbole Alliteration Onomatopoeai Idioms

Hint: look at verbs, adjectives, and adverbs for personification. Personification is giving human traits (qualities, feelings, action, or characteristics) to non-human objects (things, colors, qualities, or ideas). Hint: look at verbs, adjectives, and adverbs for personification. 

EXAMPLE: The window winked at me. Turn to the window EXAMPLE: The window winked at me. Turn to the window. Do you see it winking?

Gotcha!!! No, of-course you don’t – windows can’t wink -silly! The verb, wink, is a human action. A window is a non-human object. TaDa!! Personification!

Here are some personification examples. The sailboat danced gracefully past us. The flames ate hungrily at the burning house. The once-proud trees bent meekly before the storm. The broad, flat rock lay sunning itself by the stream.

Notice how personification creates a word picture. Your Turn Notice how personification creates a word picture. Your Turn. Can you recognize the personification in each sentence below? The fog crept silently into the valley. The tree fought the wind with its branches The computer devoured information all day long. The hikers left the meadow and were swallowed by the forest.

Let’s practice…. Look at the words below Let’s practice….. Look at the words below. Try to give each word a quality of a human with a partner. Now quickly draw the literal version of one of your sentences on the page- share with the class. Stars Grass Table Night

What is the object being personified and the meaning of the personification in these sentences? The wind sang her mournful song through the falling leaves. The microwave timer told me it was time to turn my TV dinner. The video camera observed the whole scene. The strawberries seemed to sing, "Eat me first!"

With your partner, determine the object being personified and what the personification means.  1.  The winter wrapped its icy claws around Northeast Pennsylvania. 2.  The alarm clock screeched that it was time to get up. 3.  Fear grabbed me as I heard footsteps behind me. 4.  The washer sputtered and groaned as it removed the mud       from the knees of my old jeans. 5.  The printer spit out more copies than I needed. 6.  The branches of the tree pointed to the old dirt road. 7.  The flood waters swallowed the trees in one big gulp. 8.  The stars winked at us from the night sky. 9.  Listening to the piano sing its happy tune made me want to      dance. 10.  That carrot cake with the cream cheese icing is calling my name.

Poets often use this form of Figurative Language to create exciting visual images with words.

What characteristics does this snow have? Snow speaks to the people its falling above in the glooming sunlight. Its white sparkling voice echoes as it falls through the air. By Jake

"Summer Grass" by Carl Sandburg Summer grass aches and whispers     It wants something: it calls and sings; it pours    out wishes to the overhead stars.    The rain hears; the rain answers; the rain is slow coming; The rain wets the face of the grass.

April Rain Song Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby. The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk. The rain makes running pools in the gutter. The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night. And I love the rain. by Langston Hughes

What are Langston Hughes' feelings toward rain? What does he want his audience to do? How does personification help him make his point? What do you notice about the language he uses to describe the rain?