Painting with Language? By Laura Thomas

What is Figurative Language? 1)Figurative language is a tool that an author employs (or uses) to help the reader visualize (or see) what is happening in a story or poem. 2)Figurative language compares two things that are different in enough ways so that their similarities, when pointed out, are interesting, unique and/or surprising.

Some Types of Figurative Language Simile Metaphor Hyperbole Idiom Personification

Simile Simile- comparing two unlike things using “like” or “as” Jenny walked as quiet as an Indian through the woods.

Metaphor Metaphor- Compares two things that are alike in some way in order to clarify our understanding of one of them I’m drowning in money

Hyperbole Hyperbole-Big exaggeration usually with humor She ate a ton of pancakes.

Personification Personification- Gives something human qualities The tree watches him sleep.

Idiom Idiom-A speech form or an expression of a given language that is peculiar to itself grammatically or cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its elements. Example: The man is the black sheep in his family and is the only one who has not made a success of himself.

Figure Out the Language The following are examples of which figurative language tools ? 1) Run like the wind. 2)Sandy is a human calculator. 3)She ate a mile-high ice cream cone. 4)The student came into the classroom as loud as a horn. 5)The new worker is pretty green.

Works Cited Kids Connect Definitions for: Figurative Language *University of Maribor Faculty of Education Department of English and American Studies mb.si/eng/dept/eng/text/metaphor.htm Definitions for Metaphor/examples of language V *Volunteer Web Schools ms/1poe.htmhttp://volweb.utk.edu/Schools/bedford/harris ms/1poe.htm Definitions for Figurative Language