Polish Your Writing With… HM H yperbole M etaphors IO I dioms O nomatopoeia SP S imiles P ersonification H. I. S. M. O. P.

Hyperbole HYPERBOLE (hy-PER-buh-lee) is simply exaggeration.  My teacher is so old that even her wrinkles have wrinkles.  I have a million things to do today.  He has a brain the size of a pea.  I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse. H

Idioms I IDIOM (ID-ee-um) is a word, phrase, or expression that does not mean what it really says, and has a historical origin.  That old horse is about to kick the bucket.  I decided to throw in the towel on the card game.  Jenny has a bee in her bonnet.  I’ve got my eye on you.

Similes S SIMILE (SIM-uh-lee) is a comparison of 2 UNLIKE things using LIKE or AS.  I was as nervous as a snake in a room full of rocking chairs.  Walking on that sand was like walking on a red-hot skillet.  Susan is as dull as a rubber knife.  The mist covered the grass like a silken robe.

Metaphors M METAPHOR (MET-uh-for) is a comparison of 2 UNLIKE things WITHOUT LIKE or AS.  My friend, the strong ox, pushed the car alone.  After the marathon, Dad’s legs were spaghetti.  My home is a prison.  The moon was a ghostly coin tossed to the heavens.

Onomatopoeia O ONOMATOPOEIA (on-uh-mah-tuh-PEE-uh) are words for SOUNDS.  The doorbell dinged and donged all night.  All was quiet except for the hum of the computer.  Fireworks crackled in the cool breeze.  His voice boomed throughout the house.

Personification P PERSONIFICATION (per-son-if-uh-KAY-shun) gives human qualities or actions to nonhuman things.  Computers hate me.  The restless wind juggled the leaves.  The hungry chainsaw chewed up the logs.  The school bus spit out children at every stop.

POP Quiz What type of figurative language is used in each sentence? 1. Random gossip buzzed through the lunchroom. 2. The camera loves me. 3. He is an old, haggard mule. 4. I turned a hundred shades of red. 5. You’re making a mountain out of a molehill.

POP Quiz Answers What type of figurative language is used in each sentence? 1. Random gossip buzzed through the lunchroom. (P or O) 2. The camera loves me. (P) 3. He is an old, haggard mule. (M) 4. I turned a hundred shades of red. (H) 5. You’re making a mountain out of a molehill. (I)