1. FIGURATIVE
LANGUAGE

2. Simile: A comparison of two unlike objects that uses “like” or “as”
Example: The sun is like a yellow ball of fire in the sky.

3. Make a list of 5 verbs. Next, write the phrase “like a” after each verb. Finish each simile phrase by adding a noun and specifying what is being compared. Example: My cousin sings like an angel.

4. Metaphor: Comparing two unlike objects by suggesting the likeness between them 
Example: She was an angel. All of her friends admired her generosity and high spirits.

5. Choose six colors and create metaphors to explain what you think of when you see each color. Example: Yellow is a sunflower growing in a field.

6. Cliché: A word or phrase that has become overly familiar or overused.
Example: No pain, No gain

7. “It was a dark and stormy night” is an overused way to begin a scary or suspenseful story. Put an interesting twist on this cliché by changing two of the words in the sentence. Write a short story that begins with your new sentence.

8. Hyperbole: Exaggeration, usually with humor.
Example: If I don’t get these jeans, I’m going to die!!!

9. Another example of a hyperbole is, “I waited in line for a million years.” What other examples of hyperbole can you think of? Why would using hyperbole be better than simply telling the truth? Write your own hyperbole.

10. Idiom: Language that is peculiar to a group of people
Idiom: Language that is peculiar to a group of people. Often the visual image is different from the literal meaning.
Example: He was on cloud 9.

11. Choose a slip from the bucket in the front
Choose a slip from the bucket in the front. Don’t simply copy off of you neighbor, because all of the phrases are different. Draw a picture that illustrates the visual image that comes to mind when you read the phrase. Then, write the literal meaning of the word below.

12. Personification: Giving something human qualities
Example: The wind whispered through the trees, as I continued down the path to Grandmother’s house.

13. Choose One Option A: Imagine that your favorite toy from your childhood could talk. What memories does it have? What does it think about you? Option B: Explain a typical day from the point of view of the MTA bus.

14. Onomatopoeia: Naming a thing or action by imitating the sound associated with it.
Example: Buzz
Example: Hiss
Example: Roar

15. Pun: A joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words that sound alike and have different meanings.
Example: Speaking ill of the dead is a grave mistake.

16. PUNS

17. Corny jokes are often puns
Corny jokes are often puns. See if you can write a corny joke that involves food. Example: Mike: Shall we have a salad for lunch? Tammy: Yes, lettuce.

18. Alliteration: The repetition of the initial consonant sound in two or more neighboring words.
Example: The wild and wooly walrus waits and wonders when we’ll walk by.

19. Choose a consonant and create a tongue twister that includes several words that begin with the letter’s sound. Do not simply write a tongue twister that the world has already heard of.

20. Assonance: A resemblance of vowel sounds in words
“Dead in the middle of little Italy, little did we know that we riddled two middle men who didn't do diddily.“
~ Big Pun

21. Consonance: Repetition of final consonant sounds in words
I had to think about the blank on the form at the bank.

22. My Puppy Punched Me In the Eye My puppy punched me in the eye
My Puppy Punched Me In the Eye My puppy punched me in the eye. My rabbit whacked my ear. My ferret gave a frightful cry and roundhouse kicked my rear. My lizard flipped me upside down. My kitten kicked my head. My hamster slammed me to the ground and left me nearly dead. So my advice? Avoid regrets; no matter what you do, don’t ever let your family pets take lessons in kung fu. –Kenn Nesbitt