1. Figurative Language

2. What is figurative language?
Figurative Language: words are used in an imaginative way to express ideas that are not literally true

3. Types of Figurative Language
Simile
Metaphor
Personification
Hyperbole
Idiom
Oxymoron
Paradox
Symbol
Pun
Allusion
Onomatopoeia
Irony

4. Simile
Simile: a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things using like or as
Examples:
1. Anna’s smile was like a welcoming rainbow.
2. He was as scared as a cat.

5. Metaphor
Metaphor: a comparison of two things that are basically unlike but have some qualities in common
Examples:
1. He was a ghost moving among the guests.
2. New York City is a melting pot for different cultures in America.

6. Personification
Personification: giving human qualities to an animal, object, or idea
Examples:
1. The tree danced in the wind.
2. As I looked up in the night sky, the sparkling stars winked at me.

7. Hyperbole
Hyperbole: a figure of speech in which the truth is exaggerated for emphasis or humorous effect
Examples:
1. I was so exhausted I could sleep for one hundred days.
2. There were a million people at the dance tonight!

8. Idiom
Idiom: an expression whose meaning cannot be determined by its literal expressions
Examples:
1. The boy decided to turn over a new leaf for this school year.
2. I am going to have to draw the line there; I will not do it.

9. Oxymoron Oxymoron: a figure of speech made up of contradictory parts
Examples:
Civil War
Doing nothing
Easy labor
Good grief
Hard cushion
Minor crisis
Quiet storm
Upside down
Well-preserved ruins

10. Paradox
Paradox: a statement or situation that seems contradictory but reveals a truth
Examples:
1. This is the beginning of the end.
2. Don’t go near the water until you’ve learned to swim.

11. Symbol
Symbol: an object, character, or idea that is used to represent something else
Examples:
Death
Chinese

12. Pun
Pun: a play on words that are similar in sound but different in meaning; humorous
Examples:
1. I used to sell computer parts, but then I lost my drive.
2. I used to be a Velcro salesman, but couldn’t stick with it.

13. Allusion
Allusion: a reference to something outside the work in which it is found
Example:
1. John never spends any money. He is no Scrooge, but he rarely buys anything unless it is essential.
John is being referred to Scrooge in A Christmas Carol by Dickens.

14. Onomatopoeia Buzzzz… Moooo…
Onomatopoeia: the use of words whose sounds echo their meanings
Examples:
Buzzzz…
Moooo…

15. Irony
Verbal Irony: the use of words to express the opposite of their literal meaning
Situational Irony: an outcome contrary to what was or might have been expected

16. Practice on your own…
Directions: Tell what type of figurative language is used in the following sentences.
The boy was a caged lion waiting to escape.
The rain tickled the leaves as it fell from the sky.
I am so hungry, I could eat a house!
The swan is as white as the snow falling.
Please don’t cry wolf too many times.

17. Practice on your own… ANSWERS
Directions: Tell what type of figurative language is used in the following sentences.
The boy was a caged lion waiting to escape. metaphor
The rain tickled the leaves as it fell from the sky. personification
I am so hungry, I could eat a house! hyperbole
The swan is as white as the snow falling. simile
Please don’t cry wolf too many times. idiom