. What Is Figurative Language?

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. What Is Figurative Language?
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Sometimes
writers use figurative
language to create vivid descriptions.
language is the use of words in ways apart from their ordinary
Figurative
meanings. The words
or phrases do not mean exactly, or literally, what they say. Instead, they create
impressions
by suggesting comparisons,
unlikely actions, or exaggerations
that make
the reader take notice.
Use these tips to understand
1. Identify
the type of figurative
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language:
language being used.
Simile
Mackenzie was as tired-looking
Metaphor
Wilbur was a library of information.
Personification
The tree roots slurpedup
Hyperbole
Our cat Jinx ruled the entire household.
2. Determine
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figurative
as wilted lettuce.
the heavy rain.
the literal meaning of the figure of speech.
Simile
Mackenzie was really weary.
Metaphor
Wilbur knew a lot.
Personification
The trees needed rain.
Hyperbole
Jinx got his own way.
Read the paragraph.
You could see the traffic for miles ahead. Every few minutes the cars would move
a couple of feet, then come to a halt. "This is awful!" wept Andrea. "We'll never get
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home. The cars are lined up all the way to the West Coast!"
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Explain what the figure of speech means.
in the underlined
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Figurative Language
Figurative Language
Read the paragraph. Answer the questions.
Read the paragraph. Answer the questions.
Most flowers are sweet-smelling. In fact, perfumes are made from
many flowers. But the rafflesia is such a stinky flower that it makes
people regret having a nose! This strange flower grows in the forests
of Southeast Asia. Not only is the rafflesia sme1\y,but one
blossom can be as large as a truck tire. Because these flowers ~':
areso unusual, many scientists and tourists travel to see
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them. However, scientists are worried that rafflesias may be
in danger of dyingout. The forests in which they grow are being cut down.
For many people"August is a day in the sun. It is a time to go to the
beach or the mountains or the woods. With its warm, sunny
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calendar, August is called the National Happiness Happens
Month. How do you celebrate this month? Some people do funny
things while others just smile a lot. No frowning faces are allowed!
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figurative Language
Read the paragraph
The camera spoke for hi:n. In the 192Ds and '3Ds James Van
the people and events in Harlem,
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a part of
New York Ciry. At that time Harlem was home to talented black:j
entertainers, artists, poets, athletes, writers, and politicians. People
from all over went to Harlem to enjoy its music, theaters, and
captured both the famous and the ordinary
on film. Ivl.any years later, Van DerZee's work was exhibited at an
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them in your pockets. In much the same way, a bird puts its
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which makes them look like incomplete
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two reasons birds do this. They give one leg a rest, and they
keep body heat from escaping through their featherless feet.
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Birds also are known to stand on one foot while sleeping,
You might say that birds are excellent energy conservationists.
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head under a wing. It does this to keep warm when sleeping,
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What do you do wjth your hands on a cool day?You might tuck
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His photos welcomed people into the past.
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nightspots, Van DerZee
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Answer the questions.
DerZee photographed
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Read the paragraph. Answer the questions.
Have you ever noticed that macadamia nuts are not sold in their
shells? If they were, you wouldn't be able to open them in a
million years. Their shells are very stubborn. Growers of
these nuts say it takes 300 pounds of pressure per square
inch to break a macadamia's shell. Before that happens,
the nut has to be dried. As it dries, the nut separates
from the hard shell.Then a special machine with steel
rollers breaks open the shell without damaging the nut.
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The language of William Shakespeare is full of figures of
speech. In fact, it is Shakespeare's extraordinary use of
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respect for Antony WIththese words: "His legs bestrid
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in front of a tornado is as risky as jumping off a cliff.
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they can find our how these storms work. In 1981, researchers
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In 1802, Meriwether
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He studied maps. He learned how to take measurements
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the land from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains.
supplies. He talked to geographers,
in the path of a tornado
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He had a keelboat built. He chose a coleader, William Clark,
was as unsafe as a leaky boat and dropped the project.
and a crew. Adventure
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called, and in 1804 the team set off.
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You don't know winter if you haven't tried snowboarding.
This winter sport began about 50 years ago in Vermont.
To many fans, snowboarding is a ride on a frozen wave.
It is a combination of surfing and skiing that takes thrill
seekers down snow-covered mountains. Many boarders
also perform stunts such as soaring into the air in a
maneuver called a half-pipe. Snowboarding became an
Olympic sport in the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan.
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A shoe by the roadside is an untold story.
Where is the mate? How did it get there?
Many people are curious about shoes lying
on the sides of roads. They have come up
with several explanations. One idea is that the shoes
were tossed out of cars by children during arguments. Another idea is that hikers
accidentally dropped a shoe. A third theory is that the shoes fell out of garbage
trucks. No one knows for sure. These single roadside shoes don't tell their secret.
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Do words buv votes? Many candidates for public office
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Animal tails tell manv tales. In most cases,
think so. Certain words are used over and over again in
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their speeches. For example, the word hope in a candidate's
speech is as predictable
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holds onto its mother's
use its tail for?
tail with its trunk so it doesn't
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use their tails for balance. They can also sit on their tails!
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course, use their tails to help them swim. What does an elephant
A baby elephant
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quills in its tail co defend itself. A horse uses its tail to keep away flies. Fish, of
use these words to tap into the concerns of voters.
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example, the tail of a bird helps it fly. A porcupine's
tail is a weapon. The porcupine uses the many
jobs. Most candidates also throw in words such as values and
strength. When candidates are running for national office, they
almost always bring up the words health care and economy.
Candidates
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Each fall, monarch butterflies migrate from'
northern regions to warmer areas further south.
These butterflies always go to the same place.
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green branches a vivid orange. A monarch can
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fly up to 12 miles an hour and cover almost 100 miles a day. Sometimes more
than 1,000 monarchs travel together. The migrating butterflies head for Florida,
Southern California, and Mexico.There, they enjoy warm winter vacations.
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The luge is the most thrilling sport in the
universe. This high-speed event has been part of
the Winter Olympics since 1964. Athletes compete on
small sleds usually made of fiberglass.They lie on their
backs with their feet stretched out over the front of the sled and
race down a curved, ice-covered course. To steer, the rider must use
leg and foot pressure on the sled's runners and downward pressure with
his or her shoulders. A rider's moves must be as exacting as a surgeon's knife.
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