Figurative Language
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is used when a writer describes something
using comparisons that go beyond literal
meaning. The words mean more than what
they say on the surface.
is NOT MEANT to be interpreted by the
definition of the words.
is used in poetry and fiction, as well as in
everyday speech.
A simile is a comparison between two
unlike things that have something in
common.
A simile always uses the words “like” or
“as” to make a comparison.
EXAMPLE: Her dress is as bright as the
sun.
Let’s try to create a few similes!
Leon’s hat is as ____ as …
The deer ran like …
____ is as quick as lightening.
____ is as solid as a rock.
*Be sure to highlight the words which make
each a simile.
A metaphor is a figure of speech
comparing two unlike things that have
something in common.
A metaphor DOES NOT CONTAIN the use
of the words “like” or “as”.
EXAMPLE: Her dress is the bright sun.
Let’s try to create a few metaphors!!!
Use the following similes to create metaphors…
Similes
My friend is as tall as a willow tree.
Rebecca is like a sharp knife.
Her dress is as colorful as a rainbow.
It is raining like bullets.
Metaphors
My friend is a tall willow tree.
Rebecca is a sharp knife.
Her dress is a colorful rainbow.
It is raining bullets.
Onomatopoeia is the imitation of
natural sounds in word form.
These words help us form mental pictures
about the things, people, or places that are
described.
EXAMPLES: buzz, bang, pop, sizzle, roar
Write all of the onomatopoeias in this poem.
Onomatopoeia every time I see ya
My senses tell me hubba
And I just can’t disagree
I get a feeling in my heart that I can’t describe
It’s sort of lub, dub, lub, dub
A sound in my head that I can’t describe
It’s sort of zoom, zip, hiccup, drip
Ding, dong, crunch, crack, bark, meow, whinnie, quack
Onomatopoeia in proximity ya
Rearrange my brain in a strange cacophony
I get a feeling somewhere that I can’t describe
It’s sort of uh, uh, uh, uh
A sound in my head that I can’t describe
It’s sort of whack, whir, wheeze, whine
Sputter, splat, squirt, scrape
Clink, clank, clunk, clatter
Crash, bang, beep, buzz
Ring, rip, roar, retch
Twang, toot, tinkle, thud
Pop, plop, plunk, pow
Snort, snuk, sniff, smack
Screech, splash, squish, squeak
Jingle, rattle, squeal, bong
Honk, hoot, hack, belch
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which
exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect.
DO NOT confuse a hyperbole with a simile or
metaphor (because it often compares two items).
However, the difference is that with a hyperbole the
comparison is an exaggeration.
EXAMPLES: I could sleep for a year.
I nearly died laughing.
What is the exaggeration in the
following hyperboles?
I had a million dishes to wash last night.
Susan ate a million doughnuts this morning.
Can you think of a hyperbole?
Repetition is when one or more words are
repeated to show urgency or importance.
EXAMPLE: Dig it oh dig it oh dig it oh!
Are you ready?!?!?!?
Class Poem
Write one line of poetry that tells what one
of the boys in Tent D might be thinking as
he is digging his 5 foot hole.
This will be turned into a class poem.
EXAMPLE!!!
Dig it oh oh oh, dig it
I don't have to dig tomorrow because I have
the gold tube.
Dig it oh oh oh, dig it
I wish I could talk to my mom and tell her I'm
sorry.
Dig it oh oh oh, dig it
Mr. Sir's sunflower seeds were easy to snatch.
Dig it oh oh oh, dig it
That Stanley thinks he's tough, but I'm tougher.
Dig it oh oh oh, dig it
It’s SHOW TIME!!!
Dig it oh oh oh, dig it
__________________________________________
Dig it oh oh oh, dig it
__________________________________________
Dig it oh oh oh, dig it
__________________________________________
Dig it oh oh oh, dig it
__________________________________________
Dig it oh oh oh, dig it
__________________________________________
Personification is when an author gives
an idea, object, or animal human
characteristics or traits.
EXAMPLE: The tree danced in the wind.
The tree is the object….danced is the
human characteristic.
A few other examples of
personification….
The camera loves me!
The car sprinted down the road.
The sun greeted me this morning.
Can you think of an example of personification?
Alliteration is the repetition of usually
initial consonant sounds in two or more
neighboring words or syllables.
When writers want to emphasize certain
words, they may use alliteration.
EXAMPLE: Sally sold seashells at the seashore.
Highlight circle similes, underline metaphors, draw a rectangle around
alliterations, highlight hyperboles in yellow & highlight repetitions in another
color.
“If Only”
The old man’s been stealin’
She’s holding her grievance for a hundred-odd
years
We all keep believin’
That history repeats itself year after year
All I fear's that the future is worse
We have to give in to the hundred-year curse
Sweat in the sun like we’re digging a grave
Dig deep enough and our fortune we'll save
(chorus)
If only, if only
The woodpecker sighs
The bark on the trees was as soft as the skies
As the wolf waits below hungry and lonely
He cries to the mo-oo-n
If only, if only
Chasing the sky
A beautiful wife
You'll make mistakes
And it’s my back that breaks
And forever my past steals my life
To submission I’m beat
But there’s hope beneath these feet
Blisters and blood
And the sun makes you blind
Don’t let it eat
Till it can’t help but be kind
Cause you know what’s important
With your back to the wall
You can break metal chains
And you’re friends don’t let you fall
(chorus)
I’m a soul
But I find myself lent
That is no use
When I’m finding my history, finding my history
I am no plane, I’m more like a feather
That is no use
When I’m finding my history, finding my history
I am no plane, I’m more like a feather
But I can’t fly away without finding myself
(chorus)
(repeat chorus)
Directions: When you are finished, put your quiz stuff on the cart in
the back of the room and start on this vocabulary activity.
Vocabulary words: simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia, hyperbole, repetition,
personification, and alliteration
Define the vocabulary word
Examples from the Notes
Draw a picture that represents
the vocabulary word.
Create your own example of
the vocabulary word.