Figurative Language Finder
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Your job is to identify examples of figurative language in your assigned selection of reading. Figurative
language expresses ideas indirectly by using words to create a special effect on the reader. Figurative
language often consists of words or phrases that don’t mean what they first appear to mean. Types of
figurative language include simile, metaphor, personification, allusion, hyperbole, imagery,
onomatopoeia, irony, symbolism, tone, alliteration, and foreshadowing (see the back of this sheet for
detailed explanations of each type). You must identify three different examples of figurative language.
Page #
Words, Phrase, or Passage
(Summarize if necessary)
Figure of Speech
Why did the author use this figure of
speech? What effect does it have on the
reader and how does it change the
meaning of the text?
Figurative Language Descriptions
Simile- a comparison between unlike things, expressed directly through the use of a comparing word
such as like or as
Metaphor- a comparison between unlike things, expressed indirectly, without a comparing word
Irony- an expression of meaning using language that signifies the opposite, often for humorous or
emphatic effect
Paradox- a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement that reveals a deeper truth
Hyperbole- an exaggerated statement or claim that is not meant to be taken literally
Onomatopoeia- a work that is associated with a sound
Alliteration- a repetition of initial sounds in a series of words or phrases
Apostrophe- an exclamatory passage that is addressed to a person (typically one who is dead or
absent) or thing (typically one that is personified)
Euphemism- a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one that is considered to be too
harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing
Oxymoron- the combination of two or more normally contradictory terms
Personification- an attribution of human characteristics to an animal, a thing, or an idea
Understatement- a presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it
actually is
Allegory- a story, poem, or picture that reveals a hidden meaning, typically moral or political
Allusion- a reference, explicit or indirect, to a person, place, event, or other literary work or passage
Imagery- a vivid visual description
Symbolism- the representation of an object, action, or idea using an image other than the original