Figurative Language
Name:__________________________________Period/Days:______________
Alliteration
Allusion
Generalization
Hyperbole
Imagery
Irony
Metaphor
Personification
Point of View
Satire
Simile
Theme
Tone
Figurative Language
Name:__________________________________Period/Days:______________
Alliteration
The repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words. (She sells
seashells)
Allusion
An implied or indirect reference in literature to a familiar person, place or
event. (Referral to Bible stories, songs, historical figures, In Animal Farm, the
leader of the animals is a monarchic pig name Napoleon.)
Generalizations To make a general overarching conclusion about a people or things. (All movies
are boring.)
Hyperbole
An exaggeration or overstatement (I was so embarrassed I could have died).
Imagery
A vivid description that produces mental images. The image produced can be an
emotion, a sensation, or a visual picture. ("A bed supported on massive pillars of
mahogany, hung with curtains of deep red cloth . . ." Jane Eyre
The use of a word or phrase to mean the exact opposite of its real meaning;
when the outcome is the opposite of what’s expected. (It’s ironic that in Home
Alone Kevin was able to thwart two robbers. Viewers would expect the opposite to
happen).
The comparison of two unlike things in which no words of comparison (like or
as) are used (The clouds were cotton puffs floating in the sky.).
Irony
Metaphor
Personification
An object or abstract idea given human qualities or human form (Flowers
danced about the lawn.).
Point of View
The way in which an author reveals characters, events and ideas in telling a
story; the vantage point from which the story is told.
Satire
A literary tone used to make fun of a human weakness. (In Gulliver's Travels,
Jonathan Swift ridicules the absurd manners and traditions of the British.)
Simile
A comparison of two unlike things in which a word of comparison (like or as) is
used. (I wandered lonely as a cloud.)
Theme
A topic of discussion or writing; a major idea broad enough to cover the entire
scope of a literary work.
Tone
The attitude of the author toward the audience and characters (serious or
humorous).