FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE is using language to create a strong
image in the reader’s mind.
I’M SO ANGRY I COULD BLOW MY TOP.
“Blow my top” is an example of FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE. It doesn’t
mean his head is going to blow up. The writer wants you, the reader,
to understand he is very angry!
Blow my top is an idiom.
I’M SO HUNGRY I COULD EAT A HORSE.
The writer is exaggerating his hunger. He means he is very
hungry, but he wants the reader to be able to understand how
hungry he is.
So, he writes using FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE. I could eat a horse is
an hyperbole.
LET’S REVIEW EXAMPLES OF FIGURATIVE
LANGUAGE
“Being under so much pressure stinks like a pile of dirty socks.”
(Million Dollar Throw)
“He hit the ground like a ton of bricks.” (The Contest)
“The walk up his street was as quiet and empty as an
abandoned bird’s nest. (Taking Sides)
Metaphors compare
two things.
His armpits were wet sponges from his
nervousness. (Taking Sides)
The remaining seven were pillars of strength.
(The Contest)
The football was a bullet shooting through the
air. (Million Dollar Throw)
Personification makes an idea or
thing seem like a person.
The broken sculpture had shattered her Everest dream.
(The Contest)
The cookies made him feel normal in a house that was
falling apart. (Million Dollar Throw)
His swollen knee screamed each time he planted his
leg. (Taking Sides)
IDIOMS are expressions that
don’t mean what they say.
If he was playing for Franklin, life would be sweet.
(Taking Sides)
If you make that throw, your parents could end up in fat
city. (Million Dollar Throw)
Sometimes my brain just goes wild. (The Contest)
ONOMATOPOEIA is a word whose
sound is like the meaning.
The water dripping from the faucet and the wind tapping a
branch on his bedroom window were frightening. (Taking Sides)
The shattering glass awakened all of them. (The Contest)
The ball slapped into the receivers hands. (Million Dollar Throw)
We will review Hyperboles
and Alliteration at a later
time.
In the next slides you will be
matching an example of figurative
language to a definition. You will
need paper and pencil. Number
your paper from to 1-16. You will
only write the letter of the correct
answer. You may refer back to this
slide.
1. WHAT TYPE OF FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
COMPARES TWO UNLIKE OBJECTS USING
LIKE OR AS?
A. SIMILE
B. METAPHOR
C. IDIOM
D. PERSONIFICATION
E. ONOMATOPIA
2. WHAT TYPE OF FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
USES THE SOUND OF A WORD TO CREATE AN
IMAGE FOR THE READER?
A. SIMILE
B. METAPHOR
C. IDIOM
D. PERSONIFICATION
E. ONOMATOPIA
3. WHAT TYPE OF FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
COMPARES TWO OBJECTS THAT ARE NOT
SIMILAR?
A. SIMILE
B. METAPHOR
C. IDIOM
D. PERSONIFICATION E. ONOMATOPIA
4. WHAT TYPE OF FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
GIVES HUMAN QUALITIES TO AN OBJECT?
A. SIMILE
B. METAPHOR
C. IDIOM
D. PERSONIFICATION
F. ONOMATOPIA
5. WHAT TYPE OF FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE IS
AN EXPRESSION THAT DOESN’T MEAN WHAT
THE WORDS SAY?
A. SIMILE
B. METAPHOR
C. IDIOM
D. PERSONIFICATION
E. ONOMATOPIA
NOW CHECK YOUR ANSWERS.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
A
E
B
D
C
NOW TRY TO USE WHAT YOU HAVE REVIEWED IN
YOUR OWN WRITING.
Write a simile on your paper. (Write the entire sentence.
Be sure to include a capital and correct punctuation.)
6. His teeth were as white as….
Underline the simile.
7. Write a sentence using this idiom.
The light went on in her head when…..
Underline the idiom.
Write a sentence with this idiom.
8. He can never keep a secret.
I got so angry when he let the cat out of the bag
about…..
Underline the idiom.
Write a sentence using onomatopoeia.
9. The splat of the catsup on the counter……..
Underline the onomatopoeia.
Write a sentence using personification.
10. The stars danced across……
Underline the personification.
Write a sentence with this
metaphor.
11. He was a pillar of strength when
his family was…..
Underline the metaphor.
NOW, YOU WILL WRITE WHAT TYPE OF
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE THE NEXT 6 SENTENCES
SHOW.
_____12. Dad would skin me alive if I did that.
_____13. Please don’t slurp your soup.
_____14. The car was too old and tired to make
the
trip.
_____15. He takes care of his grandmother
after
school. That boy is an angel.
_____16. We need to clear the air before I’ll be
your
friend again.
NOW CHECK YOUR ANSWERS.
12. Idiom
13. Onomatopoeia
14. Personification
15. Metaphor
16. Idiom
Put your paper in the drawer.