Simile: Comparison of two unlike things using “like” or “as.”
Examples
Bob ate his salad like a vacuum cleaner.
His arms were weak and felt like noodles.
The thunder was as loud as fireworks.
Notes:
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You can see that the underlined words in the sentences above are compared to each other.
The words as and like are bolded to show that a simile occurs in this sentence.
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Metaphor:
A direct comparison of two unlike things (without using “like’
or “as.”)
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Examples
The smoke was a cotton ball billowing from the chimney.
You are my Statue of Liberty.
The sun was a furnace.
You can see in these examples that the first underlined word is actually renamed by the
second underlined word.
The bolded words are bolded to show that the second underlined word is something else.
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Personification: a thing, an idea, or an animal is given human attributes.
The non-human objects are portrayed in such a way that we feel they have the
ability to act like human beings.
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Our house is an old friend of ours. Although he creaks and groans with every gust of
wind, he never fails to protect us from the elements. He wraps his arms of bricks and
mortar around us and keeps us safe. He’s always been a good friend to us and we would
never leave him.
The bees played hide and seek with the flowers as they buzzed from one to another.
The moon winked at me through the clouds above.
The wind sang through the meadow.
The car was suffering and was in need of some TLC.
Alliteration: the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of
adjacent or closely connected words. The repetition helps emphasize
important words.
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Alice’s aunt ate apples and acorns around August.
It is the beating of his hideous heart!
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.
And, baby, now we’ve got bad blood
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Hyperbole - exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken
literally. Hyperboles can be found in literature and oral communication. They
would not be used in nonfiction works, like medical journals or research
papers; but, they are perfect for fictional works, especially to add color to a
character or humor to the story. Mrs. Posada uses them ALL the time!
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This car goes faster than the speed of light.
That new car costs a bazillion dollars.
You could have knocked me over with a feather.
I had a ton of homework.
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Onomatopoeia - the formation of a word from a sound associated with what
is named.
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On my first morning on the farm, I was awoken suddenly by the cock-a-doodle-do of the resident
rooster.
“Compliments to the chef,” roared the giant as he let out a huge belch.
Yuk! That cheese stinks.
I was awoken with a start with the loud bleep of my alarm clock.