Figurative Language
Figurative language is writing or speech that is not meant to be taken literally. These ‘figures of
speech” are used to state ideas and thoughts in colorful, imaginative ways and create imagery
(paint pictures) or sounds (rhythm) in the readers’ and listeners’ minds.
Figurative language that creates sounds include:
Alliteration: Repeated sounds(consonants or vowels) at the beginning of neighboring words
Ex. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
The does drink the dew on the meadow grass.
To think that there I was, opening the door, little by little… (The Tell-Tale Heart by E.A. Poe)
Amid the awful noise, an angelic voice burst forth.
Assonance: Repeated vowel sounds anywhere in neighboring words
Ex. The June moon loomed over the horizon.
And in the air the fireflies, our only light in paradise (song by Nickelback)
Hear the mellow wedding bells… (“The Bells”, poem by E.A. Poe)
Consonance: Repeated consonant sounds anywhere in neighboring words
Ex. The horses saddled and the cattle corralled, they marched into battle
Singing and dancing, she was bringing the music to life.
“Clocks on fox tick, Clocks on Knox tock." (Dr. Suess’s Fox in Sox)
"Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout, would not take the garbage out!" (title of a Shel Silverstein poem)
Onomatopoeia: Words that sound like the sounds they represent
Ex. The fire crackled, and the popcorn popped.
The snake recoiled in a defensive stance, hissing at the badger.
Bees buzzed everywhere, creating a whirring noise heard from across the lawn.
Figurative language that creates imagery (pictures using the 5 senses) include:
Metaphors: A comparison of unlike things
Ex. My legs are iron weights, preventing my body from moving.
She is a breath of fresh air.
Homework is an evil shadow, darkening my otherwise free evening.
Simile: A comparison of unlike things using “like” or “as”
Ex. The fog is as thick as pea soup.
He is as handy as a pocket on a shirt.
She dances like a princess.
Hyperbole: An extreme exaggeration
Ex. Your backpack weighs a ton!
I’ve told you that a thousand times!
We waited forever for the theatre to open.
Personification: Giving inanimate objects life-like qualities like those of humans or animals
Ex. “The fog crept in on little cat feet” (Carl Sandburg)
The tree branches clawed and grabbed at my clothes as I ran through the woods.
“Oreo: Milk’s favorite cookie” (slogan for Nabisco’s Oreo cookies)
Allusion: An reference, usually indirect, to a historical, literary, or artistic work or famous figure
Ex. He seemed weak, as if he had Kryptonite in his pocket.
The new student was a real Romeo, and all the girls liked him.
My mom was a Scrooge and wouldn’t buy me anything at the mall.
Symbolism: Using a word or object to represent an abstract concept or idea
Ex. Rings symbolize eternal love by representing a circle that never ends, like true love.
A dove symbolizes peace.
Metaphors can be used as symbolism: He is a rock (rocks are strong, unbreakable, dependable)
The rose in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast represents true love, beauty, and the thorny, hurtful
side of a journey to find true love
Paradox: Something that seems at first to contradict itself, but has truth to it
Ex. The only constant is change.
Those who love us most will also hurt us most.
The only way to peace is war.
Synecdoche: Using a part of an object to represent the whole
Ex. Can you get your wheels tonight? (car)
All hands on deck.
Get your ears over here and help me.