Language conventions - Punctuation
Figurative Language
Background information
Figurative language is also often referred to as imagery or figures of speech. It is a literary device
that writers use to make informational, argument and imaginative texts interesting and realistic.
Writers use figurative language to create images and ideas by using words in a non-literal way.
Figurative language often expresses difficult ideas more clearly by comparing them to something
the reader is familiar with. Understanding figurative language is often determined by a shared
social and cultural context.
There are numerous devices that writers use to create figurative language. Some of these
devices have been explained below.

Alliteration – The repetition of the same initial letters or sounds in close succession
(eg The wild and woolly wombat waits while we walk by.)

Assonance – The repetition of vowel sounds in words in close succession
(eg The rain falls mainly on the plain.)

Consonance – The repetition of consonant sounds in words in close succession
(eg The famished shark dashed towards the shadowy depths.)

Cliché - A word or phrase that has become overly familiar or commonplace
(eg No pain, no gain; Live and learn)

Euphemism – Mild expressions which describe something that is unpleasant or
offensive. Euphemisms can be used to avoid upsetting the reader
(eg ‘She passed away’; instead of ‘She died’ or ‘She kicked the bucket’.)

Hyperbole – An exaggerated statement to create humour or to emphasise a point. Tall
tales are hyperboles
(eg He told me a million times; You will wonder how you ever lived without it; We will
never be beaten on price; This is the deal of a lifetime; Australia’s number 1)

Idiom - An expression that has a different meaning from the literal dictionary definitions
of the words
(eg In over her head; ‘Hit the nail on the head’ with the explanation ‘guess right’.)

Onomatopoeia – Words that imitate sounds. They are used to make the subject more
interesting or dramatic
(eg snap, crackle, pop; boom; splash; brrm, brrm; screech; aaah; crash; ring, ring;
na-na, na-na)

Proverbs – Familiar sayings that express a general truth
(eg Let sleeping dogs lie.)
L7T1WK3R2 | Figurative language
© Department of Education WA 2012
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Licensed for NEALS
Reading

Personification – Give human qualities to animals, inanimate objects or abstract ideas
to make the reader have feelings for a character and become more involved with a story
(eg My teddy bear gave me a hug.)

Similes – Create an image in the reader’s mind by comparing a subject to something
else to suggest they are alike
(eg as white as snow; like pulling teeth; busy as a bee; as hungry as a lion; bright as a
button; quiet like a mouse)

Metaphor – When the subject is compared with something else without using the words
like or as. Metaphors can be used in both informational, argument and imaginative texts.
Metaphor example
Metaphoric meaning
(Author’s intended meaning)
Literal meaning
My father is a rock.
Very strong or reliable person.
A hard, mineral material
made of stone.
Australia is a melting
pot.
Place where different people,
styles and cultures are mixed
together.
A container in which metals or
other materials are melted
and mixed.
Simile vs Metaphor
A simile would say the subject is like something (eg Her hair is soft as silk.) whereas a metaphor
is more positive and says the subject is something (eg Her hair is silk). Both a simile and a
metaphor link one thing to another but do so for different effects. A metaphor creates a
relationship directly and leaves more to the imagination. With simile, A is like B, however with a
metaphor A is B. A metaphor is a condensed simile or a shortcut to meaning, which omits ‘as’ or
‘like’.
Simile
Metaphor
She swims like a fish.
She is a fish in water.
My father is as solid as a rock.
My father is a rock.
He is as quiet as a mouse.
He is a quiet mouse.
Below are some prompts to help you interpret figurative language.
1. Describe the character or subject
(eg What does it look like or do? How does it behave?).
2. When you read this, what do you visualise in your mind?
3. Imagine the processes and explanations happening visually. Use nouns, verbs
and adjectives to create pictures, diagrams or other mental images.
L7T1WK3R2 | Figurative language
© Department of Education WA 2012
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