Go Figure!
Figurative Language
Miss K.’s English
Use the provided skeleton note handout to fill in and
follow along!
Recognizing Figurative Language
The opposite of literal language is figurative
language. Figurative language is language that
means more than what it says on the surface.
 It usually gives readers a specific feeling about or
emotion towards the subject/s at hand.
 Poets or writers use figurative language quite
frequently. As a reader, one must be conscious of
the difference. Otherwise, a poem or book may
make no sense at all.
Printed Quiz
Online Quiz
Recognizing Literal Language
“I’ve eaten so much I feel as if I could
literally burst!”
 In this case, the person is not using the word literally
in its true meaning.
 Literal means "exact" or "not exaggerated." By
pretending that the statement is not exaggerated, the
person stresses how much he has eaten.
 Literal language is language that means
exactly what is said.
 Most of the time, we use literal language.
What is figurative language?
 Whenever you describe something
by comparing it with something else,
you are using figurative language.
You’re a mean one…
 See if you can pick out any
FIGURATIVE language devices in the
following video:
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMrggPzmb1c
 Does anything in your writing prompt
“All because of the Grinch…” relate or
compare to the video?
 If so, how or why? Explain with a peer
close to you.
Types of Figurative Language
 Imagery
 Simile
 Metaphor
 Alliteration
 Personification
 Onomatopoeia
 Hyperbole
 Idioms
 Assonance
Imagery
 Language that appeals to the senses.
Descriptions of people or objects
stated in terms of our senses.
• Sight
• Hearing
• Touch
• Taste
• Smell
Imagery EXAMPLES:
 Language that appeals to the senses.
Descriptions of people or objects stated
in terms of our senses.
• Sight – I saw trees of vibrant green, skies of deep blue, and pretty pink
flowers out my window.
• Hearing – Thousands of crickets could be heard chirping in the otherwise
quiet pasture.
• Touch – Her grandpa’s hands felt like sandpaper: tough, rough, and battered.
• Taste – The lemons tasted so sour they made his lips pucker and his eyes
squint.
• Smell – After lighting the candle, it smelled like a bowl of fresh cut mangos,
melons, and cantaloupes.
Simile
 A figure of speech which involves a
direct comparison between two unlike
things, usually with the words like or
as.
Example: The muscles on his brawny
arms are strong as iron bands.
Example: His skin was as shiny as a
mirror.
Metaphor
 A figure of speech which involves an
implied comparison between two relatively
unlike things using a form of be. The
comparison is not announced by like or
as.
Example: The road was a ribbon wrapped
through the desert.
Example: The old woman
is a wilting
flower.
The girl was a fish in the water.
The clown was a feather floating away.
Alliteration
 Repeated consonant sounds occurring at
the beginning of words or within words.
Example: She was wide-eyed and
wondering while she waited for Walter
to waken.
Example: Coffee caused her
craziness.
Stan the strong surfer saved several swimmers on
Saturday.
Tiny Tommy Thomson takes toy trucks to
Timmy’s on Tuesday.
Click here to read more
alliterations.
Assonance
 Repetition of internal (within words) vowel
sounds. No end rhyme is needed!
Example: Frogs certainly sit on logs.
Example: She lay upon hay in May.
Example: Talk the talk and walk the walk!
Personification
 A figure of speech which gives the qualities
of a person to an animal, an object, or an
idea.
Example: The wind yells while blowing.
The wind cannot yell. Only a living thing can yell.
Example: The leaves sped down the sidewalk.
The leaves cannot speed. Humans can.
.
The flowers danced in the wind.
The friendly gates welcomed us.
The Earth coughed and choked in all of the pollution.
Onomatopoeia
 The use of words that mimic sounds.
 A sound word.
Example: The firecracker made a loud
ka-boom!
Example: Water splashed out of the
bucket.
Example: The bacon
sizzles on the stovetop.
Yeeeeee Ahhhhhhhh
Swish swish swish
Chug chug chug!!
Glippp Gluppp Gluppp
Hyperbole
 An exaggerated statement used to
heighten effect. It is not used to
mislead the reader, but to emphasize a
point.
Example: She’s said so on several million
occasions.
Idioms


An idiom is a phrase whose meaning cannot
be figured out from the literal definition, but
refers instead to a figurative meaning that
is known only through common use of a
language.
An idiom is an expression that we may
know what it means but can’t word for word
translate (or explain it).
Idioms again.
 So an idiom refers to an expression in one
language that cannot be matched or directly
translated word-for-word in another language.
Example: "She has a bee in her
bonnet.”
Meaning "she is obsessed," which
cannot be literally translated into
another language word for word.
Oh, those are a DIME A DOZEN.
Maybe that was just a BLESSING IN DISGUISE?
He’s just a CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK!
What about in reality?!
 Yes, all around you and every single day you
encounter Figurative Language!
 You YOURSELF may even use Figurative
Language. How AWESOME is that?!
 Watch this real video that examples real
examples:
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_pxfifB6Co
 Can you think of any others in your life, such as in
movies, TV, books, magazines, or even
billboards? Discuss after raising your hand.
Name that Device GAME!
Decide which type of figurative language is being used in each number below.
CHOICES: hyperbole, onomatopoeia, simile, metaphor, assonance, alliteration, idiom, and imagery.
1. That guy deserves a slap on the wrist for littering.
2. She lit up like a methane gas explosion!
3. Across the pond the rock did skip.
4. The bee couldn’t stop buzzing about the flowers.
5. No way the weather will be windy today.
6. It was seriously a billion degrees that July!
7. A proud round cloud floated whitely and lightly.
8. Before the show, I was told to go break a leg!
9. The potato chip went “crunch crunch” in his mouth.
10. Happily the storm shook the ocean.
11. Her eye were fireflies in the night.
Name that Device GAME!
Answer are possibly:
hyperbole, onomatopoeia, simile, metaphor, assonance, alliteration, idiom, and imagery
1. That guy deserves a slap on the wrist for littering.
2. She lit up like a methane gas explosion!
3. Across the pond the rock did skip.
.
Idiom
simile
personification
4. The bee couldn’t stop buzzing about the flowers.onomatopoeia
5. No way the weather will be windy today.
alliteration
6. It was seriously a billion degrees that July!
hyperbole
7. A proud round cloud floated whitely and lightly. assonance
8. Before the show, I was told to go break a leg!
Idiom
9. The potato chip went “crunch crunch” in his mouth.onomatopoeia
10. Happily the storm shook the ocean.
personification
11. Her eye were fireflies in the night. metaphor
Pair-N-Share TASK:
 Find a partner. In those pairs and on a sheet of paper,
generate 1-2 original examples of EACH figurative
language learned from this PowerPoint:
 Imagery
 Simile
 Metaphor
 Alliteration
 Personification
 Onomatopoeia
 Hyperbole
 Idioms
 Don’t be afraid to illustrate those examples!  We’ll share
after all have compiled their examples.
That’s all folks.
 Here ends the most informative and
entertaining PowerPoint ever presented in
English room 206!
 Keep your ears peeled and stay tuned for
the next task….