What is Figurative Language?
A type of descriptive language
where the meaning of the phrase
is not to be taken literally or
word for word. The phrase has a
deeper or more abstract meaning.
An example of literal language
is “The skier skied quickly down
the hill.”
An example of figurative
language is “The skier flew
down the hill, cutting the snow
like a razor.”
Which of these sentences
involves figurative language?
• The river cut through the blanket of
snow.
• I watched the river.
• Life is a river with many twists and
bends before it finally runs free.
Types of Figurative
Language
From our airplane seats the
land below us looked like a
patchwork quilt.
From our airplane seats the land
below us looked like a patchwork
quilt.
This piece of writing
involves the use of a …
simile
A simile is a comparison of objects using
the words “like” or “as”. The appearance
of the land is being compared to the
appearance of a quilt.
A simile is a type of figurative language
that involves a comparison between two
objects using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’.
Which of the examples below involves the
use of a simile?
• The sleeping child looked like an angel from
above.
• The child slept peacefully.
• The baby’s cries pierced the air like a
siren.
• The fog crept upon the countryside as
quietly as a cat.
The man was a silver bullet
shooting back and forth emptying
the contents of the burning barn.
The man was a silver bullet
shooting back and forth emptying
the contents of the burning barn.
This piece of writing
involves the use of a …
metaphor
A metaphor is a comparison of objects
that is suggested or inferred. The speed
of the man is being compared to the
speed of a bullet.
A metaphor is a type of figurative language
that involves a comparison between two
objects that is suggested, not specifically
stated.
Which of the examples below involves the use
of a metaphor?
• Life can be full of obstacles we have to
overcome.
• Life is a river with many twists and bends
before it runs free.
Be careful not to confuse similes and metaphors.
A simile is a type of figurative language that
involves a comparison between two objects using
the words ‘like’ or ‘as’.
A metaphor is a type of figurative language that
involves a comparison between two objects that is
suggested, not specifically stated.
‘Susan’s personality is like a ray of sunshine’
is an example of a ________. Simile
‘Susan is a real ray of sunshine in my life’ is
Metaphor
an example of a ________.
That giant sunflower that I
nursed from a seed is now the
size of our house!
That giant sunflower that I
nursed from a seed is now the
size of our house!
This piece of writing
involves the use of a …
hyperbole
A hyperbole is a gross exaggeration of
events or things. The size of the
sunflower is exaggerated so that it is the
size of a house.
The wind caught the kite in its
arms tossing it back and forth
in its own private game of
catch.
The wind caught the kite in its
arms tossing it back and forth in
its own private game of catch.
This piece of writing
involves the use of a …
personification
A personification is a situation in which
an animal is given human-like qualities or
an object which is inanimate is brought to
life. In this sentence, the wind is being
brought to life.
A personification is a type of figurative language
where an inanimate object is given living qualities
or an animal is given human-like qualities.
Which of the examples below involves the use of
a personification?
• In Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White, Charlotte
greets Wilbur with the word, “Salutations”.
• During the flood, the river gobbled up the
houses along its bank.
• The child cried crocodile tears.
Silently Sally slipped through
the sliding door, and suddenly
splashed triumphantly into the
serene pool.
Silently Sally slipped through the
sliding
door,
and
suddenly
splashed triumphantly into the
serene pool.
This piece of writing
involves the use of an …
alliteration
In an alliteration a sound or letter is
repeated in a group of words. In this
example, we hear the repetition of the
/s/ sound.
The decrepit car radiator
hissed,
sputtered,
finally
spewing hot steam throughout
the garage.
The decrepit car radiator hissed,
sputtered, finally spewing hot
steam throughout the garage.
This piece of writing
involves the use of …
onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia occurs when a word is
pronounced and it copies or imitates the
actual sound. In the example, the
onomatopoeia
occurs
in
“hissed”,
“sputtered”, and “spewing”.
Go to a Power Point
Presentation
on Similes and Metaphors