Figurative &
Descriptive
Language
A simile uses “like” or “as” to compare two
things.
Examples:
The pavement is as hot as a stove.
He is as nervous as a cat in a roomful of
rocking chairs
The lake is like a mirror.
The old car is like a smoke machine.
A metaphor compare two things without
using like or as.
Examples:
Television is a window to the world.
The pavement is a frying pan.
His closet is a garbage dump.
The big city is a concrete jungle.
Hyperbole is figurative language that uses
extreme exaggeration to make a point.
Examples:
I rode my bike faster than a rocket ship.
My history book weighs more than my dad.
The movie was so sad, I cried for days.
The car cost an arm and a leg.
Personification is when something non-human,
takes on the quality of a person.
Examples:
The heavy rain smacked me in the face.
The road pointed the way to the future.
My new jacket hugged me tight.
The moon swept the day away.
Alliteration is the repetition of the same sound at
the beginning of two or more words for effect.
Examples:
Peter, Peter, Pumpkin eater . . .
The birds dove and danced in the dark, dark night.
Terrified and trembling, he toiled and toiled.
Wishing and waiting, we wallowed along.
I was hungry as a wolf.
• Alliteration
• Hyperbole
• Metaphor
• Personification
• Simile
The flowers fluttered in a field,
fanciful and free.
• Alliteration
• Hyperbole
• Metaphor
• Personification
• Simile
Meg was so thirsty she could
drink an ocean.
• Alliteration
• Hyperbole
• Metaphor
• Personification
• Simile
The heart is a lonely hunter.
• Alliteration
• Hyperbole
• Metaphor
• Personification
• Simile
The D on his science test was a
wake up call.
• Alliteration
• Hyperbole
• Metaphor
• Personification
• Simile
The empty rowboat sat sad and
lonely in the quiet lake.
• Alliteration
• Hyperbole
• Metaphor
• Personification
• Simile
The moon was like a beacon in
the sky.
• Alliteration
• Hyperbole
• Metaphor
• Personification
• Simile
Keith is so tall he needs
binoculars to see the ground.
• Alliteration
• Hyperbole
• Metaphor
• Personification
• Simile
The baby dreamily dozed about
his delightful day.
• Alliteration
• Hyperbole
• Metaphor
• Personification
• Simile
The fireflies danced around the
streetlight.
• Alliteration
• Hyperbole
• Metaphor
• Personification
• Simile
My little cousin Amelia is an
angel.
• Alliteration
• Hyperbole
• Metaphor
• Personification
• Simile
The show was boring.
Simile: That new cartoon was as
interesting as a chunk of dirt.
Metaphor: The news was a snooze fest.
Hyperbole: That talk show was
so boring the whole audience
went to sleep.
Personification: The dull show
sang me a lullaby.
The test was hard.
Simile: That test was tough as nails.
Metaphor: That math test was a bear.
Hyperbole: That test was the
hardest test in the history of
the world.
Personification: The test really
smacked me in the face.
It smelled bad.
Simile:
Metaphor:
Hyperbole:
Personification:
It was heavy.
Simile:
Metaphor:
Hyperbole:
Personification: