Types of
Figurative Language
Used in Out of the Dust
Simile
• Comparison using LIKE or AS
• Examples:
– White LIKE a ghost
– Warm AS a spring day
Metaphor
• Direct comparison of two unlike things- no
LIKE or AS
• Examples:
– She is an old mule.
– My mom is a pillar of strength.
Onomatopoeia
• A word that makes the sound of the action it
describes.
• Examples:
– The bacon sizzled.
– The door creaked.
Repetition
• Repeating words, lines, and phrases over
again to stress the importance of the idea.
• Example:
– Spring is flowers, Spring is green grass, Spring is
rainy days
Alliteration
• Repetition of beginning consonant sounds.
• Example:
– The lizards leisurely lay in the sun.
Assonance
• Repetition of vowel sounds in words.
• Example:
– The witch’s fleet feet sweep over the steep stairs.
Idioms
• An expression whose meaning is different
from the literal meaning of words.
• Examples:
– Raining cats and dots
– Hold your horses
– Stabbed in the back
– Green thumb
– Over his head
Imagery
• Using the 5 sense to describe something
(show, don’t tell).
• Examples:
– Thunder rumbled and rain fell from the sky.
– Flowers bloomed and their scent filled the air.
Personification
• Giving something (an object or animal) human
qualities.
• Example:
– The ball growled at my feet and refused to
cooperate every time I tried to score.
Hyperbole
• A huge exaggeration used to emphasize a
point.
• Examples:
– “For the ten-thousandth time! Clean your room!”
– I had a gash the size of Texas.
Stanza
• Poem’s paragraph- verse
• Example:
– Rose are red
Violets are blue
Focus: Alliteration, Onomatopoeia, &
Simile
• Alliteration: Repetition of beginning
consonant sounds
• Onomatopoeia: A word that makes the sound
of the action it describes.
• Simile: A comparison using “like” or “as”
Examples:
• The burgers sizzled in the pan.
– Onomatopoeia
• We were watching and waiting by the water.
– Alliteration
Examples:
• Fancy folks fret on the freight train.
– Alliteration
• Her feet felt like ice.
– Simile
Examples:
• It was hard as a rock.
– Simile
• The frog splashed on the lily pad.
– Onomatopoeia
Examples:
• She was like an angel.
– Simile
• The dynamite went ka-boom!
– Onomatopoeia
Examples:
• The birds chirped all morning long.
– Onomatopoeia
• They continued cautiously as they crossed the
street.
– Alliteration
Examples:
• He moved as slow as a turtle.
– Simile
• The dog dipped delightfully in the stream.
– Alliteration
Focus: Metaphor, Personification, &
Hyperbole
• Metaphor: Comparison of two unlike things
(no “like” or “as”).
• Personification: Giving something (an object
or animal) human qualities.
• Hyperbole: A huge exaggeration used to
emphasize a point.
Examples:
• Life is a battle.
– Metaphor
• These books in your bag weight a ton.
– Hyperbole
Examples:
• I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse.
– Hyperbole
• The stars danced playfully in the moonlit sky.
– Personification
Examples:
• The noise is music to her ears.
– Metaphor
• He did not realize that his last chance was
walking out the door.
– Personification
Examples:
• She is drowning in the sea of love.
– Metaphor
• The first rays of morning tiptoed through the
meadow.
– Personification
Examples:
• She did not realize that opportunity was
knocking at her door.
– Personification
• I would die if she asks me to dance.
– Hyperbole
Examples:
• He is older than dirt.
– Hyperbole
• She is an angel.
– Metaphor
Focus: Assonance, Idiom, & Imagery
• Assonance: Repetition of beginning consonant
sounds
• Idiom: An expression whose meaning is
different from the literal meaning of words.
• Imagery: Using the five senses to describe
something (show, don’t tell).
Examples:
• Take someone under your wing
– Idiom
• The grimy scraps of withered leaves at your
feet.
– Imagery
Examples:
• A dime a dozen
– Idiom
• I must confess that in my quest I felt
depressed and restless.
– Assonance
Examples:
• Flash with a rash gimme my cash
– Assonance
• I gazed upon grey skies above
– Imagery
Examples:
• Try to light the fire
– Assonance
• A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
– Imagery
Examples:
• Under the weather
– Idiom
• The giant tree was ablaze with the orange,
red, and yellow leaves that were beginning to
make their decent to the ground.
– Imagery
Examples:
• It beats…as it sweeps…as it cleans
– Assonance
• To throw in the towel
– Idiom