Whenever you describe something by
comparing it with something else,
you are using figurative language.
Similes and Metaphors
• Simile - A comparison of two things using
“like” or “as”
• “You’re as cold as ice” (“Cold As Ice”, Foreigner)
• Metaphor - A comparison of two things which
are not alike without using “like” or “as”
• “Your love is a symphony” (“Your Love Is A Song”, Switchfoot)
Simile or Metaphor?
• “She’s like a song played again and again”
–”Replay”, Sean Kingston
• Simile!
Simile or Metaphor?
• “You are the thunder, and I am the
lightning” – “Naturally”, Selena Gomez
• Metaphor!
Other Types of Figurative Language
• Personification - A figure of speech in
which a thing, quality, or idea is
represented as a person
• “The moonlight dancin’ off your skin”
(“History In The Making”, Darius Rucker)
Other Types of Figurative Language
• Hyperbole - Exaggeration, not meant to
be taken literally
• “Cause I’m worth a million, ga-zillion, fafillion dollars” (“Number One Spot”, Ludacris)
Other Types of Figurative Language
• Onomatopoeia - Formation of a word by
imitating the natural sound of the object
or action involved
• “I got that boom, boom, boom” (“Boom
Boom Pow”, Black Eyed Peas)
Personification, Hyperbole, or
Onomatopoeia?
• “You start to freeze as horror looks you
right between the eyes” - “Thriller”,
Michael Jackson
• Personification!
Personification, Hyperbole, or
Onomatopoeia?
• “Tick! Tock! on the clock but the party
don’t stop” – “Tik Tok”, Ke$ha
• Onomatopoeia!
Personification, Hyperbole, or
Onomatopoeia?
• “You would not believe your eyes if ten
million fireflies lit up the world as I fell
asleep” – “Fireflies”, Owl City
• Hyperbole!
Review Time!!
• Number a piece of paper 1-10.
• Identify the type of figurative language
used.
1. “Steady as a preacher, Free as a weed”
• “American Honey”, Lady Antebellum
2. “Cause you know I’d walk a thousand
miles if I could just see you tonight”
• “A Thousand Miles”, Vanessa Carlton
3. “You make me smile like the sun, fall out
of bed, sing like a bird, dizzy in my head,
spin like a record, crazy on a Sunday night”
• “Smile”, Uncle Kracker
4. “She’s a Saturn with a sunroof with her
brown hair a-blowing, she’s a soft place to
land
• “She’s Everything”, Brad Paisley
5. “I just saw Halley’s Comet, she waved”
• “Second Chance”, Shinedown
6. “Who let the dogs out? Woof, woof,
woof, woof!”
• “Who Let The Dogs Out?”, The Baha Men
7. “I’m fighting for this girl on a battlefield
of love”
• “Down”, Jay Sean ft. Lil Wayne
8. “The walls start breathing”
• “It Ends Tonight”, All-American Rejects
9. “I'd jump in front of a train for you, you
know I'd do anything for you”
• “Grenade”, Bruno Mars
10. “When I met you girl, my heart went
Knock! Knock!”
• “One Time”, Justin Bieber
Answers:
1. Simile
2. Hyperbole
3. Simile
4. Metaphor
5. Personification
6. Onomatopoeia
7. Metaphor
8. Personification
9. Hyperbole
10. Onomatopoeia
Assignment:
• Look up the lyrics of some of your
favorite songs. Bring lyrics to class,
identifying 3 types of figurative
language.
The Jolly Rancher Game!
• Raise your hand if you think you know
the definition and I will call on you.
• Classmates: If you agree, raise your
hand.
• For each question, those students with
the right answer will receive a Jolly
Rancher!
• Simile
• Metaphor
• Hyperbole
• Personification
• Onomatopoeia