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____ 1. Eric thinks doing schoolwork is one big video game.
____ 2. Lauren has made up her mind to volunteer every Tuesday after school.
____ 3. Thinking about summer camp makes me feel like a bundle of sunshine.
____ 4. As I delivered my speech, my voice sounded as if I’d swallowed rocks and
sand.
____ 5. Emma may seem clumsy, but onstage she dances like a gazelle.
____ 6. Jacob expresses many feelings through his photography.
____ 7. My favorite tennis shoes have grown tired and weary.
____ 8. Before the soccer match, both teams attended a sportsmanship program.
____9. I have a ton of paperwork to do before I can enjoy the sun this summer.
____ 10. Sometimes I have to be my little brother’s brain.
_____11. Some students are getting swept out of the library.
_____12. Her brain is the size of a pea.
• _____13. That joke went right over my head.
• _____ 14. The students caught him with his pants down on Monday. I forgot about
the field trip.
• _____15. It was a group project, but everyone rode Andrew's coattail.
Figurative or Literal
Figurative Language
What is Figurative Language?
• Whenever you describe something by
comparing it with something else,
you are using figurative language.
Figurative
Adjective
- of the nature of or involving a figure
of speech, especially a metaphor;
metaphorical and not literal, as in
figurative language .
My Definition:

- a comparison to something

- not real
Literal
adjective
true to fact; not exaggerated; actual or
factual: a literal description of
conditions.
in accordance with, involving, or being
the primary or strict meaning of the
word or words; not figurative or
metaphorical: the literal meaning of a
word.
MY definition: FOR REAL!
Figurative or Literal
F
• ____
1. Eric thinks doing schoolwork is one
big video game.
L
• ____
2. Lauren has made up her mind to volunteer
every Tuesday after school.
F
• ____
3. Thinking about summer camp makes me
feel like a bundle of sunshine.
F
• ____ 4. As I delivered my speech, my voice sounded
as if I’d swallowed rocks and sand.
F
• ____
5. Emma may seem clumsy, but onstage she
dances like a gazelle.
L
• ____
6. Jacob expresses many feelings through his
photography.
F
• ____ 7. My favorite tennis shoes have grown tired
and weary.
L
F
F
F
F
F
L
F
Jonah forgot about the field trip, so some of
the kids called to see if he was all right.
What Is a Figure of Speech?
A figure of speech is a word or phrase that describes one
thing in terms of something else and is not literally true.
© 2002-2003 clipart.com
•All he thought about was money. His eyes were dollar signs.
Uses of Figures of Speech
Figures of speech can …
• create images in a reader’s mind.
• establish moods.
• express feelings and ideas in interesting and
surprising ways.
• As I slept beneath the
stars, a white blanket of
fog covered me in its misty
folds.
1) They were as busy as bees.
2) My love is deeper than the ocean.
3) The room looks like a pig sty.
4) The announcement was music to my ears.
5) It’s a jungle out there.
6) Pretty as a picture
7) Sly as a fox
8) Smooth as silk
9) Slow as molasses
10) Burns like fire
12) Mad as a hornet
13) Dark as midnight
14) Thorn in my side
What do these
sayings
mean?
Discuss/write
down with
your partner.
Why might figures of speech be confusing
for people whose first language is not
English?
Kinds of Figures of Speech
Four types of figurative language we will use
in fiction are…
• similes
• metaphors
• idioms
• hyperboles
• personification
Understanding Figures of Speech
When you read a figure of speech, use what you know
about one thing to help you understand more about the
other.
In the water, Mark was a
dolphin.
Mark was a good
swimmer.
Corbis Images/HRW
Dolphins are good
swimmers.
OR
© 2002 marinethemes.com/Mark Conlin
Corbis Images/HRW
What Do You See?
In the water, Mark was a dolphin.
What Are Similes?
Similes are comparisons between two unlike things,
using a word such as like, as, than, or resembles.
CORBIS Images/HRW
CORBIS Images/HRW
• The city lights twinkle like stars in the night sky.
What Are Similes?
Corbis Images/HRW
Corbis Images/HRW
•Phoebe ran like a cheetah.
What Are Metaphors?
Metaphors are imaginative comparisons between two
unlike things in which one thing is said to be another
thing. A metaphor does not use like or as.
• The city lights are stars that
CORBIS Images/HRW
twinkle in the darkness.
What Are Metaphors?
Metaphors are comparisons between
two unlike things in which one thing
becomes another thing.
•A metaphor says that one thing is
something else.
•The dog’s bark was thunder.
© Chris Collins/Corbis
•A metaphor does not use the words
like, as, than, or resembles.
What Have You Learned?
Identify the type of figure of speech used in each of the
following items.
Simile
Metaphor
1. Her cheerful laugh was a rainbow in a stormy sky.
Metaphor
2. Birds streamed across the sky like black ribbons.
Simile
3. The baby’s skin was as soft as rose petals.
4. A librarian’s mind is a treasure chest.
5. His smile was brighter than sunshine.
Simile
Metaphor
Simile
Personification
• A figure of speech in which human
characteristics are given
to an animal or an object. Example: My
teddy bear gave me a hug.
Alliteration
• The repetition of the same initial letter,
sound, or group of sounds in a series of
words.
Alliteration includes tongue twisters.
Example: She sells seashells by the
seashore.
Onomatopoeia
• The use of a word to describe or imitate
a natural sound or the sound
made by an object or an action.
Example: snap crackle pop.
Hyperbole
• An exaggeration that is so dramatic that
no one would believe the statement is
true.
• Tall tales are hyperboles.
• Example: He was so hungry, he ate that
whole cornfield for lunch, stalks and
all.
Idioms
• According to Webster's Dictionary, an
idiom is defined as: peculiar to itself
either grammatically (as no, it wasn't
me) or in having a meaning
that cannot be derived from the
conjoined meanings of its elements
(as Monday week for "the Monday a
week after next Monday")
Clichés
• A cliché is an expression that has been
used so often that it has become trite
and sometimes boring. Example: Many
hands make light work.
Simile, metaphor, idiom, hyperbole,
or personification

____ 1. Eric thinks doing schoolwork is one big video game.

____ 2. Lauren has made up her mind to volunteer every Tuesday after school.

____ 3. Thinking about summer camp makes me feel like a bundle of sunshine.

____ 4. As I delivered my speech, my voice sounded as if I’d swallowed rocks and sand.

____ 5. Emma may seem clumsy, but onstage she dances like a gazelle.

____ 6. Jacob expresses many feelings through his photography.

____ 7. My favorite tennis shoes have grown tired and weary.

____ 8. Before the soccer match, both teams attended a sportsmanship program.

____9. I have a ton of paperwork to do before I can enjoy the sun this summer.

____ 10. Sometimes I have to be my little brother’s brain.

_____11. Some students are getting swept out of the library.

_____12. Her brain is the size of a pea.

_____13. That joke went right over my head.

_____ 14. The students caught him with his pants down on Monday. I forgot about the field trip.

_____15. It was a group project, but everyone rode Andrew's coattail.
Choose a personality- Write 3-4 sentences
using your two idiomatic expressions.
Illustrate to help the audience understand
the idiom. DO NOT DEFINE!
• Lady Gaga
• Justin Bieber
• Green
Lantern
• Cartman
• Obama
• Nicki Minaj
• Edward /Bella •
• Captain
•
America
•
• Harry Potter
• Michael
•
Jordan
• Kati Perry
• Mario
Master Chief
Dora
Justin
Timberlake
The Rock