Figurative Language
Is a tool that an author uses to help the reader
visualize (or see) what is happening in a story
Idiom-Idioms are sayings that have hidden
meanings that don’t mean exactly what is
stated
You better hold your tongue when your
parents are scolding you.
The students in room 302 are going
bananas.
Can you think of idioms on
your own that you have heard
before....
Simile-compare something using the words
“like” or “as”
The groomsmen were dressed like
penguins.
He’s as slow as a snail.
She was as sly as a fox when she snuck in
her brother’s room.
Let’s Practice Similes
1. The cat was as _____________ as a
________________
2. My dad was as ______________ as a
________________
3. The mattress was like a
______________
4. My car is like a
_____________________
Metaphor-show how two things are not alike in most
ways and are similar in one important way. Metaphors
are a way to describe something.
The “A” that she received on her test was
icing on the cake.
She is a bear in the morning when she
doesn’t have her coffee.
Let’s practice Metaphors
I work so hard all day that when I get home I become a couch potato at night.
My car is a dinosaur, it is time to get a new one.
1. Kay has great taste in furniture, I’m sure
her home is beautiful.
The metaphor “great taste” means:
a. Kay works in a furniture store
b. Kay eats furniture
c. Kay knows how to pick out great
furniture
2. Jay drives too fast and is a road hog.
The metaphor “road hog” means
a.
Jay drives all over the road.
b.
Jay eats too much in his car.
c.
Jay likes to drive.
3. Joe is a giant in his class, towering a foot over his classmates.
The metaphor “giant” means
a.
Joe is short
b.
Joe is from a fairy tale
c.
Joe is tall
Read each sentence, and then decide whether the
sentence is an example of a metaphor or simile.
1. You were as brave as a lion. __________________
2. He is as strong as an ox. __________________
3. You are my sunshine. __________________
4. Don’t just sit there like a bump on a log. __________________
5. He is the apple of my eye. __________________
6. She is a rollercoaster of emotions during the holidays. __________________
7. She has such a bubbly personality while at work. __________________
8. John is a real pig when he eats. __________________
Personification-Giving human qualities to
inanimate objects (non-human objects)
The book screamed out to me to buy it!
I can never find anything in my locker because it seems
to eat all my books and homework.
The moon was smiling down on us while we were in
bed.
Identify the examples of personification in the
paragraph below. Then you will sketch a picture
of what the scene looks like.
As I walked along the road, the rain kissed my
cheeks as it fell. When it stopped, I could hear
the wind as it sang it’s mournful song through
the falling leaves. A passing car engine
coughed and sputtered as it passed by me.
Suspended out the window, a video camera
observed the entire scene.
Hyperbole-Is an extreme exaggeration
used to make a point.
It was so hot that my face melted.
Barney got a million strikes today while
bowling.
I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.
Hyperbole Practice
Read each statement and record the meaning of
each hyperbole
.
1. I could sleep for a year.
__________________________
2. This box weighs a ton.
__________________________
3. I've told you a million times not to exaggerate.
__________________________
4. Your mother is so small she does chin-ups on the curb.
_______________________
•
Proverbs/Adage-Proverbs &Adages are
popular sayings which contain advice or state
a generally accepted truth.
Don’t count your chickens before they’ve
hatched.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way
Look before you leap.
Proverbs/Adages
Complete each proverb/adage in the first column by choosing
the correct ending in the 2nd column. Then write a brief
description of what the Proverb/Adage means.
1. All that glitters is not
_________
words
2. Better be safe than
_________
3. The best of friends must
_________
4. All work and no
_________
play
sorry
gold
part
5. Actions speak louder than
________