Figurative Language
Similes, Metaphors,
Personification & Hyperbole
By Mr. Gonzalez
Language Arts & Reading Teacher
Figurative Language
is the use of words or
phrases to express
something different than
their usual meanings.
Writers use figurative
language to say things in
vivid and imaginative
ways, but what they say is
not really true. Similes
and metaphors are
examples of figurative
language.
Figurative Language
• A writer’s tool
• It helps the reader
to visualize (see)
what the writer is
thinking
• It puts a picture in
the reader’s mind
Simile
• A simile is used to
compare two things.
• It uses the words
“like” or “as” to
make comparisons.
Simile
• Krissy is as pretty
as a picture.
• Her hair shines
like the sun.
• Her eyes sparkle
like the stars in
the sky.
Simile
• When my brother
returned from the trip,
he slept like a log.
• The man was hired
because he is as
strong as a bull.
• Mary’s feet smell like
rotten fish.
Other Examples of Similes
• When the food was served, people went
to the tables like a swarm of butterflies.
• That classroom is like a zoo today.
• His face is as ugly as an old running shoe.
• His feet move slowly at first, while his tap shoes
make soft, slippery sounds like rain on a tin
roof...(He) does a new step that sounds like a
woodpecker tapping on a tree.
• I felt like I was trapped in one of my own terrifying
nightmares.
More Similes
•
"Be careful using that can opener.
It's as temperamental as a chain
saw."
•
Barb frowned and said, “I believe
that taking drugs is like flushing
your brain down the toilet."
•
"Sheila really hurt me. Her
comments were like a clamp
tightening on my heart."
•
"Monica and Peter sure are close.
She has a grip on him like a
monkey wrench!"
More Similes
• I thought a baby would be
heavy to carry, but my
little cousin felt as light
as a paper doll.
• Blasted by the summer
sun, the black pavement
in our driveway was as hot
as a race car engine.
• This relationship is killing
me. I feel like a bird in a
cage.
• It was the middle of
winter, and all the
classroom windows were
open. I sat at my desk,
trembling like a
frightened animal.
• You should see my uncle
carrying wooden beams
and bags of cement. He is
as strong as a bulldozer.
Metaphor
• A metaphor is used to
compare two things
based on
resemblance and
similarity.
• Instead of saying
something is “like” or
“as” --- a metaphor
states that it just IS.
Metaphor
• Ginger is an
angel.
Metaphors
•
•
•
•
•
John’s mind is a computer.
My mom is a workhorse.
Bob is a snake in the grass.
My dorm is a prison.
Cindy was such a mule. We couldn’t
get her to change her mind.
Other examples of Metaphors
•
•
•
•
•
•
He showered her with gifts.
The event was clouded over by protests
You are the sunshine of my life.
This homework is a breeze.
His face was weathered by a long, troubled life.
She knew she was fried when the teacher handed
back her paper
• The lawyer grilled the witness on the stand.
More Metaphors
• Some afternoons I can’t visit with my friends because I am
caught in a flood of paperwork.
• Ana felt scorched by his angry words.
• Discarded plastic is a rising tide that threatens to drown
the landscape.
• That puppy was the sun coming into my world.
• Your voice is music to my heart.
• The warm evening breeze reached out its tender hand and
closed my eyes.
Why do we use Similes and
Metaphors?
• They enliven ordinary language.
• They encourage interpretation.
• They are more efficient and economical
than ordinary language.
• They create new meanings; they allow you
to write about feelings, thoughts, things,
experiences, etc. for which there are no
easy words; they are necessary.
Similes and Metaphors
in your Essays.
-Writers use similes and metaphors
to bring life and richness to what
they have to say.
-Writers use similes to explain
things, to express emotion, to
elaborate (show) their ideas and to
make their writing more vivid and
entertaining.
Personification
Personification is a figure of speech in which
nonhuman things are given human qualities.
▪ The night wind sang me a soothing lullaby.
▪ The silent phone stared at me, mocking my loneliness.
▪ A gentle breeze whispered secrets in my ear.
▪ A golden moon smiled down at the romantic couple.
▪ The stars danced playfully in the moonlit sky.
▪ The storm attacked the town with great rage.
▪ The river swallowed the earth as the water continued to rise higher
and higher.
▪ She did not realize that opportunity was knocking at her door.
▪ The leaves danced in the summer breeze.
Hyperbole
A Hyperbole is nothing but an exaggeration of
any statement. The statement is made only for a
dramatic effect, however, it does increase the
beauty of speech.
Examples
His brain is the size of a pea.
My backpack weighs a ton!
I will die if she asks me to sing in front of everyone.
I am so hungry I could eat a horse.
You snore louder than a freight train.
It was so cold, I saw polar bears wearing jackets.
This car goes faster than the speed of light.