 I will be able to identify styles of
figurative language
 I will be able to use styles of figurative
language in my descriptive writing
 Figurative language:
 Is expressing ideas indirectly;
 Is language used in a special way to
create a special effect made up of words
and phrases which don’t mean what
they first appear to mean
 Makes writing more interesting
 Simile
 Metaphor
 Personification
 Alliteration
 Onomatopoeia
 Hyperbole
 Idioms
 Cliches
We will be concentrating on these 4:
 Simile
 Metaphor
 Personification
 Alliteration
 Onomatopoeia
 Hyperbole
 Idioms
 Cliches
 Is when an object (or animal) is given
human-like qualities or characteristics.
 “The stars danced playfully in the
moonlit sky.”
 “The thunder grumbled like an old
man”
 What is the simile in this example?
 “The popcorn leapt out of the bowl.”
 “Time creeps up on you.”
 “I tripped because the curb jumped
out in front of me.”
 Nicki Minaj, “Super Bass”
 “Boy you got my heart beat running away”
 Owl City, “Fireflies”
 “Cuz’ I get a thousand hugs from ten
thousand lightning bugs, as they try to
teach me how to dance.”
 Onomatopoeia is a word that makes
the sound of the word it is describing.
Snap, crackle, pop
Boom
Clang
Clash
Honk
Munch
Plop
Poof
Splat
Swoosh
Thump
Wham
Zip
Zoom
 Katy Perry, “Firework”
 “Boom, boom, boom, even brighter
than the moon, moon, moon.”
 A comparison of two like things
 A simile uses the words “like” or “as” to
compare one object or idea with
another to suggest they are alike
 Example:
Simile
Meaning
“as busy as a bee”
Very busy
“as big as a bus”
Pretty big!
“as silent as the dead” Completely silent
“as quick as lightning”
?
 Rihanna, “Diamonds”
 “Shine bright like a diamond”
 Selena Gomez, “Year without Rain”
“A day without you is like a year
without rain”
 Is a comparison of unrelated subjects.
 A comparison of two (or more) unlike
things without using the words “like” or
“as”;
 Usually uses the words “is” or “are”
Metaphor
“the assignment was a
breeze”
“it is going to be clear
skies from now on”
“Her voice is music to
my ears”
Meaning
The assignment was
easy
Things are going to be
better
I really enjoy listening
to her voice
 One Directions, “One Thing”
 Shot me out of the sky
You're my kryptonite
You keep making me weak
Yeah, frozen and can't breathe
 Turn to page 39 in your packet
 Using what you have learned about
figurative language, write a descriptive
paragraph about the following image.
 Image this is what you see as you are
flying over New York City.