Figurative Language
• Literal means the EXACT or REAL
meaning of a word or phrase.
• Figurative language communicates ideas
beyond the literal meanings of words.
Let’s Practice
Literal
I was digging down in
the dumps trying to
find my lost Narrative.
Please butter up the
bread before you
put it in the oven.
Figurative
I was down in the dumps
when my best friend
moved.
You should butter up
the teacher before you
tell her you lost the
assignment.
Now You Try
My little sister is a pain in the neck!
Figurative
Don’t lose your marbles when
you put the game away.
Literal
Hate is a knife that stabs love
in the back.
Figurative
Love is a rose, but you’d
better not pick it.
Figurative
We were one brick short of
finishing the new porch.
Literal
Similes
Compares unlike things using the words like or as.
She ran like the wind.
He’s stubborn as a mule.
Earth is like a misty marble rolling around the galaxy.
He’s sly as a fox.
I am like a flower, ready to bloom.
He’s sharp as a tack.
Ginkgo
Willow
“Willow and Ginkgo” by Eve Merriam
pgs 449-450
Find three similes in the poem.
How is “like an etching” better than “like a drawing”?
Why does “like the king’s favorite daughter” work
better than “like a daughter”?
Why do you think the author’s heart goes
to the ginkgo?
“Sun” by Valerie Worth
page 451
What is the sun compared to in the final stanza?
=
What other things can you compare the different
strengths of the sun to?
Homework
On a fresh sheet of paper, write a correct Language
Arts heading in the upper left-hand corner.
Write ten of your own similes.
Starters…..
Night is like…..
Red tastes like….
Anger is like….
The wind is like…..
Television is like…
School is like…
The moon is like…
The ocean is like…
Friendship is like…
Joy tastes like….
Confusion sounds like…
________as strong as______
________as full as________
________as rough as______
________as deep as_______
________as ancient as_____
________as black as______
________as fast as_______
________as silent as______
________as sad as________
________as red as________
________as loud as_______
Metaphors
Makes a comparison.
Does not use “like” or “as.”
Simile:
Earth is like a misty marble rolling around the galaxy.
Metaphor:
Earth is a misty marble rolling around the galaxy.
Let’s Change It…
Television is like the drug of the nation.
Television is the drug of the nation.
A day without orange juice is like a day without sunshine.
A day without orange juice is a day without sunshine.
This class is like a three ring circus!
This class is a three ring circus!
The bar of soap was slippery as an eel during the dog’s bath.
The bar of soap was a slippery eel during the dog’s bath.
The clouds were billowy as cotton candy.
The clouds were billowy cotton candy.
Simile or Metaphor?
The test was a piece of cake.
The ruby was red as blood.
A sapphire shines blue as heaven.
The highway was a silver ribbon winding
through the countryside.
The dawn approached my window like a welcomed
visitor bearing gifts.
The dragonfly was a blue jewel gliding over the pond.
“Ankylosaurus” by Jack Prelutsky
page 454
Metaphors in the poem are…..
“…its hide was a fortress…” (“as sturdy as steel” is a simile)
“…it tended to be an inedible meal.”
“…a mouthful of pegs.”
“…its tail was a cudgel.” (A cudgel is a short, thick stick or club.)
“Cumulus Clouds” by Sheryl L. Nelms
page 457
What are the clouds being compared to?
How are they similar to whipped cream?
Homework
On a fresh sheet of paper, write a correct Language
Arts heading in the upper left-hand corner.
Write ten of your own metaphors.
Starters…
Time is…
War is a…
Cigarettes are…
Ropes of…
Hate is…
Shoes are…
Teeth are…
Tears are…
Doubt is…
The moon is…
House of…
Tornado of…
Clocks are…
White is…
Food is…
A circle is…
Cars are…
Marriage is…
The army is…
Hands are…
Kiss of…
Morning is…
Heart of…
Mountains of…