Go Figure!

Figurative Language

Sherwood BrooksDriftwood Middle School

Recognizing Figurative Language The opposite of literal language is figurative

language. Figurative language is language that means more than what it says on the surface.

It usually gives us a feeling about its subject. Poets use figurative language almost as

frequently as literal language. When you read poetry, you must be conscious of the difference. Otherwise, a poem may make no sense at all.

Recognizing Literal Language “I’ve eaten so much I feel as if I could

literally burst!” In this case, the person is not using the word

literally in its true meaning. Literal means "exact" or "not exaggerated." By pretending that the statement is not exaggerated, the person stresses how much he has eaten.

Literal language is language that means exactly what is said.

Most of the time, we use

literal language.

What is figurative language?

Whenever you describe something by comparing it with something else,

you are using figurative language.

Types of Figurative Language

Imagery Simile Metaphor Alliteration Personification Onomatopoeia Hyperbole Idioms Euphemism

Oxymoron Pun Irony Symbolism

IMAGERY Language that appeals to the senses.

Descriptions of people or objects stated in terms of our senses.

• Sight • Hearing • Touch • Taste • Smell

SIMILE A figure of speech which involves a

direct comparison between two unlike things, usually with the words like, as or than. Example: “The muscles of his brawny

arms are strong as iron bands.”

I am as hungry as a horse.

                                                       

You run faster than a rabbit.                                                                                                                                            

He is sneaky like a snake.

She is as happy as a clam.

METAPHOR A figure of speech which involves an

implied comparison between two relatively unlike things using a form of be. The comparison is not announced by like or as. Example: The road was a ribbon wrapped

through the desert.

The sofa is fertile soil for a couch potato.

But my heart is a lonely hunter that hunts on a lonely hill. - William Sharp, The Lonely Hunter

The girl was a fish in the water.

The clown was a feather floating away.

ALLITERATION Repeated consonant sounds occurring at

the beginning of words or within words.

Example: She was wide-eyed and wondering while she waited for Walter to waken.

                                                            

Stan the strong surfer saved several swimmers on Saturday.

Tiny Tommy Thomson takes toy trucks to Timmy’s on Tuesday.

She sells sea shell by the sea shore.

Don't delay dawns disarming display.

Dusk demands daylight. - Paul MccanSara's seven sisters slept soundly in sand.

PERSONIFICATION A figure of speech which gives the

qualities of a person to an animal, an object, or an idea. Example: “The wind yells while blowing."

The wind cannot yell. Only a living thing can yell.

The flowers danced in the wind.

The friendly gates welcomed us.

The Earth coughed and choked in all of the pollution.

Onomatopoeia

The use of words that mimic sounds. Example: The firecracker made a

loud ka-boom!Yeeeeee Ahhhhhhhh

Chug chug chug!!

Swish swish swish

Hyperbole An exaggerated statement used to

heighten effect. It is not used to mislead the reader, but to emphasize a point.

Example: She’s said so on

several million occasions.

I'm so busy trying to accomplish ten million things at once. - I'm trying to accomplish several things at one time.

Your dog is so ugly, we had to pay the fleas to live on him. - Here the hyperbole has been used as an insult.

Idioms An idiom or idiomatic expression is one

that cannot be matched or directly translated word-for-word in another language.

Example: "She has a bee in her bonnet," meaning "she is obsessed," cannot be literally translated into another language word for word.

I would do that at the drop of a hat.

I failed my Math test, so it’s back to square one.

I would tell the truth, but I don’t want to upset the apple cart.

You’ve been wasting too much time, get your act together!

Euphemism/Understatement Substitution of a mild, inoffensive or politically

correct term for one considered offensive or explicit Ethnic cleansing Enhanced interrogation Pre-owned Mentally challenged Chemical dependency

We have to let you go. Read: You're fired. You're well fed. Read: You're fat.

SYMBOLISMThe use of a specific item to represent or

stand for another item or a vague idea

Harry Potter’s mark symbolizes……

“Remember,” John said. “wear your red hat to lunch if the test was easy and your blue one if it was hard.”

OxymoronThe use of two words that are

opposite in meaning being used together Walking dead Honest thief Pretty ugly Plastic glass

Loners clubA stripper's dressing roomI'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous!

Allusion – a reference to an event, time period or work of literature that the writer feels the reader will recognize

She has the patience of Job.Telling the story opened a

Pandora’s box yesterday.The boxer’s weak chin was his

Achilles’ heel and cost him the match.

Irony - the contrast between what is expected and what actually isVerbal irony – the difference

between what is said and what is meant

Situational irony – what is happening is the opposite of what is expected

Dramatic irony – the audience or reader knows more than the characters do

Irony Having a fight with your best friend just before your

birthday, and commenting -"Great, this is just what I needed". - Verbal Irony (It is probably the worst thing that could happen before your birthday.)

In Romeo and Juliet, when Juliet is drugged, Romeo assumes her to be dead, and kills himself. Upon waking up Juliet finds him dead, and kills herself. - Dramatic Irony (mainly based on miscommunication and misunderstanding)

A Pun is a play on words

I bet the butcher the other day that he couldn't reach the meat that was on the top shelf. He refused to take the bet, saying that the steaks were too high.

Santa's helpers are subordinate Clauses What is a prisoner’s favorite punctuation

mark?.

Multiple meaning words Homophones HomographsUsually used in jokes and riddles

OK….Let’s Practice!!

Identify the figurative language used in each case.

I got your back!!She was on cloud nine

when she won the lottery.

IDIOM

SIMILE

The metal twisted like a ribbon.

The willow is as sleek as a velvet-nosed calf.

Her hair is softer than silk.

METAPHORMen are dogs.

Life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.

The sun is a yellow ball of fire in the sky.

PERSONIFICATION

The sun was smiling down on me.

Sorrow knocked at my door, but I was afraid to answer.

The trees bowed gracefully to the wind.

HYPERBOLE I'd rather take baths

with a man-eating shark,or wrestle a lionalone in the dark,eat spinach and liver,pet ten porcupines,than tackle the homework,my teacher assigns.

PERSONIFICATION Ravenous and savage

from its longpolar journey,

the North Wind

is searchingfor food—

HYPERBOLE

The ice cream was piled a mile high on the cone.

The teacher told us a million times to stop talking.

My book bag weighed a ton.

METAPHOR

I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,Welling and swelling I bear

in the tide.Leaving behind nights of terror and fearI rise

IRONY

Bill Gates winning a computer.

Anne Frank did not know how her story would end, but her readers do.

PunA circus lion won’t eat clowns

because they taste funny.

The boy had to brace himself for the orthodontist visit.

Oxymoron

Jumbo shrimp

Graduation was a bittersweet experience

The kind robber left him with enough money for bus fare.

ALLITERATION

Peter Piper picked a pack of pickled peppers.

Rubber baby buggy bumpers

Sharon showed Shana some shiny shoes.

ONOMATOPOEIA

With the click of a mouse, I can open another window on my computer

The microwave dinged when the dinner was ready.

SYMBOLISM

I don’t want them to turn

my little girl into a swallow.

she would fly far away into the sky

and never fly again to my straw bed,

or she would nest in the eaves

Where I could not comb her hair.

I don’t want them to turn

my little girl into a swallow.

Euphemism/Understatement

I had to put my dog to sleep yesterday.

Peter was sent away for four years.

My grandmother is no longer with us.

ALLUSION Enjoy your night at the theatre. Don’t have a

Lincoln experience.

That couple was around since Adam married Eve.

Please walk through the metal detectors. We want to avoid another Columbine.

IMAGERYThe cool clear water flowed over

the stony creek bed.

It was a gloomy summer night and creepy shadows fell on the wall.

My mouth watered hungrily as I bit greedily into the creamy delicious chocolate cake.