Figurative Language
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Transcript of Figurative Language
Figurative LanguageFiguring it Out
Figurative and Literal Language
Literally: words function exactly as defined
The car is blue.
He caught the football.
Figuratively: figure out what it means
I’ve got your back.
You’re a doll.
^Figures of Speech
Simile
Comparison of two things using “like” or “as.”
Examples
The metal twisted like a ribbon.
She is as sweet as candy.
Important!
Using “like” or “as” doesn’t make a simile.
A comparison must be made.
Not a Simile: I like pizza.
Simile: The moon is like a pizza.
Metaphor
Two things are compared without using “like” or “as.”
Examples
All the world is a stage.
Men are dogs.
She has a stone heart.
Personification
Giving human traits to objects or ideas.
Examples
The sunlight danced.
Water on the lake shivers.
The streets are calling me.
Hyperbole
Exaggerating to show strong feeling or effect.
Examples
I will love you forever.
My house is a million miles from here.
She’d kill me.
Understatement
Expression with less strength than expected.
The opposite of hyperbole.
I’ll be there in one second.
This won’t hurt a bit.
How toIdentify Figurative Language
Is it a comparison between two things?
Yes
Does it use “like” or “as”?
No
Are they exaggerating too much or too little?
Yes No
Simile MetaphorYes No
Too Much? Too Little?
Hyperbole Understatement
Object or idea doinghuman things?
Personification
YesNo
?
Poetic Devices
The Sounds of Poetry
Alliteration
When the first sounds in words repeat.
Example
Peter Piper picked a pickled pepper.
We lurk late. We shoot straight.
Assonance
Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds. It is often used in combination with consonance and alliteration.
Example
He saw the cost and hauled off.
Notice the repetition of the “awe” sounds? (Depending on your dialect I suppose). Assonance can be subtle and may go unnoticed if you’re not scanning for it.
Consonance
When consonants repeat in the middle or end of words.
Vowels: a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y.
Consonants: all other letters.
Examples
Mammals named Sam are clammy.Curse, bless me now! With fierce tears I prey.
EnjambmentEnjambment is when the writer uses line breaks meaningfully and abruptly to create dual meanings or for emphasis. When a poem is read, the reader will conventionally make a slight pause (shorter than a comma) when transitioning from line to line in a poem. When a writer uses enjambment, he or she uses this space to spread an idea.Example
Rolling through the field in thedeadof winter.
Imagery• Imagery is when the writer or speaker uses their
descriptions to access the senses of the reader or listener. Sometimes this is called, using sensory details. When I say “senses” or “sensory,” I am referring to the five senses: sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell.
ExampleThe winter evening settles down
With smell of steaks in passageways.Six o'clock.
The burnt-out ends of smoky days.
Idiom
• An idiom is an expression that means something other than the literal meanings of its individual words.
• Example "Under the weather" is a common idiom or idiomatic
expression. You might miss a day of school because you feel "under the weather." The meaning of the expression has nothing to do with the weather. It means you feel ill. You have to memorize the meanings of idioms or figure out their meanings by using context clues.
Onomatopoeia
When a word’s pronunciation imitates its sound.
Examples
Buzz Fizz WoofHiss Clink BoomBeep Vroom Zip
Rhythm
When words are arranged in such a way that they make a pattern or beat.
Example
There once was a girl from Chicago
Who dyed her hair pink in the bathtub
I’m making a pizza the size of the sun.
Hint: hum the words instead of saying them.
Rhyme
When words have the same end sound.
Happens at the beginning, end, or middle of lines.
Examples
Where
Fair
Air
Bear
Glare
Repetition
Repeating a word or words for effect.
Example
NobodyNo, nobodyCan make it out here alone.Alone, all aloneNobody, but nobodyCan make it out here alone.
Quiz
On a separate sheet of paper…
1. I will put an example of figurative language on the board.
2. You will write whether it is an simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, or understatement.
3. You can use your notes.
1
He drew a line as straight as an arrow.
2
Knowledge is a kingdom and all who learn are kings and queens.
3
Can I see you for a second?
4
The sun was beating down on me.
5
A flag wags like a fishhook there in the sky.
6
I'd rather take bathswith 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.
7
Ravenous and savagefrom its longpolar journey,
the North Wind
is searchingfor food—
8
The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
9
Can I have one of your chips?
10
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,Welling and swelling I bear
in the tide.Leaving behind nights of terror and fearI rise
Answers1. Simile
2. Metaphor
3. Understatement
4. Personification
5. Simile
6. Hyperbole
7. Personification
8. Metaphor
9. Understatement
10. Metaphor