Figurative Language
What is that?
What is Figurative Language ?
Figurative language is language that uses words or expressions with a meaning that is different from the literal meaning. When a writer uses literal language, he or she is simply stating the facts as they are.
Simile
A comparison of two unlike things using the words like or as.
Simile Example ~
The teacher buzzed around the classroom like a bumblebee to a flower.
Metaphor
A comparison of two unlike things without using the words like or as.
Metaphor Example~
This football team is a sinking ship.
Hyperbole
An exaggeration that cannot possibly be true.
Hyperbole~ Example
I learned to ride a bike about a million years ago.
Personification
Giving human qualities to nonhuman things.
Personification~Example
The thirsty grass drank in the rain.
Alliteration
The repetition of the same initial consonant sound in a series of words.
Alliteration~Example
Coca-Cola, Dunkin Donuts
Peter paid for the pretty poster Polly wanted.
Onomatopoeia
Words whose sounds suggest their meaning.
Onomatopoeia~Example
Idiom
A group of words whose collective meaning is quite different from their individual, literal meaning.
Idiom ~ Example
It is time to buckle down and get this yard work done.
Allusion
A reference to a person, place, or event from literature, sports, history, movies, or the arts.
Allusion Example ~
Marty’s beard was whiter than Santa’s.
This place is like the Garden of Eden.
Mr. DeMaagd is the Einstein of Science.
Oxymoron
A phrase with words that contradict each other with opposite meanings.
Oxymoron Example ~
Black is my least favorite jelly bean.
My kite made a crash landing.
We had jumbo shrimp for dinner.