Figurative Language

What is figurative language?

Figurative language uses figurative devices to go beyond the
literal meaning of words.
 ● Indirect reference to a person,
place, thing, or idea of

Allusion historical, cultural, literary, or

political significance.

● “This place is like the Garden of

Eden!”
 ● A number of words with the
same beginning consonant
sound appearing next to one
another.
Alliteration ● “But a better butter makes a
better batter”
● Dunkin’ Donuts
● PayPal
● “Not knotty”
 ● Language that appeals to our
senses
● “It was dark and dim in the
Imagery ●
forest”
“The children were laughing
and screaming in the field”
 ● Word that imitates the natural
sound of a thing
● Buzz
Onomatopoeia ●
●
Plop
Growl
● Scatter
● Giggle
● Whisper
 ● A comparison showing
similarities between two
different things using the words
Simile “like” or “as”
● “Her cheeks were red like a
rose”
● “The well was as dry as a bone”
 ● A hidden or implied comparison
between two or more things.
● Different from a simile

Metaphor ●
●
Does not use “like” or “as”
“My brother is the black sheep
of the family”
● “The assignment was a breeze”
 ● When two opposite ideas are
joined to make an effect
Oxymoron ● “Living death”
● “Awful pretty”
● “Unpopular celebrities”
 ● When a thing is given human
characteristics
Personification ● “The wind whispered through
the dry grass”
● “The flood raged over the
entire town”
 ● When two or more ideas,
places, characters and their
actions are placed side by side
as a comparison or to contrast
Juxtaposition them in order to make a point
● “It was the best of times, it was
the worst of times”
● Protagonists and antagonists in
stories
 ● Exaggeration for the sake of
emphasis
● “I’ll die if I have to do the
Hyperbole dishes!”
● “My backpack weighs a ton!”
● “The man was as tall as a
skyscraper”