Understanding Figurative Language

Front

Simile

Back

A comparison using 'like' or 'as'

"fly like a butterfly, sting like a bee"

Front

Metaphor

Back

A direct comparison without using 'like' or 'as'

"Love is a rose"

Front

Personification

Back

Giving human traits to non-human objects

"The wildflowers danced in the breeze"

Front

Hyperbole

Back

An extreme exaggeration

"The car raced so fast that the road behind it was set on fire"

Front

Onomatopoeia

Back

Words that imitate sounds

"plop", "kapow!", "buzz"

Front

Alliteration

Back

Repetition of initial consonant sounds

"Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers"

Front

Idiom

Back

A phrase with a meaning different from its literal meaning

"It's raining cats and dogs"

Front

Oxymoron

Back

A combination of contradictory terms

Front

Symbolism

Back

Using symbols to represent ideas or qualities

A bald eagle represents freedom.

A heart represents love.

Front

Irony

Back

A contrast between expectation and reality.

A firehouse burns down.

A police station is robbed.