Figurative Language Definitions

Front

Uses figures of speech for meaning beyond the literal.

Back

Figurative language

Front

Indirect comparison using 'like' or 'as'. Example: She is as happy as a cat riding a unicorn through space.

Back

Simile

Front

Direct comparison of two objects or concepts. Example: Her long hair was a flowing golden river.

Back

Metaphor

Front

Gives human traits to non-human things. Example: My alarm clock yells at me!

Back

Personification

Front

Words that resemble the sound they represent, e.g., 'whizzed'.

Back

Onomatopoeia

Front

Repetition of the initial consonant sound in a group of words. Example: Kathy can’t cook chocolate chip cookies continuously.

Back

Alliteration

Front

Use of language engaging the 5 senses: Hearing, Sight, Taste, Smell, Touch. Example: The scruffy black cat’s back arches when it encounters the chocolate brown snarling dog with teeth like knives covered in butter.

Back

Imagery

Front

Extreme exaggeration example: After asking her out a million times, she finally said yes!

Back

Hyperbole

Front

Expression meaning more than literal: 'If you don’t zip your lips, I will zip them for you!'

Back

Idiom

Front

Brief, indirect reference to a significant person, place, or idea. Example: Unlocking Pandora’s box.

Back

Allusion