Figurative Language

Figurative language is a form of expression that uses words or phrases in a way that deviates from their literal interpretation to convey complex meanings, create imagery, or evoke emotions.

A simile is a figure of speech that compares two different things using the words 'like' or 'as'. Example: 'Her smile was like sunshine.'

A metaphor is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as'. Example: 'Time is a thief.'

Personification is a figure of speech in which human qualities are attributed to animals, inanimate objects, or abstract concepts. Example: 'The wind whispered through the trees.'

Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement not meant to be taken literally, used for emphasis or effect. Example: 'I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.'

An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines contradictory terms. Example: 'Deafening silence.'

Synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa. Example: 'All hands on deck' (hands represent people).

Metonymy is a figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated. Example: 'The Oval Office issued a statement' (Oval Office represents the President).

Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words. Example: 'Hear the lark and harken to the barking of the dark fox gone to ground.'

Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in close proximity within a sentence or phrase. Example: 'The lumpy, bumpy road.'