Figurative Language Definitions

Front

What is a direct comparison between two objects or concepts?

Back

Metaphor: A figure of speech that implies a comparison between two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as'. Example: 'Her long hair was a flowing golden river.'

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

Front

What is an expression that means something more than the literal definition?

Back

Idiom: A phrase or expression that has a figurative meaning different from its literal meaning. Example: 'If you don’t zip your lips, I will zip them for you!'

Tags

CCSS.L.6.5A

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

Front

What is the use of language that engages the 5 senses: Hearing, Sight, Taste, Smell, and Touch?

Back

Imagery: Descriptive language that creates vivid pictures in the reader's mind by appealing to the senses. Example: 'The scruffy black cat’s back arches and hair stands straight up when it encounters the chocolate brown snarling dog whose teeth look like little knives covered in butter.'

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.W.6.3D

Front

What are words that resemble the sound they represent?

Back

Onomatopoeia: A word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound it describes. Example: 'The baseball whizzed past my ear straight into the catcher’s mitt for strike 3.'

Tags

CCSS.L.6.5A

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

Front

What is an indirect comparison that typically uses like or as?

Back

Simile: A figure of speech that compares two different things using the words 'like' or 'as'. Example: 'She is as happy as a cat riding a unicorn through space.'

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

Front

What is a figure of speech that exaggerates for emphasis or effect?

Back

Hyperbole: An exaggerated statement not meant to be taken literally. Example: 'I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.'

Tags

CCSS.L.6.5A

CCSS.RL.6.4

Front

What is a figure of speech that gives human qualities to non-human things?

Back

Personification: A literary device where human traits are attributed to animals, inanimate objects, or abstract ideas. Example: 'The wind whispered through the trees.'

Tags

CCSS.L.6.5A

CCSS.RL.6.4

Front

What is a phrase that repeats the same initial consonant sound in a series of words?

Back

Alliteration: The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. Example: 'She sells sea shells by the sea shore.'

Front

What is a reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art?

Back

Allusion: An indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary, or political significance. Example: 'He was a real Romeo with the ladies.'

Tags

CCSS.L.6.5A

CCSS.RL.6.4

Front

What is a statement that is not meant to be taken literally and is often used for humor or emphasis?

Back

Hyperbole: An exaggerated claim or statement that is not meant to be taken literally. Example: 'I’ve told you a million times!'

Tags

CCSS.L.6.5A

CCSS.RL.6.4