Figurative Language

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What is a simile?

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A simile is a figure of speech that compares two different things using the words 'like' or 'as'. For example, 'Her smile is like the sun.'

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What is a metaphor?

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A metaphor is a figure of speech that directly compares two different things without using 'like' or 'as'. For example, 'Time is a thief.'

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What is hyperbole?

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

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What is personification?

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

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What is alliteration?

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Alliteration is the repetition of the same initial consonant sound in a series of words. For example, 'She sells sea shells by the sea shore.'

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What is an oxymoron?

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An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines contradictory terms. For example, 'deafening silence.'

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What is imagery?

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Imagery is descriptive language that appeals to the senses and creates a mental picture for the reader. For example, 'The golden sun set over the calm, blue ocean.'

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What is onomatopoeia?

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Onomatopoeia is a word that imitates the natural sound of a thing. For example, 'buzz', 'hiss', or 'bang'.

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What is a pun?

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A pun is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term or similar-sounding words for humorous or rhetorical effect. For example, 'Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.'

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What is a cliché?

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A cliché is an overused expression or idea that has lost its originality and impact. For example, 'All is fair in love and war.'