Figurative Language definitions & examples

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What is a comparison of two unlike things saying that one IS the other?

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Metaphor: A figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two unlike things by stating that one is the other.

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What are words or phrases that are not literal; that exaggerate or alter the usual meanings of the individual words?

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Figurative Language: Language that uses words or expressions with a meaning that is different from the literal interpretation.

Front

When Mom noticed we had driven out of our area, she said, "Dorothy, we aren't in Kansas anymore." What type of figurative language is this?

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Allusion: A reference to a well-known person, place, event, or work of literature.

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A reference to a person, place, or event from literature, sports, history, movies, or the arts is called ...

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Allusion: A brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance.

Front

As my hair dried, each strand went boing! What type of figurative language is this?

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Onomatopoeia: A word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes.

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What is a figure of speech that gives human qualities to animals or objects?

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Personification: A figure of speech in which human qualities are attributed to animals, inanimate objects, or abstract concepts.

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What is a figure of speech that compares two things using 'like' or 'as'?

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Simile: A figure of speech that directly compares two different things using the words 'like' or 'as'.

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What is an expression that has a meaning different from the literal meaning of its individual words?

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Idiom: A phrase or expression that has a figurative meaning that is different from its literal meaning.

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What is a figure of speech that combines contradictory terms?

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Oxymoron: A figure of speech in which two contradictory terms appear in conjunction.

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What is the term for a word that imitates the sound it represents?

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Onomatopoeia: A word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes.