Figurative Language Terms

Front

What is alliteration?

Back

Alliteration is the repetition of the same beginning sound in more than two words.

Front

What is onomatopoeia?

Back

Onomatopoeia refers to words that make a sound, such as 'buzz', 'bang', or 'sizzle'.

Front

What is verbal irony?

Back

Verbal irony is when words express the opposite of what someone really feels or means, often used in sarcasm.

Front

What is a simile?

Back

A simile is a figure of speech that makes a comparison using 'like' or 'as', e.g., 'as brave as a lion'.

Front

What is an idiom?

Back

An idiom is a saying that isn't meant to be taken literally, such as 'kick the bucket' meaning to die.

Front

What is a metaphor?

Back

A metaphor is a figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as', e.g., 'time is a thief'.

Front

What is hyperbole?

Back

Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement not meant to be taken literally, used for emphasis, e.g., 'I'm so hungry I could eat a horse'.

Front

What is personification?

Back

Personification is giving human traits or characteristics to non-human things, e.g., 'the wind whispered through the trees'.

Front

What is an allusion?

Back

An allusion is a reference to a well-known person, place, event, or work of literature, e.g., 'He has the Midas touch'.

Front

What is synecdoche?

Back

Synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa, e.g., 'all hands on deck'.