Figurative Language

Front

What is a simile?

Back

A simile is a figure of speech that compares two unlike things using the words 'like' or 'as'. For example, 'This house is as clean as a whistle.'

Front

What is an oxymoron?

Back

An oxymoron is a figure of speech where two contradictory words are put together, such as 'bittersweet'.

Front

What is hyperbole?

Back

Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement or claim that is not meant to be taken literally, such as 'I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.'

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', such as 'Time is a thief.'

Front

What is personification?

Back

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

Front

What is alliteration?

Back

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

Front

What is imagery?

Back

Imagery is descriptive language that appeals to the senses and creates a picture in the reader's mind, like 'The golden sun set over the calm, blue ocean.'

Front

What is onomatopoeia?

Back

Onomatopoeia is a word that imitates the natural sound of a thing, such as 'buzz', 'hiss', or 'clang'.

Front

What is a pun?

Back

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

Front

What is a speaker in poetry?

Back

The speaker is the voice that talks to us in a poem, which may or may not be the poet.