Figurative Language - Read and Respond

A metaphor is a comparison between two things or ideas to show how one of the things is similar to the other. Unlike a simile, a metaphor does not use the words "like" or "as."

Read the following passage.

Mike’s love for tacos burns bright, an undying flame that can never be extinguished, not even by a bad chalupa.

Which of the following best describes the metaphor in this passage?

• Mike’s love for tacos is compared to a bad chalupa.

• Mike loves tacos.

• Mike’s love for tacos is compared to a flame.

• Mike’s love is compared to a taco.

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An allusion is a direct or indirect reference to something historical, literary, religious or mythical. Allusions can help people see unique connections between two ideas.

Read the following passage:

The stray cat stalked down the street. Her walk was proud--she barely flinched when a car on the corner backfired. She reached the end of the street and made one majestic leap to the top of an open trash can, where, with great dignity, she settled over a meal of broken bones, a back alley Cleopatra.

Which detail from the text contains an allusion?

• “She reached the end of the street and made one majestic leap...”

• “Her walk was proud...”

• “The stray cat stalked down the street.”

• “...she settled over a meal of broken bones, a back alley Cleopatra.”

A simile is a comparison of two things using the words like or as.

Read the following passage.

Paul often got lost while he was driving. He was easily confused by street signs and besides, driving was so boring. He liked to distract himself by imagining what the other drivers were thinking. “My mind is like a puppy dog,” he laughed, “always chasing after something new.” Maybe the family in the car next to him was on the run; maybe the truck driver up ahead was transporting something fantastic, like diamonds; maybe the woman driving alone in the car behind him was a future movie star. Or maybe, like him, they were all trying to imagine anything except the road in front of them. He would speculate about all of this until he realized he had missed his exit or driven too far in the wrong direction and then he would curse his own imagination.

Which detail from the text contains a simile?

• “..he would curse his own imagination.”

• “My mind is like a puppy dog...”

• “Maybe the family in the car next to him was on the run...”

• “Paul often got lost while he was driving.”

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Juxtaposition is when two unlike things are positioned next to each other.

Which of the following is an example of juxtaposition?

• “It was a bright cold day in April”

• “It was a dark and stormy night.”

• “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

• “There were no marigolds in the fall of 1941.”

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When an author gives objects, concepts or animals human characteristics, emotions or abilities, that's personification.

Which of the following is an example of personification?

• The night sighed, and it seemed as if the evening sky was yawning.

• The rabbit leaped over the fallen branch and vanished into the woods.

• Oliver decided to indulge his friend’s fantasies and smiled warmly.

• I ran as swiftly as a deer across the lawn, eager to greet my brother.

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Onomatopoeia is the name for words that sound like what they describe.

Which of the following is an example of onomatopoeia?

• “Voila,” the chef announced, revealing a glorious dessert, set aflame.

• “Yikes!” Riley exclaimed, gritting her teeth. “I do not want to talk about that!”

• Justin poured a glass of soda, listening to the bubbles fizz in the glass.

• Haroun could hear, from the crowd, shouts of “Hooray!” and chants of his name.

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Hyperbole is a purposeful exaggeration or overstatement.

Which of the following is an example of hyperbole?

• With the tournament win, Julia was declared a champion golfer.

• Peter received the lowest scores of any of the runners.

• That kitten was so cute I died when I saw it.

• I feel happiest when I’ve won a game of Scrabble

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Assonance is the smoothest, coolest, loosest literary term on the block. It is the repetition of vowel sounds in words that are close together, and it is sometimes known as "internal rhyme" or "slant rhyme."

Which of the following song lyrics contain assonance?

• "Memories keep playing back, all the nights we used to love/ Just wondering how we used to was, used to was"

• "My restlessness is my nemesis/ It’s hard to really chill and sit still"

• "Into the roads/ It’s open/ Bare to your left my heart sits there"

• "I got my city doing front flips"

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Alliteration is the repetition of sounds, especially the first consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words. Remember, consonants are any letter that’s not a vowel.

Which of the following song lyrics contain an example of alliteration?

• "When I’m on the mic I stand tall with gall"

• "Drama, so close to not completing the missing piece of the puzzle"

• "Stuck in Nintendo, you’re the controller/ Street Fighter and such"

• "My mind makes marvelous moves, masses/ Marvel and move, many mock what I've mastered"

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When you use verbal irony, you say one thing, but you actually mean the opposite. It can take the form of sarcasm, overstatement or understatement. Irony is also when the opposite of what you expect actually happens.

Which of the following is an example of verbal irony?

• Her step is as light as a feather.

• “You are beautiful like a summer day,” she told the winner of the baby beauty pageant.

• Talking to him is about as interesting as reading a dictionary.

• Her voice is as sweet as honey.

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