Figurative Language

Which sentence contains a simile?

• Rachel smiled like a Cheshire cat

• Bill had been awake for 500 hours

• Farewell, my fair-hared friend

• Our mayor is no Abe Lincoln

Which sentence contains a hyperbole?

• I smiled brightly

• Bill had been awake for 500 hours

• Farewell, my fair-hared friend

• Be the change you wish to see in the world

"The kid was a young Albert Einstein." This is an example of _____________.

• Metaphor

• Simile

• Allusion

• Personification

"Nila briefly brushed the baby's hair." This is an example of _______________."

• Onomatopoea

• Hyperbole

• Alliteration

• Idiom

Which sentence contains personification?

• The women looked as if she were 1,000 years old

• The fire hungrily ate the house

• Where's the wicked witch?

• The cat purred loudly

Mike's love for tacos burns bright, an underlying flame that can never be extinguished, 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's love for tacos is compared to a flame

• Mike loves tacos

• Mike's love is compared to a taco

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

• I ran as swiftly as a deer across the lawn

Read the following passage.

Nalia was unsure what to do. Her teacher had put her in charge of organizing the classroom bulletin board. It was an easy enough task, but she realized that there wasn’t enough space to post everyone’s latest art project. Nalia decided to ask Mr. Willis for help. “Here’s what I’d do,” he explained. “Layer everyone’s projects on top of one another a little, like a collage. It’ll be like art made out of art!” Nalia smiled. She knew she could trust the advice that she got from Mr. Willis, who’d been teaching for 15 years.

Which detail from the passage could be rewritten using the idiom “straight from the horse’s mouth”?

• “Nalia was unsure what to do.”

• “...an easy enough task...”

• “...from Mr. Willis, who’d been teaching for 15 years.”

• “Her teacher had put her in charge of organizing the classroom bulletin board

Read the following passage.

It was Alexis’ turn next. She checked the laces of her ice skates to make sure they were extra tight. She’d been waiting half the day to demonstrate the new flip she’d learned to the judges. Even though she’d been longing for this moment, she felt like she couldn’t think straight. “Come on, Alexis,” she thought to herself, “Concentrate.” She could hear the rustle of the crowd, the woosh from the rink’s cooling system, the laughter of her teammates.

Which detail from the passage could be rewritten using the idiom “get on the ball”?

• “...to make sure they were extra tight.”

• “...she felt like she couldn’t think straight.”

• “She could hear the rustle of the crowd, the woosh from the rink’s cooling system...”

• “'Come on Alexis,’ she thought to herself, ‘Concentrate.’"

Get out of hand: get out of control or become hard to control

Read the following passage.

Devon the Clown hated working children’s birthday parties. He thought of himself as a clowning artist. He thought he should be performing for audiences full of quiet, respectful adults. Adults would respond to his balloon animals with hushed applause. Instead, he was surrounded by sticky cake and rooms where children screamed loudly and ran around as soon as he walked through the door. “What a waste of my talent,” sighed Devon.

Which detail from the passage could be rewritten using the idiom “get out of hand”?

• “...hated working children’s birthday parties.”

• “...screamed loudly and ran around...”

• “...thought he should be performing of audiences of quiet, respectful adults.”

• “...hushed applause.”