Figurative Meaning

Decide if the meaning of the bold phrase is literal or figurative: Creative people are often ahead of the pack.

• Literal

• Figurative

Complete the sentence with one of the following expressions: My brother is _____. His reactions are almost always the opposite of mine.

• ahead of the curve/pack

• brings me up to speed

• uncharted territory

• cut from a different cloth

What is the meaning of the following simile?

"In the evenings, we would watch the stars glitter like Christmas lights."

• The stars were beautiful.

• There were a lot of stars in the sky.

• The stars were very far away.

• The stars were unreachable.

What is the literal meaning of the following metaphor?

"He was drowning in a sea of grief."

• He was stranded in the ocean.

• He was very sad.

• He was very angry.

• He was a unique person.

What is the literal meaning of the following personification?"Time crawled as Tim sat in the detention room watching the clock tic."

• The clock was making a "tick-tock" sound.

• Tim was embarrassed about getting detention.

• Time seemed to pass slowly.

• Time seemed to pass quickly.

What is the meaning of the following metaphor? "I had turned into an icicle waiting for the bus."

• The person is tired of waiting.

• The person is very cold.

• The person is standing very still.

• The person is waiting patiently.

What is the literal meaning of the following personification?"As he waited for his father to come home, guilt poked and chewed at William."

• His father felt bad for William.

• William felt bad about something he'd done.

• His father is going to be angry.

• William is ignoring the guilt he feels.

What is the literal meaning of the following simile?

"Time is like a cruel thief."

• There's no such thing as time.

• Time often seems to pass very slowly.

• Thieves are bad because they steal things.

• As time passes, so does life's pleasant moments.

What is the literal meaning of the following metaphor?

"The class was a circus."

• The class was quiet.

• The class was out of control.

• The class was boring.

• The class was interesting.

Identify the figurative meaning in the sentence: 'The world is your oyster.'

• A) The world is literally an oyster.

• B) You have many opportunities available to you.

• C) You should eat more seafood.

• D) The world is small and round.