Understanding Figures of Speech

Read the sentence: "When Mark said, 'Oh, great! Another homework assignment,' he rolled his eyes." What figure of speech is being used in this sentence?

• Simile

• Verbal irony

• Hyperbole

• Metaphor

Which of the following is an example of a pun?

• "Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana."

• "He was as brave as a lion."

• "The wind whispered through the trees."

• "She is the apple of my eye."

In the sentence, "The comedian’s jokes were so dry, the audience needed water," what type of figure of speech is used?

• Pun

• Verbal irony

• Simile

• Metaphor

Which pair of words best demonstrates a relationship of antonyms?

• Hot – Cold

• Cat – Dog

• Table – Chair

• Run – Walk

If you know that "benevolent" means kind and "malevolent" means evil, what does the prefix "mal-" most likely mean?

• Good

• Bad

• Fast

• Slow

Which word has a more positive connotation: "slender" or "skinny"?

• Slender

• Skinny

Choose the word with the most negative connotation: "inexpensive," "cheap," or "affordable."

• Inexpensive

• Cheap

• Affordable

Which word has a more neutral connotation: "curious" or "nosy"?

• Curious

• Nosy

Read the following sentence: "The teacher said, 'Nice job cleaning up,' as she looked at the messy classroom." Explain how the use of verbal irony affects the meaning of the sentence.

• It shows the teacher is genuinely pleased.

• It emphasizes the messiness by saying the opposite of what she means.

• It confuses the students.

• It makes the classroom seem cleaner.

A character says, "I just love getting stuck in traffic every morning." What evidence from the sentence shows this is an example of verbal irony?

• The word "love" is used.

• The character is actually happy.

• The situation is unpleasant, but the character says the opposite.

• The character is talking about traffic.