Figurative Language The tools you need to help create more interesting writing.

Writers can learn to write vividly, if they use figures of speech in their writing. Figures of speech are imaginative expressions used by writers to make their writing original and descriptive for the readers.

alliteration Wonderful words that certainly sound super!

alliteration the repeating of beginning consonant sounds in a group of words Alliteration refers to the first sound rather than the first letter (ex. city slicker). Ex. A tutor who tooted a flute tried to get two young tooters to toot.

double alliteration …broad stripes and bright stars

When should you use alliteration? Writers use alliteration when they want to add drama, humor, give a character a memorable name, set a vivid scene, or create a label for something. Don’t overdue the use of alliteration. A little bit goes a long way.

hyperbole Hyperbole is the best thing ever invented in the history of the world!

hyperbole obvious exaggeration used to emphasize a point or add excitement and humor to a piece of writing words that go beyond normal, believable limits

When should I use hyperbole? Writers use hyperbole when they want to express an idea or describe a scene in a way that is surprising. Writers know that the readers will not take the ideas seriously. A little bit of hyperbole can add special effects to your writing. Ex. weighs a ton

idiom an expression whose accepted/intended meaning is very different from its literal meaning usually culturally based the ideas are expressions

idiom Ex. You are a true blue friend.

metaphor a comparison that uses no connecting words such as like or as an extended metaphor carries the comparison throughout an entire writing piece or section of writing

When should I use metaphors in my writing? Writers us metaphors in their writing to make their ideas direct. Ex. The star was a diamond in the black sky.

onomatopoeia ????????????????????????????? Onomatopoeia is sound effects in writing.

onomatopoeia A word such as plop, fizz, snap, whose sound suggests its meaning provides sound effects, and appears most frequently in poetry, advertising, children’s tales, and comics

personification giving human qualities or actions to something that is not human Ex. Personification is a writer’s friend.

When should I use personification? Writers include personification in their writing when they want their words to create definite pictures in the readers’ minds by suggesting that things look or act like people. Ex. Jack Frost touched the tree tops with his icy fingers.

simile a comparison between two seemingly unrelated things, using connecting words such as like, as, or seems in the comparison

Overused similes are called clichés. Ex. …as cold as ice… Creative writers try to avoid clichés because these expressions are not new. Good writers think up their own original similes. Ex. …as cold as a witch’s evil heart… Ex. …as warm as Grandma’s freshly baked bread

Now that you know about figurative language, go ahead and use it in your own writing. It is as easy as pie to include some figures of speech in your essays. Make your writing come alive!