SMAPHOS

Ex: He was as dumb as dirt. Simile A comparison using “like” or “as” Not as direct as a metaphor Ex: He was as dumb as dirt.

Metaphor A direct comparison where you say that one thing “is” another A stronger comparison than a simile Ex: The crowd was all eyes.

Alliteration A repetition of similar sounds or letters at the beginning of words Ex: Dirty dumb David is always a doofus.

Personification Giving human qualities to inanimate objects Ex: The waves danced in the sunlight.

Hyperbole An obvious exaggeration made for emphasis – not to be taken seriously. Ex: The cheers shook the walls of the school.

Onomatopoeia Words whose sounds suggest their meanings Ex: Boom Pop Splat

Symbolism When something stands for or represents something else Ex: The white umbrella represents being purity/good/pious.

Imagery Author paints a picture in your mind Uses the FIVE SENSES: sound, touch, taste, hear, smell EX: Tactile (Touch) Imagery: "When the others went swimming my son said he was going in, too. He pulled his dripping trunks from the line where they had hung all through the shower and wrung them out. Languidly, and with no thought of going in, I watched him, his hard little body, skinny and bare, saw him wince slightly as he pulled up around his vitals the small, soggy, icy garment. As he buckled the swollen belt, suddenly my groin felt the chill of death. (E.B. White, "Once More to the Lake," 1941