Figures of Speech What Do You See?

In the water, Mark was a dolphin. OR Corbis Images/HRW © 2002 marinethemes.com/Mark Conlin

What Is a Figure of Speech? A figure of speech is a word or phrase that describes one thing in terms of something else and is not literally true.

Understanding Figures of Speech When you read a figure of speech, use what you know about one thing to help you understand more about the other. In the water, Mark was a dolphin. Dolphins are good swimmers.Mark was a good swimmer. Corbis Images/HRW

Kinds of Figures of Speech Five kinds of figures of speech are Similes Metaphors Personification Hyperbole Idioms

What Are Similes? Similes are comparisons between two unlike things, using a word such as like, as, than, or resembles. Phoebe ran like a cheetah. Corbis Images/HRW

What Are Metaphors? Metaphors are comparisons between two unlike things in which one thing becomes another thing. A metaphor says that one thing is something else. A metaphor does not use the words like, as, than, or resembles. The dog’s bark was thunder. © Chris Collins/Corbis

What Is Personification? Personification is a special kind of metaphor in which a nonhuman thing or quality is talked about as if it were human. Gives human qualities to nonhuman things. The couch called to me. © clipart.com Come, sit down.

What is Hyperbole? (hi-PUR-bow-lee) Hyperbole is an extreme exaggeration. “If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times!” Sheila was so hungry she felt like she could eat a horse.

What are Idioms? An idiom is an expression where the meaning cannot be understood from the literal words used. For example: “It’s raining cats and dogs.” Does not mean puppies & kittens are falling from the sky. “He kicked the bucket.” means ?? Someone died. “You can't teach an old dog new tricks" means ??

Identify the type of figure of speech used in each of the following items. 1. The headlights were glowing eyes. 2. The clouds rippled like the ocean. 3. Heaven opened its arms to me. 4. Ezra’s new car was the apple of his eye. 5. The volcano crater was a dragon’s mouth. 6. The car was as red as a ripe tomato. 7. I nearly died laughing when I saw it. What Have You Learned? Simile Hyperbole Personification Metaphor Idiom Metaphor Personification Metaphor Simile Idiom Hyperbole

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