Figurative and Literal Language Literal: words function exactly as defined The boy’s room was messy. The left fielder dropped the baseball. Figurative: You have to figure it out The boy’s room was a pigsty. The left fielder has butterfingers. ^These are figures of speech.

Simile  A comparison of two different things using the word “like” or “as.”  Examples Telephone wires hung like a musical score ○ Compares telephone wires to a musical score Those faces, sour as vinegar; ○ Compares facial expressions to the taste of vinegar

Warning!  “Like” and “as” don’t always make similes. A comparison must be made.  Not Simile: I washed the dishes as she dried them.  Simile: The dishes were as clean as the inside of a full bottle of soap.  In the first example, no comparison is made.  In the second, the cleanliness of the dishes is compared to the inside of a soap bottle.

Metaphor  A comparison of two different things without using the word “like” or “as.”  Examples Flowers of thought blossom while reading ○ Compares thinking to blossoming flowers

Personification  Giving human traits to objects or ideas.  Examples The stars are hiding now ○ Gives stars the ability to hide. Or trees that whisper in some far, small town ○ Gives trees the ability to whisper. A tree may wear a nest of robins in her hair ○ Gives the tree hair and the ability to wear things.

Hyperbole  Exaggerating to express a strong feeling  Examples I will love you until the end of time. ○ It is unlikely that the speaker will live that long. My dad would kill me if he knew about this. ○ Dad probably wouldn’t actually kill his own child. My book bag weighs a million pounds. ○ The bag isn’t even close to a million pounds.

Understatement  Expression with less strength than expected. The opposite of hyperbole.  Examples The guillotine will give you a bad hair day. ○ The results will be much worse than bad hair. Kidnapping your host is considered rude. ○ This is a serious crime much worse than rudeness.

Oxymoron  A phrase or term that consists of words that appear to contradict one another.  Examples Jumbo shrimp Organized chaos

Onomatopoeia  The formation of a word by imitation of a sound made by or associated with it.  Examples Meow Beep Click Bang

Alliteration  The repetition of the first consonant sounds in several words.  Examples Wide-eyed and wondering while we wait for others to waken.

Your Turn  With a partner, find 3 examples of figurative language in the novel. Write your answers on a sheet of notebook paper.  Make sure to include: The quote (cited correctly) ○ “quote” (author’s last name #) Highlight the figurative language in the quote The type of figurative language it is  Choose one of your examples to present to the class.