Figurative Language Defined and Explained

Simile  Definition: a figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared (using ‘like’ or ‘as’)  Example: She is like a rose

Metaphor  Definition: a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.  Example: I had fallen through a trapdoor of depression

Personification  Definition: the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form.  Example: The stars danced playfully in the moonlight

Hyperbole  Definition: exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.  Example: She was so mad smoke came out of her ears

Onomatopoeia  Definition: the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named  Example: cuckoo … cuckoo

Symbolism  Definition: symbolic meaning attributed to natural objects or facts  Example: The Star of David

Alliteration  Definition: he occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.  Example: The thrifty teens thought they were trendy

Irony  Definition: the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.  Example: A men who is a traffic cop gets his license suspended for an unpaid parking ticket

Antithesis  Definition: a contrast or opposition between two things.  Example: You are easy on the eyes, but hard on the heart