Figurative Language Academic Vocabulary For Middle School f black

WHAT IS FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE? Figurative language is a word or phrase that departs from everyday literal language for the sake of comparison, emphasis, clarity, or freshness

1. Hyperbole Extreme Exaggeration used to make a point: – “If I have told you once, I have told you thousand times…” – “My dog is so smart he can leap into a burning building and save a baby.”

2. Alliteration Reuse of beginning sounds not letters: – “The king can’t rule with a carrot; he must use his crown. – “Mary made muffins with her maid.” – “The pretty pony paraded through the posy patch.”

3. Personification Giving human characteristics to non- human things: – “The dog told me I needed to pay closer attention.” – “The boulder smiled at me as it glistened in the sun.” – “The sea was calling me to come and join it.”

4. Onomatopoeia Words that make their own sounds. – “Crash went the waves on the shore.” – “Bang, bang went the gun.” – “Roof, roof went the dog.”

5. Simile A comparison using the words “like” or “as”: – “She was as pretty as a peacock.” – “He talked like a dog barking out orders.” – “The kitten looked like a skunk with the strip down his back.”

6. Metaphor A comparison WITHOUT using the words “like” or “as”: – “Talk about bad moods, my dad was a bear this morning.” – “The king is a majestic elk.” – “Music is the doctor for what ails our soul.” black

7. Idiom Old sayings an cliché’s that have been way- over used but that people recognize their meanings. Their words have different meanings from the dictionary: – “It is raining cats and dogs.” – “They are a dime a dozen.” – “Two heads are better than one.” – “Blood is thicker than water.” black

8. Imagery Most figurative language is ALL considered “imagery.” It is when you “Paint a Picture with Words.” Or, the formation of mental images through words: – “Her beauty was like a dream.” – “The succulent, bubbly pizza ignited my senses as I waited for a tasty bit.” black

Sources Wiehardt, Ginny. "Figurative Language (definition)." About.com Fiction Writing. About.com, n.d. Web. 17 Feb

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