1. Figurative Language (a.k.a. Figures of Speech)

2. Literal Language You have probably read or heard someone make a comment similar to this one: The store was literally bursting with shoppers! In this case, the person is NOT using the word literally in its true meaning. Literal means "exact" or "not exaggerated." By pretending that the statement is not exaggerated, the person stresses the fullness of the store. Literal language is language that means exactly what is said. Most of the time, we use literal language.

3. Figurative Language The opposite of literal language is figurative language. Figurative language is language that means more than what it says on the surface. It usually gives us a feeling about its subject. For example, one poet writes about the "song of the truck." She does not mean that a truck can actually sing. Rather, she is speaking figuratively. She is referring to road noises as music. By using the word song, and suggesting music, she brings joyful feelings to mind.

4. Figurative Language Cont. Poets use figurative language almost as frequently as literal language. For example, can you explain these lines from "The Storyteller" He talked, and as he talked, Wallpaper came alive. Of course, the poet is not using literal language. He doesn't mean that the wallpaper literally jumped off the walls. Rather, he is using figurative language. This exaggeration suggests the power of the storyteller. When you read poetry, you must be conscious of the difference; otherwise, a poem may make no sense at all.

5. Here Are Some Examples of Literary Devices That Help Poets Create Figurative Language.

6. Idiom A word or phrase that is used by a group of people from a certain area (and not by others in other areas). Examples: –That’s a piece of cake. –She was singing at the top of her lungs about how great they did in the competition. –They got a kick out of the movie. –You’re just pulling my leg! MORE?

7. Metaphor like asCompares two unlike things that have something in common without using like or as. Examples: –Her hair was silk. –He is a pig! –He’s a pit-bull in the ring. –Her words were arrows piercing my heart.

8. Simile likeasA comparison between two unlike things that have something in common. A simile always uses the words like or as to make a comparison. Examples: like –He moves like an elephant down the hall. like –Our love is like a red, red rose. as –She is pretty as a picture. as –After Fido’s bath he was fresh as a daisy.

9. Onomatopoeia A word that sounds like the sound it is describing or naming. Examples: screeched –He screeched his tires pulling out of the driveway. barking –I wish that dog would stop barking! fizz –The fizz of the Coke went up my nose! popped –Her balloon popped on the nail sticking out of the ceiling.

10. Personification humanGiving human qualities to objects or animals. Examples: –The moon was smiling down on us. –The chair danced as the baby bounced back and forth. –The sun stretched its warmth across the land. –The darkness wrapped its arms around me.

11. Hyperbole An extreme exaggeration for humor or emphasis (often used with metaphors or similes). Examples: –I nearly died laughing! –I have so much homework my book bag weighs a ton. –I have asked you a million times to take out the trash! –This PowerPoint is taking forever!

12. NOW YOU TRY! On a sheet of paper, give me your own example of the following: IdiomIdiom MetaphorMetaphor SimileSimile OnomatopoeiaOnomatopoeia PersonificationPersonification HyperboleHyperbole NOTE: Make sure you label which literary device your example is demonstrating!