The following are examples of figurative language and literary
devices:
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Imagery Language that appeals to the senses. Descriptions of
people or objects stated in terms of our senses. Sight Hearing
Touch Taste Smell
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Simile A figure of speech which involves a direct comparison
between two unlike things, usually with the words like or as.
Example: The muscles on his brawny arms are as strong as iron
bands. A figure of speech which involves a direct comparison
between two unlike things, usually with the words like or as.
Example: The muscles on his brawny arms are as strong as iron
bands.
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Metaphor A figure of speech which involves an implied
comparison between two relatively unlike things using a form of be.
The comparison is not announced by like or as. Example: The road
was a ribbon wrapping through the desolate desert. A figure of
speech which involves an implied comparison between two relatively
unlike things using a form of be. The comparison is not announced
by like or as. Example: The road was a ribbon wrapping through the
desolate desert.
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Personification A figure of speech which gives the qualities of
a person to an animal, an object, or an idea. Example: The wind
screamed its fury as it pushed us down the road with the strength
of a bull. The wind cannot yell. Only a living thing can yell.
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Joyet 20047 Personification Examples: The sleeping water
reflected the evening sky. Humidity breathed in the girl's face and
ran its greasy fingers through her hair. The tree arrested the
oncoming car. Examples: The sleeping water reflected the evening
sky. Humidity breathed in the girl's face and ran its greasy
fingers through her hair. The tree arrested the oncoming car.
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Onomatopoeia The use of words that mimic sounds. Example: The
firecracker made a loud ka-boom!
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Alliteration Repeated consonant sounds occurring at the
beginning of words or within words. Example: She was wide-eyed and
wondering while she waited for Walter to waken. Repeated consonant
sounds occurring at the beginning of words or within words.
Example: She was wide-eyed and wondering while she waited for
Walter to waken.
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Hyperbole An exaggerated statement used to heighten effect. It
is not used to mislead the reader, but to emphasize a point.
Example: Shes said so on several million occasions.
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Sports When you get on that field I want you to be a tank- roll
through everything on the field to get that touchdown, no matter
whos in your way. His team is the underdog in this game. The coach
encouraged his players to make mincemeat of the other team. The
batter knocked the stuffing out of the ball.
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Business That project was a total bomb. I want you to go out
there and hit a homerun with this presentation. Putting him in
charge is like having the blind lead the blind. Your plan is as
easy to follow as a map. The instructions you wrote me were as
clear as mud. I found an article for business people about using
metaphors to motivate your team: comparing selling a product to
baking a cake, playing a sport, or running a marathon.
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In the movies Forrest Gump: Life is like a box of chocolates,
you never know what youre gonna get. Mean girls: I have this
theory, that if you cut off all her hair she'd look like a British
man. Toy Story: That wasn't flying; that was falling with style.
Many movies are even built around a metaphor or personification,
like Finding Nemo, where fish are like people. And comedy My sister
wore so much makeup she had to use a chisel to get it off every
night. Theres an article for comedians about making jokes, and two
of the tips were about using similes and metaphors.
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And music Nelly- Im like Sprint and Motorola no service, out of
your range. N Sync- Your love is like a river, peaceful and deep.
Your soul is like a secret that I could never keep Outkast- Shake
it like a Polaroid picture Switchfoot- Yesterday is a wrinkle on
your forehead. Yesterday is a promise that you've broken.
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Music Nelly- Im like Sprint and Motorola no service, out of
your range. N Sync- Your love is like a river, peaceful and deep.
Your soul is like a secret that I could never keep Outkast- Shake
it like a Polaroid picture Switchfoot- Yesterday is a wrinkle on
your forehead. Yesterday is a promise that you've broken.
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What techniques did we learn first in writing descriptive
paragraphs? Using our Senses Sight Sound Smell Taste Touch/ Feeling
Using Onomatopoeia Oooh! Tick Tock Kaboom!
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The dog is carrying a stick. The German shepherd is carrying a
big stick. As he carries the small tree he has just uprooted, the
lop- eared German shepherd tilts his head and walks unsteadily,
dragging his heavy burden back to his master and looking like a
proud athlete who has just won a trophy.
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Similes and Metaphors Making comparisons between two very
different objects, feelings, or situations Hyperbole Using
exaggeration Show-Dont-Tell Using descriptive writing to show what
happens rather than telling the reader
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Simile Using the words like or as to compare one object or
person to another object or person (The 2 things must be very
different) Examples: DJ was as fast as a cheetah. The news hit
Estevan like a ton of bricks. Metaphor Applying a word or phrase to
somebody or something that is not meant literally but to compare.
Examples: Joe was an animal on the football field.
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It was a cold day. Chris was so cold that he felt like his nose
was frozen and his fingers were going to fall off. Vincents mom
said, Theres no way youre going out there, Its as cold as ice!
Cindys Dad told her shed be walking into an icebox when she walked
outside.
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Using exaggeration to describe a scene Examples: Ms. Crane was
so sad she could have cried a river. Irvin was so hungry he could
have eaten a horse. Adelene had a million things to do that
day.
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The person was happy to get a letter. When Chris got his
birthday money in the mail he thought he would burst with joy.
Amber was so happy she was walking on air after she read the letter
from her best friend. Anessa was so happy she felt like she was on
the top of the world.
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Using descriptive language to paint a picture of the scene
rather than telling the reader what is happening. Examples Instead
of Benito was angry Benito stomped up the steps to his room,
slammed the door, and sat fuming at his desk. Instead of It was a
hot day You couldnt go down the slide unless you wanted to get a
third degree burn on your backside. Everyone in Mr. Deroses class
ended up sitting under the trees in the shade.
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The Boy was frustrated. Santos crumpled up his third attempt at
a descriptive paragraph and threw his pencil down in disgust.
Alonso had been writing for the past hour and a half and all he had
to show for it was a bad headache and two sentences. I give up! he
cried.
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ORDINARY PARAGRAPH: Tanysha sat up late in her bedroom trying
to study. She was an all-A student, and tomorrows math test was an
important one. Lying back on her bed for a minute Tanysha started
daydreaming about going to college and becoming a doctor one
day.
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EXTRAORDINARY PARAGRAPH: Tanysha lazily stared at the monstrous
pile of notes to study, ready to swallow her whole. Her
achievements and grades were as skyscraping as the Empire State
Building, but even with her satisfying successful scores, this math
test would be as difficult as pulling teeth from an alligator.
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EXTRAORDINARY PARAGRAPH: The amazing, all-A student, Tanysha,
sat dutifully at her desk like a soldier. She absorbed the
information in preparation for tomorrows life-changing exam.
Abandoning her duties, Tanysha lay on her bed allowing herself to
fall into the world of dreams. The dream led her to a scene where
she attended her dream college and became a savior of millions of
lives, a doctor.
