Your mission is to use a variety of language features to add interest and impact to an Acrostic poem about yourself.

Your Acrostic poem must have an example of at least three of the following Language Features:

AlliterationSimileMetaphorDialogue/SpeechOnomatopoeiaPersonificationComplete sentences where appropriate. Complete sentences make sense on their own; they include a noun and verb, and have the correct punctuation.

ALLITERATION

Alliteration is the repetition of a consonant sound at the beginning of words.

Can you use alliteration to carry on the pattern?

Angela Abigail Applewhite ate anchovies and artichokes. Bertha Bartholomew blew big, blue bubbles. Clever Clifford Cutter clumisily closed the closet cupboard. Dave’s dog Dung, dug down deep. Enormous elephants enjoy eating eggy egg plants.

SIMILE

When you say "the rugby ball was like a giant egg" or "the cat leapt onto my shoulder and her claws, like thistle spines, pricked my skin painfully", you are using simile. 'Simile' means 'like' or 'the same as'.

Simile Examples! Can you fill in the blanks? As friendly as a black lab. As sleepy as a bear. As tall as an oak tree. As pink as a flamingo. As brave as a lion. As quiet as a mouse. As sharp as a razor.

METAPHOR

If you say "the rugby player held the giant egg ball" or "thistle spines pierced my skin when the cat leapt up", you are using metaphor. You are describing something as though it is actually something else.

Metaphor: the comparison of two UNLIKE things.

Metaphor Examples! Can you fill in the blanks? Bruce is the lion king of his class. Fire is day, when it goes out, it's night. Her soft voice was music to his ears. Jason is the Tiger Woods of his golf team. His belt was a snake curling around his waist. Ashton tried to help but his legs were rubber. Ashley's hair was a fierce lion’s mane, never washed

and sticking out in wild directions.

DIALOGUE/SPEECH

Dialogue: the lines spoken by characters

Speech: the exchange of spoken words; communication by words.

Dialogue/Speech is indentified in writing by using speech/quotation marks

eg; “I enjoy reading and learning about new things.”

Can you put in the missing speech marks?

My mum always says, “Clean your room Sara!”

“Autumn is my favourite season,” answered John.

“Reading is so much fun!”

“One, two, three!” counted Ben.

ONOMATOPOEIA on·o·mat·o·poe·ia

Onomatopoeia is the use of words whose sounds make you think of their meanings.  For example; buzz, thump, pop. Onomatopoeia words fall under different categories:

Animal sounds: bark, meow, hoot, cuckoo, buzz...

Fast motion sounds: whip, zip, varoom, zoom

Fighting sounds: kaboom, pow, bam, smash

Food sounds: splash, slurp, gobble, munch

Mechanical sounds: beep, clank, rattle, click

Musical sounds: ring, ting, honk, jingle, toot, hum

Highlight the onomatopoeia words in the following poem.

RUNNING WATER

water plops into pondsplish-splash downhillwarbling magpies in treetrilling, melodic thrill

whoosh, passing breezeflags flutter and flapfrog croaks, bird whistlesbabbling bubbles from tap

Lee Emmett, Australia

PERSONIFICATION

Personification is giving human qualities to animals or objects. Example:a smiling moon, a jovial sun

Write the object being personified and the meaning of the personification.

The video camera observed the whole scene.

Video camera; took the picture of the scene.

The snow whispered as it fell to the ground during the early morning hours.

The snow; came down slowly and quietly.

The china danced on the shelves during the earthquake.

The china; moved around on the shelves.

The car engine coughed and spluttered when it started during the blizzard.

The car engine; is sick/about to break down/needs to go to the mechanic.

Can you identify the language features Miss Gray has used in her Acrostic poem?Music makes me come alive, ring, ting, ting!OnomatopoeiaI am inspired by creativity and learning.Complete sentenceSensitive, sincere and secretiveAlliterationSings like a broken recordSimileGiggling is what I enjoy the most.Complete sentenceReading is what I do in my spare time. “Quiet please!”Complete sentence and dialogue“Always treat others as you want to be treated!”DialogueYellow is my happy colour, smile!Personification