Figurative Language in Matilda Chapter

What is Figurative Language?

• Figurative language is a way to express meaning beyond the literal definition of words, requiring the reader to interpret and understand the intended meaning.
• It helps to add interest to writing and hold the reader's attention by creating vivid descriptions and comparisons.

Types of Figurative Language in Matilda

Simile

• A simile is a comparison between two unlike things using "like" or "as".
• Examples of similes:
  • General: Fast as lightning, Hung his head like a dying flower, Quiet as a mouse, Cold as ice
  • From Matilda: "You could almost feel the dangerous heat radiating from her as a red-hot rod of metal.", "If a group of children happened to be in her path, she ploughed right on through them like a tank.", "When she marched - Miss Trunchbull never walked, she always marched like a storm-trooper with long strides and arms aswinging..."

Personification

• Personification gives human-like qualities to non-human objects.
• Examples of personification:
  • General: The leaves danced across the street, The moon winked at me, The wind sang through the grass
  • From Matilda: "...an enraged rhinoceros.", "His stockings hung about his ankles.", "She had an obstinate chin, a cruel mouth and small arrogant eyes."

Learn about figurative language and its types, including similes, with examples from the novel Matilda.