English 8 - Figurative Language

• Study notes on literary devices and figures of speech

Simile

• Compares two things using "like" or "as."
• Example: My brother is as mad as a hatter.
• Example: The waiter was as busy as a bee/beaver.
• Example: The package is as light as a feather.
• Example: The student is as sharp as a tack.

Metaphor

• Compares two unlike things without using "like" or "as."
• Example: Heart of Gold.
• Example: The world is a stage.
• Example: A blanket of snow.
• Example: Couch Potato.
• Example: He is a night owl.
• Example: Laughter is the best medicine.
• Example: Life is a Highway.
• Example: The classroom was a zoo.
• Example: They were peas in a pod.

Personification

• Gives human characteristics to nonhuman things or inanimate objects.
• Example: My hair stood on end.
• Example: The sun kissed my cheeks.
• Example: My heart danced.
• Example: The wind howled.
• Example: The last piece of cake called my name.
• Example: The door protested as it was opened.
• Example: The sun is playing hide-and-seek today.
• Example: The camera loves her.

Onomatopoeia

• Uses or creates words that imitate sounds.
• Examples: Clang, Bang, Splash, Bark, Boom, Belch, Clap, Clink, Crash.

Oxymoron

• Combines contradictory words with opposing meanings.
• Examples: Deafening silence, Love/Hate, Cruel kindness, Growing smaller, Minor crisis, Only choice, Silent Scream, Small crowd, Unbiased opinion.

Hyperbole

• Overstatement or exaggeration.
• Example: I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse.
• Example: My feet are killing me.
• Example: That plane ride took forever.
• Example: This is the best book ever written.
• Example: I love you to the moon and back.
• Example: The pen is mightier than the sword.
• Example: I've told you this 20,000 times.
• Example: Cry me a river

Allusion

• Reference to a well-known person, character, place, or event to deepen understanding.
• Makes a comparison to something that is well known or famous.
• Example: He is being a scrooge.
• Example: She is the Einstein of her generation.
• Example: Stop trying to save everyone; you’re not Wonder-Woman.
• Example: Trying to wake on weekends is like waking Sleeping Beauty.

Idiom

• A phrase whose meaning cannot be predicted from the literal meanings of the words.
• Example: Break a leg.
• Example: Beat around the bush.
• Example: Bite the bullet.
• Example: Costs an arm and a leg.
• Example: Barking up the wrong tree.
• Example: By the skin of your teeth.
• Example: A blessing in disguise.
• Example: Cry over spilled milk.
• Example: Hit the sack.

Imagery

• Figurative language that appeals to the five senses
• Example: The air smelled salty, reminding me that the beach is nearby.
• Example: The warm doughnut tasted sweet with hints of vanilla and strawberry.
• Example: The baby's hair is soft and downy.
• Example: The little boy ran down the street.

Symbolism

• An image or thing is used to represent something else.
• Example: Black represents evil.
• Example: Water represents rebirth.
• Example: Fall represents the passage of time.

Alliteration

• Repetition of the same sound at the start of a series of words.
• Purpose is to provide an audible pulse that gives a piece of writing a lulling, lyrical, and/or emotive effect.
• Example: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
• Example: Alone along a lonesome lake, Lucy longed for the love of her life.
• Example: The sudden stench of the soggy swamp assailed our noses.
• Example: The crisp crackle of the fire calmed our hearts and cleansed our souls.

Irony

• Use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning.
• Example: The child of a formula one driver not being able to drive.
• Example: A gifted artist having no interest in visiting art galleries.
• Example: An astronomer being afraid of the dark.
• Example: A cat-lover being allergic to cats.
• Example: An estate agent not being able to sell their own house.

Explore the nuances of simile, metaphor, and personification. Understand how these figures of speech enrich language by creating vivid comparisons and imbuing nonhuman things with human qualities. Examples are provided.