FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE &

LITERARY DEVICES

IMAGERY METAPHORS

SIMILES ONOMATOPOEIA ALLITERATION

IDIOMS OXYMORONS HYPERBOLES

EXAMPLES &

PRACTICE

IMAGERY Imagery is writing that helps the

reader:SeeHearSmell TasteFeel

Use your five senses to create a vivid description of your assigned place.

School cafeteria during lunch hour

An outdoor concert A public swimming pool The inside of a car stuck in

traffic A busy restaurant

METAPHORS A metaphor is an indirect

comparison of two objects WITHOUT using “like” or “as”.

My grandfather is my guiding star who gives me direction in life.

When he left his small town and moved to the city, Mark was a fish out of water.

“All life is an experiment.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

In your groups, write your own metaphor for life then explain its meaning.

SIMILES A simile is a statement that

compares two unlike items using the words “like” or “as”.

My life is like an open book. Time is like a thief that steals away

years.

Using the prompts, create your own similes.

1. Keeping a secret is like…………2. My steak was awful; it was like

……….3. Fighting through the crowds

during the holiday shopping season is like…………

4. Taking a test on a Monday is like ………………

5. I am as happy as……

ONOMATOPOEIA Onomatopoeia is the use of a word

whose sound imitates the sound associated with the object or action the word represents.

BUZZ!CLANG!BOOM!

SWISH!HONK!

Give a word that represents the following animal sounds.

A parrot A snake A frog A pig A dog A hen

ALLITERATION Alliteration is the repetition of

consonant sounds at the beginnings of words.Peter Piper picked a peck of

pickled peppers.She sells seashells by the

seashore.

Use alliteration as you create endings for the following sentences. Handsome Harry……………….. Studious

students…………………. Clumsy Carol…………………….. Fancy Farah…………….. Tiny Tony……………..

IDIOMS An idiom is a word, phrase, or

expression that has meaning beyond the literal meaning of the word(s). It’s raining cats and dogs! I think it’s time to bury the

hatchet.

Write sentences using the following idioms.

Hold your horses Lay down the law On pins and needles Hanging around Cracks me up

OXYMORON An oxymoron is a figure of speech

that brings together two contradictory (opposite) terms.Old newsOriginal copyPlastic silverwareJumbo Shrimp

Match the words below to form oxymorons.

ILL WAR PEACEFUL OUT INSIDE IMITITATION GENUINE HEALTH

HYPERBOLE A hyperbole is an extreme

exaggeration.I’ve told you a million times to

clean up your room!

Create your own original hyperboles.

My dog is so mean………………. That test was so hard…………….. My friend is so lazy…………. That house is so big……….. It is so hot outside………

TEST WILL BE…

STUDY