Figurative LanguageSimiles, Metaphors,Personification & HyperboleBy Mr. GonzalezLanguage Arts & Reading Teacher

Figurative Language

is the use of words or phrases to express something different than their usual meanings. Writers use figurative language to say things in vivid and imaginative ways, but what they say is not really true. Similes and metaphors are examples of figurative language.

Figurative Language• A writer’s tool• It helps the

reader to visualize (see) what the writer is thinking

• It puts a picture in the reader’s mind

Simile• A simile is used

to compare two things.

• It uses the words “like” or “as” to make comparisons.

Simile• Krissy is as

pretty as a picture.

• Her hair shines like the sun.

• Her eyes sparkle like the stars in the sky.

Simile• When my brother

returned from the trip, he slept like a log.

• The man was hired because he is as strong as a bull.

• Mary’s feet smell like rotten fish.

Other Examples of Similes• When the food was served, people went

to the tables like a swarm of butterflies.• That classroom is like a zoo today.• His face is as ugly as an old running shoe.• His feet move slowly at first, while his tap

shoes make soft, slippery sounds like rain on a tin roof...(He) does a new step that sounds like a woodpecker tapping on a tree.

• I felt like I was trapped in one of my own terrifying

nightmares.

More Similes• "Be careful using that can

opener.       It's as temperamental as a

chain saw."

• Barb frowned and said, “I believe that taking drugs is like flushing your brain down the toilet."

• "Sheila really hurt me. Her comments were like a clamp tightening on my heart."

• "Monica and Peter sure are close. She has a grip on him like a monkey wrench!"

More Similes• I thought a baby

would be heavy to carry, but my little cousin felt as light as a paper doll.

• Blasted by the summer sun, the black pavement in our driveway was as hot as a race car engine.

• This relationship is killing me. I feel like a bird in a cage.

• It was the middle of winter, and all the classroom windows were open. I sat at my desk, trembling like a frightened animal.

• You should see my uncle carrying wooden beams and bags of cement. He is as strong as a bulldozer.

Metaphor• A metaphor is

used to compare two things based on resemblance and similarity.

• Instead of saying something is “like” or “as” --- a metaphor states that it just IS.

Metaphor•Ginger is an

angel.

Metaphors• John’s mind is a computer.• My mom is a workhorse.• Bob is a snake in the grass.• My dorm is a prison.• Cindy was such a mule. We

couldn’t get her to change her mind.

Other examples of Metaphors• He showered her with gifts. • The event was clouded over by protests • You are the sunshine of my life. • This homework is a breeze. • His face was weathered by a long, troubled

life. • She knew she was fried when the teacher

handed back her paper • The lawyer grilled the witness on the stand.

More Metaphors

• Some afternoons I can’t visit with my friends because I am caught in a flood of paperwork.

• Ana felt scorched by his angry words.• Discarded plastic is a rising tide that

threatens to drown the landscape.• That puppy was the sun coming into my world.• Your voice is music to my heart.• The warm evening breeze reached out its

tender hand and closed my eyes.

Why do we use Similes and Metaphors?

• They enliven ordinary language. • They encourage interpretation. • They are more efficient and

economical than ordinary language. • They create new meanings; they

allow you to write about feelings, thoughts, things, experiences, etc. for which there are no easy words; they are necessary.

Similes and Metaphors in your Essays.

-Writers use similes and metaphorsto bring life and richness to what they have to say.

-Writers use similes to explain things, to express emotion, to elaborate (show) their ideas and to make their writing more vivid and entertaining.

PersonificationPersonification is a figure of speech in which nonhuman things are given human qualities.

▪ The night wind sang me a soothing lullaby.▪ The silent phone stared at me, mocking my loneliness.▪ A gentle breeze whispered secrets in my ear.▪ A golden moon smiled down at the romantic couple.▪ The stars danced playfully in the moonlit sky.▪ The storm attacked the town with great rage.▪ The river swallowed the earth as the water continued to rise higher and higher.▪ She did not realize that opportunity was knocking at her door.▪ The leaves danced in the summer breeze.

HyperboleA Hyperbole is nothing but an exaggeration of any statement. The statement is made only for a dramatic effect, however, it does increase the beauty of speech.

ExamplesHis brain is the size of a pea.My backpack weighs a ton!I will die if she asks me to sing in front of everyone.I am so hungry I could eat a horse.You snore louder than a freight train.It was so cold, I saw polar bears wearing jackets.This car goes faster than the speed of light.