Figuring OutFigurative Language

Figurative language is the use of words that go beyond their ordinary

meanings.  Figurative language requires you to use your imagination to figure out the author's meaning. 

The water’s reflection was like the sun on glass.

• the opposite of literal language, in which words match their definition

Figurative and Literal Language

Literally: words function exactly as definedThe car is blue.He caught the football.

Figuratively: figure out what it meansI’ve got your back.You’re a doll.

^Figures of Speech

literal vs. figurative language

In order to understand “figurative” language you must know that its opposite is “literal” language.

Recognizing Literal Language

Literal means "exact" or "not exaggerated.". Literal language is

language that means exactly what is said.

Most of the time, we use literal language.

Recognizing Figurative Language

Figurative language compares two things that are different in

enough ways so that their similarities, when

pointed out, are interesting, unique

and/or surprising.

literal vs. figurative language

The kitten had white fur and blue eyes.

The kitten had fur like snow and and eyes like the sky.

SimileComparison of two things using the words

“like” or “as.”

Examples

The metal twisted like a ribbon. I was like a fish out of water.He was as dead as a doornail.She is as sweet as candy.

• A simile is a figure of speech that compares two unlike things using “like” or “as.”

Example(s): Cold lemonade is as refreshing as a dip in the pool.

Playing chess with Ashley is like trying to outsmart a computer.

His temper was as explosive as a volcano.

Important!

Using “like” or “as” doesn’t make a simile.

A comparison must be made.Simile: The moon is like a pizza.

Non-examples:• I like pizza.

Similes

• Example: “Eyes as dark as coal.”• Written in context: The young boy’s eyes

were as dark as coal.• Explanation: A simile compares two

unlike things using the words “like” or “as”. In this case a person’s eyes are compared to a piece of black coal, indicating the boy’s eyes are really dark.

MetaphorTwo things are compared without using

“like” or “as.”The comparison is made by stating that one

thing is something else.

Examples

All the world is a stage.

Men are dogs.

Her heart is stone.

Metaphors

• Example: “Mom is a raging bull.”• Written in context: My mother became a raging bull, who

was racing towards a target, when she realized I had not cleaned my room!

• Explanation: A metaphor, like a simile, compares two unlike things, but it does not use the words “like” or “as”. In the example above, the mom is a raging bull which is clearly unlikely and impossible. However, it accurately shows the reader how the mother felt.

What is a Metaphor?A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase that denotes a certain object or idea is applied to another word or phrase to imply some similarity between them.

Examples of Metaphors Using Words and Phrases

1.The inside of the car was a refrigerator.• A refrigerator is very cold. In this example, “refrigerator” is

a metaphor because it is being applied to “the inside of the car” to imply that the inside of the car was very cold.

2.The teenage boy’s stomach was a bottomless pit.• A bottomless pit can never be filled. In this example,

“bottomless pit” is a metaphor because it is being applied to “the teenage boy’s stomach” to imply that his appetite could never be satisfied (that is, his stomach could never be filled).

Onomatopoeia-a word or words that imitate a sound

The click, click, click of the computer keys gave Ms. Johnson a headache.

Onomatopoeia• The use of a word to describe or imitate a

natural sound or the sound made by an object or an action

• A word that “makes” a sound• BUZZ• SNAP• BOOM• POP• CRASH

Onomatopoeia• Example: “SPLAT!”• Written in context: As the boy tripped over the

rock, all that was heard was the “SPLAT!” of the ice cream scoop hitting the ground.

• Explanation: Onomatopoeia is the imitation of sound to send the reader a clearer picture of what happened. It helps writing by adding one of the five senses, hearing. (Other examples: Hiss, crack, tick-tock, buzz, slam, etc…)

Idiom• A saying that isn’t meant to be taken

literally. • Doesn’t “mean” what it says

EXAMPLES• Eyes in the back of your head • Don’t be a stick in the mud!• You’re the apple of my eye.• I have an ace up my sleeve.

IdiomsIdioms are expressions used by a particular group

of people with a meaning that is only known through common use -- for example:

Idiom Meaning

… a blessing in disguise An event that seems negative but ends up being positive

… a chip on the shoulder Not able to let go of a bad experience

… costs an arm and a leg expensive

… running against the clock Running out of time

Idioms

• Example: “Never look a gift horse in the mouth.”• Written in context: Even though the dress I got

for Christmas is not my style, my mom taught me to never look a gift horse in the mouth.

• Explanation: Never criticize a gift, mainly because it is free. In the old days, when you were going to buy a horse, the buyer would check its mouth to see if was healthy before purchasing.

Personification-giving human characteristics to things that are

not human

The moonlight walked across the

water.

Personification

Examples

The sunlight danced.Water on the lake shivers. The streets are calling me.The wind whistled as it blew past the trees.

Personification

• Example: “Wind whistling.”• Written in context: The wind whistled

through the empty forest.• Explanation: A personification gives human

qualities to a non-human thing. In the sentence above, the wind, a non-living thing is said to be whistling. However, the wind does not have lips like a person in order to whistle.

HyperboleHyperbole is an exaggeration or

overstatement that is not meant to be taken literally. The statement is used for

emphasis.EXAMPLE:

HyperboleExaggerating to show strong feeling or effect.

Examples

He snores louder than a freight train.I will love you forever.My house is a million miles away.She’d kill me.He’s so tired that he could sleep for a month.

Hyperbole• Example: “Eating a whole cow.”• Written in context: I am so hungry I could

eat a whole cow.• Explanation: A hyperbole is an

exaggeration. No one could really eat a whole cow, no matter how hungry they are. This figurative language is used to show the reader that the person is really hungry. However, it is not meant to be taken literally.

• figurative language using the repetition of a consonant sound at the beginning of two or more neighboring words

• Examples:• Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers• Sandy sells seashells by the seashore

Officer Olivia wrote Wanda the Witch a speeding ticket. She was flying and flipping over

the fifty-five mile an hour limit.

Alliteration

Alliteration

• Example: “Nodded, nearly, napping.”• Written in context: “While I nodded, nearly,

napping, suddenly there came a tapping…” The Raven By Edgar Allan Poe.

• Explanation: Alliteration is the repetition of the first consonant sound in more than two consecutive words. It is used to create a feeling or a mood. Some other authors use it as humor, such as tongue twister. (Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.)

Allusion•An allusion is a reference to a real or fictitious person, event, place, work of art, or another work of literature within writing.•In order for an allusion to be effective, the reader must be familiar with the original work. In the example below, the reader must be familiar with the fairy tale Cinderella.

•Example:

People hardly recognized Kayla when she arrived to the prom in a limo and wore her mother's beautiful gown. Kayla was the Cinderella of the senior class.

• Readers who know that Cinderella is a character who was given a magical evening know what the author means by this statement.

You can commonly find allusions to well-known works:•Roman/Greek mythology•The Bible•Shakespearean plays•Fairy tales

Examples:•I can tell by your silly smile that you've been struck by Cupid's arrow.•That old woman is fighting a David and Goliath court battle with the huge corporation.•Time to wake up, Sleeping Beauty. You have to get ready for school.

Oxymoron• When two words are put together that

contradict each other. “Opposites”• Jumbo Shrimp• Pretty Ugly• Freezer Burn

Oxymoron

• Example: “Pretty ugly”• Written in context: Even though everyone

thought the black duckling was pretty ugly, he turned out to be a beautiful swan.

• Explanation: An oxymoron is a contradiction in a sentence. The contradiction in this sentence is pretty and ugly. They mean the complete opposite and therefore it is an oxymoron. Usually, something is either pretty or ugly, but not both.

PunA form of “word play” in which words have a double meaning. (Using words that have more than one meaning for a humorous effect)

• I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger and then it hit me.

• I’m reading a book about anti-gravity. It’s impossible to put it down.

• I was going to look for my missing watch, but I didn’t have the time.

Pun• Example: “Wooden Shoe”• Written in context: I would like to go to

Holland someday. Wooden shoe?• Explanation: A pun is a play on words. In

the example above “Wooden Shoe” is replacing the words “wouldn’t you”. Since wooden shoes are an important icon from Holland it adds humor and ties the whole statement together.