Literal vs. Figurative Language

Computer Lab Instructions

1. Get a chair, sit down. You may choose your seat, but you will be moved if you talk. No warnings.

2. Log in and open to http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3757135#1

Today – December 3, 2012 We will review figurative language. We will preview the worksheets. We will read the online article. You will complete both worksheets and turn

them in at the end of class for a classwork grade.

If you finish early, you may take the online quiz, print it and submit for extra credit.

If you are able to work together after reading, Stop talking and look to the front if you hear

this sound.

http://youtu.be/AbJ_Jg_CX-c

Literal vs. Figurative Language Literal language – the words mean what

they say

Figurative language – words are used in an imaginative way to express ideas that are not literally true.

Figurative Language

Writing or speech that is not meant to be taken literally.

The many types of figurative language are known as figures of speech.

This includes metaphors, similes and personification.

Language shaped by imagination.

Figurative Language

Simile A figure of speech that uses the words like, as,

than, or resembles to compare things that have little or nothing in common.

Life is like a box of chocolates; you're never sure what you're gonna get.

Figurative Language

Metaphor A comparison between unlike things in which

some reasonable connection is instantly revealed. A metaphor is a more forceful version of a simile because like or as is dropped.

“I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut.” “I have just boarded a plane, without a pilot

And violets are blue, roses are red Daisies are yellow, the flowers are dead.”

Mixed Metaphor

is a succession of incongruous or ludicrous comparisons.

When two or more metaphors (or cliches) are jumbled together, often illogically, we say that these comparisons are "mixed."

Mixed Metaphor

In Garner's Modern American Usage, Bryan A. Garner offers this classic example of a mixed metaphor from a speech by Boyle Roche in the Irish Parliament: "Mr. Speaker, I smell a rat. I see him floating in the air. But mark me, sir, I will nip him in the bud." This sort of mixed metaphor may occur when a speaker is so familiar with the figurative sense of a phrase ("smell a rat," "nip in the bud") that he fails to recognize the absurdity that results from a literal reading.

Personification

Attributing human qualities to nonhuman things or to an abstract idea.

The seasons played around his kneesLike Children round a sireGrandfather of the days is heOf dawn, the Ancestor

- Emily Dickinson

Hyperbole

is just a big word for "exaggeration.“

As the Tilt-a-Whirl started spinning, Jackie held on tighter than a tick on a dog's ear.

For example: The money was burning a hole in her pocket.

Or, her phone was blowing up.

Literal vs. Figurative Language Note what happens when figurative

language is taken literally.

http://youtu.be/v6mfDJ02VCY

Find the figurative language Write them down.

http://youtu.be/5xxQs34UMx4

Figurative Language Symbolism - The practice of using symbols.

Symbol - An object, setting, event, animal, or person that on one level is itself, but that has another meaning as well.

http://youtu.be/x2m_hwDlntw

Figurative Language For example, the American flag is really a

piece of fabric with stars and stripes on it, but it also represents the United States and ideals like freedom, patriotism, and pride.

In a story or play, rain could be a symbol; the rain would really be rain, but it might also represent an idea like sadness or leaving the past behind.

Watch Video – Look for symbolism and other figurative language

http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3757135

INTO DARK WATER

Go to: http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3757135#1s

As you read, look for figurative language. What words does the author use to

describe the sky before the disaster? What feelings do these words evoke?

The sky was “brilliant,” and the stars “reminded Jack of diamonds.”

The description evokes hope, promise, excitement, happiness, etc.

As you read, look for figurative language. How does the author use imagery and symbolism to

create a sharp contrast between the time before and after the ship begins to sink?

(Hint: Consider how she describes the water.) After using images of light to symbolize life and

establish a sense of promise and excitement, the author describes the water as black and cold, symbolizing death and evoking feelings of doom and fear.