Figurative Language

Idioms -  say things that are understood in ordinary English and do not mean what they say. Idioms are not meant to be taken literally; e.g ‘My teacher is the bomb!’
 

Figurative Column	Literal Column
a.Just chill out dude!  It means:	Calm down dude He is making me crazy
b. ‘He is driving me up the wall!’ It means
c. ‘His nose is out of joint’ It means	A way of saying hes unhappy The teacher is great
d. The teacher is a real scream It means
e. What is she cooking up in her mind right now? It means:	What is she thinking about right now He gave her the evil look
f. He gave her the eye.  It means:

Similes and Metaphors
Copy these sentences onto your blog and highlight the simile in each:

1. My bedroom was as black as a cave in the depths of the earth.
2. The classroom after school became as noisy as a gaggle of gabby geese.
3. The cat capered along the fence top like a tightrope walker on the hire wire. 

My anger crashed into me like waves against a shore.

Use a word from the box to complete each simile

1. The cloth was as black as coal
2. The wet ball was as slippery as an eel
3. My little sister is as playful as a kitten
4. The top of this table is as smooth as silk
5. I’ve been as busy as a bee 
6. The lamb is as white as snow
7. For each of these sentences is it a simile or a metaphor?
   1. As slippery as an eel. Simile
   2. Arnie was a man-mountain. Metaphor
   3. He was a lion in battle. Metaphor
   4. She is as pretty as a picture. Metaphor
   5. The striker was a goal machine. Metaphor
   6. The torch lit up the room as if the sun had already risen early. Simile
   7. The moon was a misty shadow. Metaphor
   8. My friend has a face like thunder. Metaphor

Have a go at making some similies and metaphors on your own:

1. She was as fast as a cheeter chasing there prey
2. Life is a rollorcoaster
3. They fought like cats and dogs

Alliteration

Alliteration is when a consonant sound is repeated over and over. 

E.g The time ticked tediously by. The warm wind wafted across the window.

Highlight the alliterations in each of the following sentences:

1. The sun sizzled the swimmers skin.
2. I accidently ate an awful apple.
3. Beth borrowed Barry’s books before biology. 
4. Slipping and sliding, I stumbled in the snow and slush.
5. Many mysterious men mumbled messages.
6. The gallant goat gobbled gobs of garbage greedily. 

The rapidly rising river rushed rampantly. Finish these sentences with your own alliterations:

1. Red rose rarely found in red rubies
2. While wandering he wondered where willy was
3. The tired traveller timidly taught the teacher

Personification

Personification is when you give qualities to non-human things

E.g The house watched me closely. The trees reached out to me. In each sentence, an object or idea is personified.  Identify the object or idea that is being personified and explain which human trait or action is applied to the object or idea.

1. The wind whispered through the gloomy forest. 

What is being personified? the wind

What human trait or quality has it been given? Whispering

1. The gardener lovingly added the manure to his crops believing he was making happy flowers.

What is being personified? the flowers

What human trait or quality has it been given? being happy

2. .  As we walked through the scorching desert, the sun beat down on us.

What is being personified? The sun

What human trait or quality has it been given? beating

4. the lumberjack leveled the many trees into a clearing and his chainsaw sang its deadly song.

What is being personified? Chainsaw

What human trait or quality has it been given? Singing

5. As Alice searched for her missing pencil, she said sarcastically, “Well, I guess it just walked off of my desk.”  She looked at her classmates accusingly.  

What is being personified? a pencil

What human trait or quality has it been given? Walking

6. When Monica walked through the shoe store, each shiny pair of high heels called out to her.

What is being personified? High heels

What human trait or quality has it been given? Calling out

Have a go at writing your own -

- My fridge was running

- My bag went walkabouts

- The wind was howling in the nighttime

Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia When words sound exactly like the sound they are describing

E.g Crash! Bang! Boom!

Match the following sentences to the onomatopoeia that describes them.

1. A plate being dropped on the floor. Smash
2. A balloon being burst. Pop
3. A gun being shot. Bang
4. Someone eating chips. Crunch
5. A light being switched on.  Click
6. A fierce dog. Growl
7. A small bell being rung.  Tinkle
8. A door opening Creek
9. A bomb exploding Boom

10. A child screaming. Screech

Highlight the onomatopoeia in each of the following sentences:

1. The old engine chugged down the rickety track. 
2. The hard-hit tennis ball whistled by my ear.
3. The truck’s brakes screeched in the distance.
4. The rain beat on the metal barn roof.
5. His guitar strings twanged the sad melody. 
6. The old floor creaked as we walked slowly across it. 
7. The fire cracked and popped on a cold night. 

8. The snake hissed when I startled it.

Have a go at writing some Onomatopoeia sentences of your own:

- The tyre went pop when it broke

- Grrrh went the small children

- Smash went his heart when his girlfriend broke up with him

Hyperbole

Hyperbole  An exaggeration of facts

E.g My head is killing me!

For each of the following sentences, does it have a hyperbole or not. 

1. I’m so hungry I could eat a whole elephant! (Hyperbole/Not)
2. May is the nicest month of the year. (Hyperbole/Not)
3. Her brightly coloured dress hurt his eyes. (Hyperbole/Not)
4. The roof rose up and down to the rhythm of the music. (Hyperbole/Not)
5. I ate all of my salad for lunch.  (Hyperbole/Not)
6. The dog was so dirty it had a tomato plant growing on its back. (Hyperbole/Not)

Turn each of these into a Hyperbole sentence: The first is done for you.

An old car- The car is older than the hills.

 

A strong wind. A headache. A fast computer A funny movie

A hot pan A loud, crying baby Heavy groceries A scary dog

A strong wind pushed other an entire city

My headache is so bad i might die

My fast computer is faster the an Olympian sprinter

The movie was so funny I died of laughter

The hot pan was hotter then the sun

The baby crying was louder then an air plane

The heavy groceries made my arms fall off

The scary dog made me poop myself

Revision

Circle the correct answer for each question

‘As straight as an arrow’	Metaphor Simile Onomatopoeia hyperbole
2.      ‘Lucky lady’	Metaphor Oxymoron Alliteration Onomatopoeia
3.     ‘Boom!’	Alliteration Simile Personification Onomatopoeia
4.     ‘The city was a jungle’	Metaphor Personification Hyperbole simile