FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE NOTES Language Arts 7 FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE NOTES Language Arts 7

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE: Imaginative language that is not meant to be interpreted literally. Used to express oneself more clearly or creatively.

FIGURATIVELY SPEAKING VS. LITERALLY SPEAKING * If something is said literally, it means exactly that. * If something is said figuratively, it is a creative play on words or an exaggeration for effect.

EXAMPLES: LITERAL – “This math homework is giving me a major headache. ” (This means you honestly do have a headache. ) FIGURATIVE – “I get a major headache when I just hear the word ‘homework!’” (This is said figuratively, to exaggerate for emphasis. )

SIMILE: A comparison between two unlike things, using the words “like”, “as”, or “than”.

SIMILE EXAMPLES: * Sophia was as grumpy as a mother bear in the morning. * Daniel has more energy than a spider monkey on a rope maze. * Michelle is shy like a mouse in front of the teacher. What 2 things are being compared in each sentence?

TIME TO PRACTICE: Finish the following simile – John’s laugh sounded…

METAPHOR: A comparison between two unlike things, WITHOUT using the words “like” or “as” or “than. ’ (Direct comparison - one thing becomes another. )

METAPHOR EXAMPLES: * Regret is a wilted flower, always reminding you of what was once possible, once desired. * The clouds were horses galloping across the sky. What is the figurative meaning of these metaphors?

TIME TO PRACTICE: Finish the following metaphor – The jungle was a nest of octopi, …

IMPLICIT METAPHORS: * The writer does not use the WAS, WERE, IS, ARE verbs that connect the two unlike items being compared. * The reader has a sense that the language is metaphorical and must INFER the IMPLIED MEANING.

IMPLICIT METAPHOR EXAMPLES: * Determine what is metaphorical in the following excerpts from Ray Bradbury. * “An aluminum wedge scraped them into the sink, where hot water whirled them down a metal throat which digested and flushed them away…” There Will Come Soft Rains * “It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see thing blackened and changed. With the brass nozzle in his fists, with this giant python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world, the blood pounded in his head…” Fahrenheit 451

PERSONIFICATION: A type of metaphor that gives human characteristics to things that are not human – like objects, abstract ideas or animals.

PERSONIFICATION EXAMPLES: * The sun smiled at us on our walk this afternoon. * The flowers waved to us as we passed the garden. What is the writer really saying in these two sentences? What is being personified in these two sentences?

TIME TO PRACTICE: Finish the following personification – As he stood there, the sky over the house… Draw a picture of what is happening.

HYPERBOLE: An extreme exaggeration used for emphasis

HYPERBOLE EXAMPLES: * I will just die if he doesn’t ask me to the prom! * Beth whined that she was starving, because she hadn’t eaten since dinner last night.

TIME TO PRACTICE: Finish the following sentence using a hyperbole – After her boyfriend broke-up with her, Mary sobbed, “…”

ONOMATOPOEIA: The use of words that imitate the sounds of what they describe.

ONOMATOPOEIA EXAMPLES: POW! hisss! MEOW RING! POP!

ONOMATOPOEIA CARTOON:

IDIOM: A figure of speech that cannot be defined literally. A cliché

IDIOM EXAMPLES: * It was raining cats and dogs all day yesterday. * His eyes were bigger than his stomach during Thanksgiving dinner. What do these expressions really mean?

OXYMORON: A figure of speech in which the words seem to contradict each other.

OXYMORON EXAMPLES: * By third period the rumor was old news to most students. * The room filled with deafening silence after the bus boy dropped the dishes.

ALLITERATION: The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginnings of words that are close together.

ALLITERATION EXAMPLES: * Silly Sally skipped along the seashore collecting seashells. * Bob was busy busing tables at the brand-new bakery.

SENSORY IMAGERY: Descriptive language used to create word pictures; imagery is created by details that appeal to one or more of the five senses. (touch/texture, sound, sight, smell, taste)

SENSORY IMAGERY EXAMPLE: “James could see the icy breath escaping his lungs, hear the distant, rhythmic drums of a nearby marching band, and smell the sweet scent of mesquite wood burning in his neighbor’s fire pit as he walked briskly around his neighborhood fighting off the bitter cold wind trying to work its way through his thick, wool coat. ” Pick out all the sensory imagery from the excerpt above.

ASSONANCE: The repetition of similar vowel sounds in accented syllables, followed by different consonant sounds, in words that are close together.

ASSONANCE EXAMPLES: * Strong John sang a long tune. * We screamed when the evil antagonist cut the telephone wires.

CONSONANCE: The repetition of final consonant sounds in stressed syllables with different vowel sounds (in the middle or at the end of words. )

CONSONANCE EXAMPLES: * He struck a streak of bad luck. * I felt the light pressure of his foot tap my cheek at karate practice.

ALLUSION: A reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art.

ALLUSION EXAMPLES: -- “I was surprised his nose was not growing. ” -- “He was a real Romeo with the ladies. ” -- “Even though her feeling were hurt, she turned the other cheek. ” To what do these statements allude?

ALLUSION CARTOON:

CLICHÉ: A word or phrase that was once fresh, but has become overused and dull. AVOID clichés in your writing!

CLICHÉ EXAMPLES: * She is as busy as a ______. * Tom is faster than a speeding ______! * I’m so hungry, I could eat a ______! * Jeff is as sly as a ______.

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE EXAMPLES IN RAP: Flocabulary Video