Figurative Language Finder

Name: Book:

Group Pages: Members: Your job is to identify examples of figurative language in your assigned selection of reading. Figurative language expresses ideas indirectly by using words to create a special effect on the reader. Figurative language often consists of words or phrases that don’t mean what they first appear to mean. Types of figurative language include simile, metaphor, personification, allusion, hyperbole, imagery, onomatopoeia, irony, symbolism, tone, alliteration, and foreshadowing (see the back of this sheet for detailed explanations of each type). You must identify three different examples of figurative language.

Page # Words, Phrase, or Passage Figure of Speech Why did the author use this figure of (Summarize if necessary) speech? What effect does it have on the reader and how does it change the meaning of the text?

Figurative Language Descriptions

Simile- a comparison between unlike things, expressed directly through the use of a comparing word such as like or as

Metaphor- a comparison between unlike things, expressed indirectly, without a comparing word

Irony- an expression of meaning using language that signifies the opposite, often for humorous or emphatic effect

Paradox- a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement that reveals a deeper truth

Hyperbole- an exaggerated statement or claim that is not meant to be taken literally

Onomatopoeia- a work that is associated with a sound

Alliteration- a repetition of initial sounds in a series of words or phrases

Apostrophe- an exclamatory passage that is addressed to a person (typically one who is dead or absent) or thing (typically one that is personified)

Euphemism- a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one that is considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing

Oxymoron- the combination of two or more normally contradictory terms

Personification- an attribution of human characteristics to an animal, a thing, or an idea

Understatement- a presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is

Allegory- a story, poem, or picture that reveals a hidden meaning, typically moral or political

Allusion- a reference, explicit or indirect, to a person, place, event, or other literary work or passage

Imagery- a vivid visual description

Symbolism- the representation of an object, action, or idea using an image other than the original