Name:_________KEY_____________

Figurative Language Study Guide

Test Date: __________Friday, October 4________________

Directions: Use your notes to help you fill in the blanks. Then highlight the bolded terms. You will need to
know all of them for the test.

Figurative language is a tool that an author uses, to help the reader ___visualize___, or see, what is
happening in a story or poem.

Simile is a comparison using __like_________ or ___as___. It usually compares two unlike objects.

Example: His feet are as big as boats. Feet and boats are being compared.

Metaphor is a comparison that states one thing is something else. It is a comparison, but does _not__
use like or as to make the comparison.

Example: Her hair is silk. Hair and silk are being compared.

Personification is giving _____human___ qualities, feelings, actions, or characteristics to nonhuman

things.

Example: The house stared at me with looming eyes.

Alliteration is the repetition of a consonant sound at the ____beginning__ of words. There should be at
least two repetitions in a row.

Example: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

Onomatopoeia is the representation of __sounds__________ in word form.

Example: Bong! Hiss! Buzz!

Symbolism is when one thing stands for or _______represents________ something else.

Example: The dove symbolizes peace.

Hyperbole is intentionally ____exaggerated ________ figures of speech.

Example: It was the best day ever!

Imagery involves one or more of your ___five____ senses (hearing, tasting, touching, smelling, and
seeing).
 Simile, Metaphor, and Personification Practice
Directions: Circle the objects being compared or the object being personified. Then identify it as a simile (S),
a metaphor (M), or personification (P).

1. ___s__ Megan was as happy as a bug in a rug.

2. ___p__ The pencil danced across my paper.
3. ___p__ The gnarled fingers of the tree caught my coat.
4. ___m__ This house is an icebox this morning.
5. ___s__ You look like the cat that swallowed the canary.
6. ___s__ That black cloud appeared out of nowhere like a rabbit out of a hat.
7. ___p__ In late March, the tulips welcomed spring with open arms.
8. __s___ He said, “You dance like a dream.”
9. ___m__ The sand was a glitter of diamonds in the bright sun.
10. __p___ The windblown leaves raced me home.
11. ___s__ I like it when you are as quiet as a mouse.
12. ___s__ The fog covered London like a thick, flannel blanket.
13. ___p__ Last night the automobile’s alarm screamed endlessly.
14. __m___ The lake was a mirror even as I skated across it.
15. ___m__ The typical teenage boy's room is a disaster area.

Alliteration Practice

Directions: Circle the repeating sound in each sentence.

16. Tattling tongues tell tales too often.

17. Suddenly Sally sat up and stretched.
18. A cracked cup crashed to the floor.

Directions: Writing a word that completes the alliteration.

19. Funny Fran found five______frogs________________________.

20. Laughing ____Larry________________loaded lemon trees into the Lincoln.
21. Tomatoes on twisted vines looked ______tasty_________________.
 Onomatopoeia Practice

Directions: Match the onomatopoeia with the thing that makes that sound.

A. Splash
22. __Buzz___ Electric saw
23. __Splash___ Frog leaping in the water B. Ring
24. __Creak___ Sound of a door closing C. Chug-a
25. __Ring___ Alarm clock
D. Buzz
26. __Chug-a___ A train going up a hill
E. Ding Dong
27. __Ding Dong___ Doorbell
F. Creak

Symbolism Practice
Directions: Draw a line to match the following symbols to their meanings.

28. Luck

29. Poison

30. Life

31. Love

32. United States

Hyperbole Practice
Directions: Decide whether each sentence is a hyperbole (H) or not a hyperbole (N).
_H___ 33. Look, I said no a million times, so please don’t ask me again.
_N___ 34. My favorite kind of ice cream is mint chocolate chip.
__H__ 35. It’s going to take a year to straighten out this confusion.
__H__ 36. That man is seventy feet tall!
__N__ 37. I like reading fiction better than nonfiction.

Imagery Practice
Directions: Imagery should generate a vibrant representation of a scene that appeals to as many of the
reader’s senses as possible. Match the descriptive sentence to the type of imagery.

__C___38. It was dark and shadowy in the forest. A. Smell

__D___39. The children were screaming and shouting in the fields. B. Touch

__A___40. He whiffed the aroma of brewed coffee. C. Sight

__B___41. The girl ran her hands on a soft satin tablecloth. D. Sound

__E___42. The fresh and juicy oranges are very sweet. E. Taste

Mixed Review
Directions: Match the type of figurative language to its example.

_A__ 43. Grandpa lounged on the raft in the middle of the pool like an old battleship. A. Simile

_G__ 44. I went home and made the biggest sandwich of all time. B. Metaphor

_C__ 45. The sorry engine wheezed its death cough. C. Personification

_F__ 46. The Liberty Bell stands for freedom. D. Onomatopoeia

__H_ 47. Mark accidentally took a gulp of the salty, bitter ocean water. E. Alliteration

_B__ 48. As usual, her life is a fashion show. F. Symbolism

_E__ 49. Erin cooked cupcakes in the kitchen. G. Hyperbole

__D_ 50. The swamp frogs croaked in unison. H. Taste Imagery

The Last Summer Train

A train moans and roars through the valley distance1

Down the hill in the cooling last summer night2

Carry away despair3

Carry away my weary worries4

And leave all silent shining in the morning sun5

51. What type of figurative language is used in line 1 of the poem? ___________Personification____________

52. What type of figurative language is used in line 4 of the poem? ___Alliteration_______________

Deeper Meaning
53. The test was a walk in the park.
The test is being compared to a walk in the park because it was _____B easy_______.
A. Beautiful
B. Easy
C. Colorful
D. Disastrous

54. The town square was buzzing like a beehive.

The town is being compared to a beehive because it is_________D Busy__________.
A. Dangerous
B. Sticky
C. Stubborn
D. Busy

55. She walks around like she’s the queen of Egypt.

She is being compared to the queen of Egypt because she is_______B Powerful_______.
A. Brilliant
B. Powerful
C. Ashamed
D. Very old