Figurative Language- Language used to describe a variety of situations in a sense that

allows the audience to visualize or imagine in a creative way. For example, if I mentioned,
“It is raining cats and dogs,” I do not mean that there are literally animals falling from the
sky. I do, however, intend for the audience to understand that it is raining heavily.

Typical Figurative Language and Speech

Simile- A comparison using “like” or “as”

Ex- “I swell up like a tomato when I am allergic to something.”

Metaphor- A comparison that is direct. (no like or as)

Ex- “She is the Godzilla of all teachers.”

Hyperbole- An exaggeration that amplifies what is being discussed

Ex- I am so hungry that I could eat a horse.

Personification- Describing something with human qualities that is not human.

Ex- “The shirt at the store screamed my name, so I had to buy it.”

Onomatopoeia- Words that sound like the objects or actions that they describe.

Ex- “The thwomp thwomp of the helicopter could be heard blocks away.”

Alliteration- The repetition of the same letter or sound at the beginning of words
that are close to one another.

Ex- “Lauren learned she should listen more.”

Repetition- The repeating of words or phrases to emphasize an idea or point.

Ex- “As the ball traveled up, up,

The crowd awed and awed over its height.”

Juxtaposition-The placing of two words or ideas close to one another with contrasting
effects.

Ex- “I am an Irish American, locally born but foreign in mentality.”

Allusion- A reference in literature to a person, place, or thing that is well known.

Ex- “He became the poster child for National Geographic, a face that nobody would
forget.”