Transcript Figurative Language - McLaughlin2010

Group A
Candice Lockett
Shawn Byrd
Xavier Garth
Martina Diaz
 Figurative language is when words or phrases do not
literally mean what they say
 It is used to give a more vivid description
 Writers employ many types of figurative language
 For example: simile, metaphor, and personification
 A simile compares two unlike things, using the signal
words “like” or “as”
 To identify and understand a simile, follow these three
steps:
 Point out the signal word (“like” or “as”)
 Identify the two things that are being compared
 Ask yourself what the two things have in common
 Let’s use our three steps to understand the following simile
Example:
Her smile was bright as the sun.
 Point out the signal word
Her smile was bright as the sun.
 Identify the two things that are being compared.
Her smile was bright as the sun.
 Ask yourself what the two things have in common.
Her smile was bright as the sun.
 A metaphor compares two unlike things, without
using signal words (“like” or “as”)
 Often a form of the verb “be” is used
 For example: am, is, are, was, were
 To identify and understand a metaphor, follow these
three steps:
 Point out the signal word (form of “be”)
 Identify the two things that are being compared
 Ask yourself what the two things have in common
 Let’s use our three steps to understand the following
metaphor
Example:
Your room is a pigsty.
 Point out the signal word
Your room is a pigsty.
 Identify the two things that are being compared.
Your room is a pigsty.
 Ask yourself what the two things have in common, which
is inferred.
Pigs are messy and filthy, like your room.
 Personification is giving human qualities or abilities to
a nonhuman object
 Action verbs are used to portray the human quality or
ability
 To identify and understand personification, follow
these three steps:
 Point out the action verb
 Determine what object is doing the action
 Ask yourself if the action is something a human usually
does, not an object
 Let’s use our three steps to understand the following
personification
Example:
The tree danced in the wind.
 Point out the action verb.
The tree danced in the wind.
 Determine what object is doing the action.
The tree danced in the wind.
 Ask yourself if the action is something a human usually
does, not an object.
Humans dance, not trees.
 Tell whether each sentence contains a simile,
metaphor, or personification
The wind whispered to the children as they ran through the woods.
personification
The baby was grabbing things like an octopus.
simile
The heat ripped the breath from her lungs.
personification
The sun stretches its warmth across the meadow.
personification
This class is like a three-ring circus.
simile
 Tell whether each sentence contains a simile,
metaphor, or personification
The giant’s steps were thunder as he chased after the gnome.
metaphor
The bar of soap was a slippery eel during the toddler’s bath time.
metaphor
The leaves danced in the breeze.
personification
He was lightning on the tennis court.
metaphor
The twins are like two peas in a pod.
simile