Figurative Language

What is Figurative Language?

Figurative language uses words in a non-literal way to create vivid images, comparisons, and effects. It makes writing more interesting and expressive.

Simile

A simile compares two things using like or as:

• He ran as fast as lightning.
• Her voice was like honey.

Metaphor

A metaphor directly states that one thing is another:

• Her smile was a ray of sunshine.
• Life is a rollercoaster.

Personification

Personification gives human qualities to non-human things:

• The wind whispered through the trees.
• The sun smiled down on us.

Hyperbole

Hyperbole is deliberate exaggeration for effect:

• I've told you a million times.
• I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.

Onomatopoeia

Words that sound like what they describe:

• The bees buzzed. / The door creaked. / Thunder boomed.

Alliteration

Repeating the same sound at the start of nearby words:

• Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
• The silky, silvery stars shimmered.

Idioms

Phrases whose meaning is different from the literal words:

• It's raining cats and dogs. (raining very heavily)
• Break a leg! (good luck)