FIGURE OF SPEECH
Dr. Ana Rosida, S.S., M.Pd.
Literal VS Figurative Language
• Literal language = you say exactly what you
mean. You make no comparison, and you do
not exaggerate or understate the situation.
• Figurative Language = you DON’T say exactly
what you mean. You DO compare, exaggerate,
and understate the situation. You use similes,
metaphors, and other figures of speech to
make your writing more exciting.
Figurative language mostly used in Literary
work
• Poem/ Poetry
• Song
• Short story
• Play/ Drama
Literal or Figurative??
• Grand always turns in his homework
• The water was rising in the river because of the
rain
• When she sings her voice is like velvet
• I am so hungry so I could eat a horse
• The zebras cried when the wise old elephant
died
• I’ve told you a million times to clean up your
room
Figurative language is a creative way to use
words
• Make comparisons
• Explain something
• Add dramatic effect
Types of Figurative Language
• Similies
• Metaphors
• Personification
• Idioms
• Hyperbole
Similes
A simile is used to directly compare two things
“LIKE” “AS”
Example:
• You are like two peas in a pod
• She’s as sweet as sugar
• Jim is as tall as a giraffe
• She swam like a fish
Metaphors
A metaphors is used to make a direct comparison
between two things (object, ideas, feeling, so
forth). It states that one this IS actually another.
SHARED QUALITY NOT LIKE OR AS
Example:
Jim is a girraffe
Time is money
Life is a roller coaster
Personification
When human characteristics (action or feeling)
are given to objects or animals. This commonly
used in poetry.
Example;
• The flowers danced in the wind
• The stars winked in the night sky
• The tree is dancing in the wind
Idioms
Idioms are words, phrases or expressions that cannot
be taken literally. A group that have a different
meaning from the literal meaning.
They don’t mean what the words say!.
Example:
Break a leg! (Good luck)
It’s raining cats and dogs.
The cat is out of the bag (a secret has been let out).
You’re pulling my leg (someone is joking with you).
Hyperbole
Hyperbole uses exaggeration for emphasis.
Example:
I am so hungry I could eat dirt!
I’ve asked you a million times to clean your
room!
This bag weighs a ton!
Onomatopoeia
A word that sounds like what it describes.
Example:
• The water went splash when I jumped into it.
• The lion roared loudly.
• The balloon popped
Alliteration
The repetition of the same letter or sound at the
beginning of words.
Example:
The sly snake slithers slowly in the sand
Fair is foul, and foul is fair
Assonance
The repetition of the same vowel sound in a
sentence. Short vowel sound and long vowel
sound.
Example:
Sam claps his hands and stamps his feet.
The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain
Oxymoron
A sentence or phrase with two opposite or
contradicting words.
Example:
The chair is pretty ugly
Alex is seriously funny!
Pun
A humorous use of words that convey another
meaning.
I like kids, but I don’t think I could eat a whole
one.
A boiled egg for breakfast is hard to beat.
