Figurative Language Study Guide

Metaphor: A comparison between two unlike objects without using like or as Example:
He is a lump on a log.

Simile: A comparison between two unlike objects using like or as Example: She eats like a
bird.

Personification: An object is given human qualities. Example: Flowers danced about the lawn.

Hyperbole: An exaggeration or overstatement. Example: I was so embarrassed I could have
died.

Idiom: An expression that does not mean what it says, although there is a reason for the
meaning. Example: Lets get on the ball (meaning lets get ready and on schedule, not lets
actually get on the ball.

Onomatopoeia: The use of words whose sounds express or suggest their meaning. Example:
Hiss

Alliteration: The repetition of the beginning consonant (not vowels) sounds in neighboring
words. Example: Sandy sells shrimp and salads on Saturdays.

Verbal Irony: The use of a word or phrase to mean the exact opposite of what it really means.
Example: Someone trips and falls and someone else says, Youre graceful.

Situational Irony: The result of an event is not what was expected Example: You study really
hard for a test and fail.