figurative language

Metaphor (metáfora)

A figure of speech that makes a direct non literal comparison between two unlike things suggesting a likeness without using “like” or “as”

Ex: “he is a night owl” this person stays up all night

Simile (símil)

A figure of speech that directly compares two different things, using “like” or “as” to highlight a shared quality

Ex: “brave as a lion” or “he is tall as a giraffe”

Hyperbole (hipérbole)

A figure of speech using extreme exageration for emphasize

Ex: “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse”

Personification (personificacion)

A literatura device that vives human qualities, actions, or emotion to inanimate object

Ex: “the sun smile down on the happy little town”

Idiom (modismo)

Phrases with figurative meanings different from literal words, adding color to language

Ex: “raining cats and dogs” raining heavy

“Break a leg” good luck

Onomatopeia (onomatopeya)

Figure of speech where a word imitates the sound it describes

Ex: “buzz”, “meow”, and “bang” they sound like the things they represent

Allusion (alusión)

A brief indirect reference to a person, place, or thing

Ex: “real Einstein” to imply they are brilliant works by assuming the audience will have enough background knowledge to understand the meaning without a direct explanation

Alliteration (aliteración)

the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of words in close proximity to each other

Ex: “whispering winds”, “busy bee”

Synecdoche (sinécdoque)

A figure of speech where a part represents the whole (like “wheels” for a car) or the whole represents a part (like “England” for the English team)

Ex: “can I get a drink” - drink for a specific beverage

• “all hands on deck”- hands for sailors

Oxymoron (oxímoron)

Combining two contradictory words to create a new, often deeper meaning, like “deafening silence” or “jumbo shrimp”, where opposite terms are placed together to form a paradoxical but meaningful phrase

Ex: “pretty ugly” - attractively unappealing

Litotes (lítote)

Rhetorical device where an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite, creating an ironic understatement for emphasis, often using double negatives like “not bad” to mean “good” softening a statement while subtly highlighting its positive (or negative) truth

Ex: “that wasn’t half bad” means that was actually very good

Pun (juego de palabras)

A play in words that uses multiple meaning or similar sounding words to create humor or rhetorical effect

Ex: “a bicycle can stand on its own. Cause it is two-tired”

Symbolism (symbolismo)

Using objects,people, or ideas to represent deeper, abstract meaning beyond their literal sense

Ex: rose- love, passion, beauty

Books- knowledge

Assonance (asonancia)

Repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words or within the same word

Ex:cat and hat- the short “a” sound is repeated

• light and fire- the long “I” sound is repeated

Anaphora (Anáfora)

A rhetorical device where a word or phrase is repeated at the biggening of successive clauses, sentences, or lines to create emphasis, rhythm, and emotional impact

Ex: Martin Luther king Jrs speech “I have a dream” repeated all throughout

Imagery (imâgenes)

Descriptive language to evoke a sensory experience or create a picture for the reader

Ex: “the crimson apple glisten in her hand” visual(sight)

• uses five senses: visual(sight), auditory(sound), olfactory(smell), gustatory(taste), tactile(touch)

Metonymy (metonimia)

Figure of speech that refers to something by the name of something closely associated with it

Ex: “the crown” - for monarchy

• “suits” - business people

Irony (ironía)

Uses words to convey the opposite of what their literal meaning indicates

Ex: a fire station burning down you’d expect a building dedicated to preventing fires to be immune to one.

• verbal irony, situational irony, dramatic irony

Paradox (paradoja)

A statement that appears to contradict itself, but reveals a deeper truth or meaningful idea

Ex: “you have to spend money to make money”

Rhetorical device

Techniques and strategies used I. Speaking or writing to persuade, influence, or evoke a specific response from an audience