figurative language

simile

A comparison between two unlike things using like or as.
Example: “She’s as bright as the sun.”

Metaphor

A direct comparison between two unlike things without using like or as.
Example: “Time is a thief.”

personification

Giving human qualities to animals, objects, or ideas.
Example: “The wind whispered through the trees.”

hyperbole

An extreme exaggeration used for emphasis or effect.
Example: “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.”

onomatopoeia

A word that imitates a natural sound.
Example: “buzz,” “bang,” “sizzle”

alliteration

Repetition of the same beginning sound in a series of words.
Example: “Peter Piper picked a peck…”

idiom

A phrase whose meaning is different from the literal words.
Example: “It’s raining cats and dogs.”

oxymoron

Two opposite or contradictory words placed together.
Example: “bittersweet,” “jumbo shrimp”

imagery

Language that appeals to the senses (sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing).
Example: “The warm cookies smelled of melted chocolate and sugar.”

assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds within words.
Example: “Hear the mellow wedding bells.”

pun

A humorous play on words based on multiple meanings or similar sounds.
Example: “I’m reading a book on anti-gravity—it’s impossible to put down.”