Figurative Language

Flashcards covering the definitions and examples of different types of figurative language.

Literal Language

Taking the meaning of words in their primary and nonfigurative sense.

Figurative Language

Language which uses figures of speech, like metaphor, simile, and alliteration, and does not convey a literal meaning.

Simile

A figure of speech comparing two unlike things using the words 'like' or 'as'.

Metaphor

A figure of speech in which one thing is described in terms of another, making an implicit comparison.

Hyperbole

A figure of speech which involves exaggeration for emphasis.

Alliteration

A figure of speech in which consonants, especially at the beginning of words, are repeated.

Personification

The attribution of human qualities to inanimate objects.

Onomatopoeia

The formation and use of words to imitate sounds made by objects or actions.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech which combines apparently contradictory words and meanings for a special effect.