figurative language

1. Simile: Comparing two things using “like” or “as.”

Example: “Her smile was as bright as the sun.”

2. Metaphor: A direct comparison between two unrelated things.

Example: “Time is a thief.”

3. Personification: Giving human qualities to non-human objects or ideas.

Example: “The wind whispered through the trees.”

4. Hyperbole: An intentional exaggeration for emphasis or humor.

Example: “I’ve told you a million times!”

5. Onomatopoeia: Words that imitate natural sounds.

Example: “The bees buzzed around the flowers.”

6. Alliteration: Repetition of the same initial consonant sound in nearby words.

Example: “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.”

7. Oxymoron: Combining two contradictory terms for effect.

Example: “Bittersweet” or “deafening silence.”

8. Imagery: Descriptive language that appeals to the senses.

Example: “The crisp autumn leaves crunched beneath her feet.”

9. Symbolism: Using objects or ideas to represent something else.

Example: “The dove is a symbol of peace.”

10. Irony: A contrast between expectations and reality.

Example: “The fire station burned down.”

11. Idioms: Expressions that have a figurative meaning different from the literal words.

Example: “It’s raining cats and dogs.”

12. Pun: A play on words with multiple meanings for humor.

Example: “Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.”