Figurative Language Detectives

Take a closer look at the selection(s) we just read. The author spent a great deal of time selecting just the right words. Now we’ll investigate other writings to see what figurative language each author used. We’ll become part of the WSI (Writing Scene Investigation) Team finding figurative language, identifying what type it is, and explaining how we know it is that type. Use the definitions below to help identify the examples. The first one has been done for you.

Alliteration: the repetition of the initial consonant sounds of words in sequence (“Lively Louis loves Lilies”).

Metaphor: a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things, in which one thing becomes another without the use of the words like, as, than or resembles (e.g. He’s a tiger, Love is a Rose).

Onomatopoeia: the use of a word whose sound in some degree imitates or suggests its meaning (e.g., hiss, clang, rustle, snap).

Personification: a figure of speech in which an animal, an object, a natural force or an idea is given personality or described as if it were human.

Simile: a figure of speech in which a comparison is made between two things using the words “like, or “as” (e.g., the ice was as smooth as glass before the skaters entered the rink).