Writers use figurative language to paint vivid pictures in your mind. The words mean more than their plain, literal meaning.
🎨The Big Three
🔗SIMILE
What it doesCompares two things using “like” or “as.”
🌟 “Her smile was as bright as the sun.”
🟰METAPHOR
What it doesSays one thing IS another — no “like” or “as.”
⏰ “Time is a thief.”
🌬️PERSONIFY
What it doesGives human traits to non-human things.
🌞 “The sun smiled down on us.”
🔁Literal vs. Figurative
🔗 Simile
Uses the bridge words like or as.
“The runner was as fast as a cheetah.”
🟰 Metaphor
Drops the bridge — says it simply is.
“The runner was a cheetah.”
🧰More Word Tools
💥
Hyperbole
Wild exaggeration. “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!”
🐱
Idiom
Means something other than the words. “It’s raining cats and dogs.”
🔤
Alliteration
Same starting sound. “Silly snakes slither.”
👀
Imagery
Words you can see, hear, smell, taste & feel.
🔑Key Terms
✨Figurative LanguageWords that mean more than their literal, plain meaning.
📖LiteralThe exact, direct meaning of the words.
🔗SimileCompares two things using “like” or “as.”
🟰MetaphorSays one thing IS another (no “like” or “as”).
🌬️PersonificationGives human traits to non-human things.
🔊OnomatopoeiaWords that imitate the sound they describe.
⭐Remember: figurative language says MORE than the plain words — a simile uses like/as, a metaphor says it is, and personification gives things human life!