Figurative Language Review

Metaphor

• You kept me like a secret but I kept you like an oath.

• “I’m a crumpled up piece of paper lying here because I remember it all too well.”

• Her eyes twinkled like the stars in the sky.

• “I’m dying to see how this one ends.” 

Answer explanation

A metaphor is stating one thing IS another. In this case feeling like a crumbled up piece of paper means you feel used and thrown away.

Alliteration

• “You kept my old scarf because it reminds you of innocence…”

• Her eyes twinkled like the stars in the sky.

• “Your eyes whispered have we met?”

• “My heart’s been borrowed and your’s has been blue.”

Answer explanation

Consider- is there a SOUND being repeated? In this example it's the B sound at the beginning of been, borrowed, been, and bue.

Hyperbole

• He was running after us, and I was screaming, "Go, go, go!"

• The night was pitch black, but bright constellations were sprinkled across the sky.

• “I’m dying to see how this one ends.”

• “So why can’t you see? You belong with me.”

Answer explanation

If it's a hyperbole it is an EXTREME exaggeration- usually something almost impossible. While I am a curious person, I definitely will not die from not knowing something.

Simile

• A host of golden daffodils fluttered and danced in the breeze.

• “I knew you tried to change the ending, Peter losing Wendy.”

• “You kept me like a secret but I kept you like an oath.”

• “So why can’t you see? You belong with me.”

Answer explanation

A simile uses LIKE or AS two compare two things. She felt LIKE a secret, something hidden.

Personification

• “Your eyes whispered have we met?” 

• “So why can’t you see? You belong with me.”

• “I hit you then, BANG! We tried to forget it but couldn’t.”

• He was running after us, and I was screaming, "Go, go, go!"

Answer explanation

Eyes can't whisper. They can't talk. That'd be weird. Only people do that.

Allusion

• “We ditch the whole scene and end up dreaming instead of sleeping”

• “You kept my old scarf because it reminds you of innocence…”

• The night was pitch black, but bright constellations were sprinkled across the sky. 

• “I knew you tried to change the ending, Peter losing Wendy.”

Answer explanation

A reference to a famous person and/or piece of work without needing to explain a connection is an allusion. Peter and Wendy are characters in Peter Pan. Wendy leaves Peter at the end and decides to grow up with her family.

Imagery

• “We ditch the whole scene and end up dreaming instead of sleeping”

• “So why can’t you see? You belong with me.”

• Because in this city’s barren cold, I still remember the first fall of snow and how it glistened as it fell.

• Her eyes twinkled like the stars in the sky.

Answer explanation

Imagery is what it sounds like: words that create a picture in your mind. In order for it to be imagery there should be SENSORY DETAILS (descriptive words that emphasize sight, sound, touch, smell, taste). I can see and picture and almost feel the snow as it falls because of the description.

Symbol

• “I’m dying to see how this one ends.” 

• “You kept my old scarf because it reminds you of innocence…”

• Her eyes twinkled like the stars in the sky.

• “Your eyes whispered have we met?” 

Answer explanation

I'm not going to lie... symbols are tricky. They're VERY similar to metaphors (and can sometimes be both) but think of it as an idea (something you can't touch or hold in your hands) being represented by something you can feel. Example- Innocence (an idea) is represented through the scarf (something you can touch).

Idiom

• “I’m a crumpled up piece of paper lying here because I remember it all too well.” 

• “My heart’s been borrowed and yours has been blue.”

• "And you know I'd swing with you for the fences."

• “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary.”

Answer explanation

Irony is when something that you expected goes differently, usually the events are unexpected and the opposite of what actually was supposed to occur. So I would not expect someone to leave a party and dream but not be asleep...

Repetition

• “He was running after us, and I was screaming, "Go, go, go!"

• “Your eyes whispered have we met?” 

• “So why can’t you see? You belong with me.”

• “I hit you then, BANG! We tried to forget it but couldn’t.”

Answer explanation

Repetition is when you say something again and again and again and again and again... in order to emphasize an idea and make sure your reader notices. In the example she is saying go many times because she wants the person to leave quickly.