IL: Introduction to Figurative Language

What does “non-literal” mean when we talk about language?

• The words mean exactly what they say.

• The words are used in an imaginative or symbolic way, not their exact meaning.

• The words always follow dictionary definitions.

• The words are only used in formal essays.

Which of these sentences is a simile?

• Her backpack was a heavy brick on her shoulders.

• The classroom was as noisy as a zoo.

• The stars winked at me from the night sky.

Which of these sentences is a metaphor?

• His smile was like sunshine after a storm.

• The test was a nightmare that wouldn’t end.

• The wind whispered through the trees.

Which of these sentences is an example of personification?

• The thunder roared angrily in the night sky.

• The mountain was as tall as the clouds.

• The basketball was a rocket flying through the air.

Which of these sentences is an example of hyperbole?

• I waited a million years for the bus to arrive.

• The leaves danced gently in the breeze.

• Her voice was music to my ears.

Which of these sentences is an example of allusion?

• She studied so hard for the test, she was like a human calculator.

• When he got angry, he turned into the Hulk and everyone backed away.

• The clouds danced playfully across the sky.