Figurative Language

1. Figurative Language Metaphors Similes Personification

2. Metaphors, Similes, & Personification • Belong to a class of language called figurative language Figurative language: • Is any language NOT used in a literal way • Is a way of saying one thing, but meaning another • Doesn’t make sense if taken literally

3. Examples of Figurative Language “The catcher at the baseball game was the bomb!” Figurative meaning: the catcher is skilled, practiced, and maybe cute? “That ball sat in the outfield.” Figurative meaning: no one was quick enough to get the ball. “Jimmy ran like a cheetah to first base.” Figurative meaning: Jimmy is a fast runner-the fastest-like a cheetah.

4. Figurative Language -Saying one thing, but meaning another (Not literal) Literal Language -Means exactly what it says Metaphors, Similes, Personification

5. Why use Figurative Language? • It is a rich, strong, and vivid way to express meaning • By using it, we are able to say morein fewer words For example: The poet Robert Burns says, “My love is like a red, red rose.” He is saying many things: • His love is beautiful, soft and fragrant. • The rose is red - the color of passion. This adds another layer of meaning • A rose has thorns, which says that there is a potential danger in loving her (She may hurt him) • Thus, by comparing his love to a red rose, the poet is able to squeeze many ideas into a single line

6. Metaphors and Similes Metaphors and similes are used to compare things that are not usually seen as similar • Metaphors imply the comparison • Similes state the comparison directly

7. Examples Suppose that you have just taken an extremely hard test… • To turn this into a metaphor you could say, “That test was a bear!” You are not saying that the test was a literal bear, but that it was unpredictable and hard to deal with. • The comparison between the test and the bear is not directly stated - it is implied or suggested • This is what a metaphor does-it implies a comparison in a fresh, interesting way

8. Metaphors and Similes Continued • Now let’s take the same idea and turn it into a simile • To make the test into a simile, you make the comparison direct • For example: “Taking that test was like struggling with a bear!” • It is still non-literal language • Taking the test is not exactly like struggling with a bear, but with a simile you must come right out and state the comparison • Signal words give you a hint that similes are coming…hint/signal words include: as, like, than, similar to, and resembles. Be careful, though! • These words don’t always indicate similes • For example: The sentence “I look like my sister,” does not contain a simile-it is a literal statement • In using similes or metaphors, two unlike things must be compared

9. Metaphors and Similes Continued • Metaphors and similes have literal terms and figurative terms • The literal term is what we are comparing to something else. It’s what is real; it means what it is. • For example, the literal term in the metaphor, “That test was a bear!” is test; we are really talking about a test. • The figurative term is what is being compared to the literal term. The figurative terms means something other than itself, something non-literal. • The figurative termin the metaphor is bear • The test is not a bear, but it has some bear-like qualities that can help us understand how hard the test was.

10. Practice

11. Personification • Special kind of metaphor that gives human-like qualities to something that is not human (such as an animal, an object, or an idea) • For example: “The tree sighed sadly in the cold.” A tree can’t really sigh or be sad-it is an inhuman object that is being given human-like qualities