Learning Figurative Language with Song Lyrics

1. Learning Figurative Language with Song Lyrics Whenever you describe something by comparing it with something else, you are using figurative language.

2. Similes and Metaphors • Simile - A comparison of two things using “like” or “as” • “You’re as cold as ice” (“Cold As Ice”, Foreigner) • Metaphor - A comparison of two things which are not alike without using “like” or “as” • “Your love is a symphony” (“Your Love Is A Song”, Switchfoot)

3. Simile or Metaphor? • “She’s like a song played again and again” –”Replay”, Sean Kingston • Simile!

4. Simile or Metaphor? • “You are the thunder, and I am the lightning” – “Naturally”, Selena Gomez • Metaphor!

5. Other Types of Figurative Language • Personification - A figure of speech in which a thing, quality, or idea is represented as a person • “The moonlight dancin’ off your skin” (“History In The Making”, Darius Rucker)

6. Other Types of Figurative Language • Hyperbole - Exaggeration, not meant to be taken literally • “Cause I’m worth a million, ga-zillion, fa-fillion dollars” (“Number One Spot”, Ludacris)

7. Other Types of Figurative Language • Onomatopoeia - Formation of a word by imitating the natural sound of the object or action involved • “I got that boom, boom, boom” (“Boom Boom Pow”, Black Eyed Peas)

8. Personification, Hyperbole, or Onomatopoeia? • “You start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyes” - “Thriller”, Michael Jackson • Personification!

9. Personification, Hyperbole, or Onomatopoeia? • “Tick! Tock! on the clock but the party don’t stop” – “TikTok”, Ke$ha • Onomatopoeia!

10. Personification, Hyperbole, or Onomatopoeia? • “You would not believe your eyes if ten million fireflies lit up the world as I fell asleep” – “Fireflies”, Owl City • Hyperbole!

11. Review Time!! • Number a piece of paper 1-10. • Identify the type of figurative language used.

12. 1. “Steady as a preacher, Free as a weed” • “American Honey”, Lady Antebellum

13. 2. “Cause you know I’d walk athousand miles if I could just see you tonight” • “A Thousand Miles”, Vanessa Carlton

14. 3. “You make me smile like the sun, fall out of bed, sing like a bird, dizzy in my head, spin like a record, crazy on a Sunday night” • “Smile”, Uncle Kracker

15. 4. “She’s a Saturn with a sunroof with her brown hair a-blowing, she’s a soft place to land • “She’s Everything”, Brad Paisley

16. 5. “I just saw Halley’s Comet, she waved” • “Second Chance”, Shinedown

17. 6. “Who let the dogs out? Woof, woof, woof, woof!” • “Who Let The Dogs Out?”, The Baha Men

18. 7. “I’m fighting for this girl on a battlefield of love” • “Down”, Jay Sean ft. Lil Wayne

19. 8. “The walls start breathing” • “It Ends Tonight”, All-American Rejects

20. 9. “I'd jump in front of a train for you, you know I'd do anything for you” • “Grenade”, Bruno Mars

21. 10. “When I met you girl, my heart went Knock! Knock!” • “One Time”, Justin Bieber

22. Answers: • Simile • Hyperbole • Simile • Metaphor • Personification • Onomatopoeia • Metaphor • Personification • Hyperbole • Onomatopoeia

23. Assignment: • Look up the lyrics of some of your favorite songs. Bring lyrics to class, identifying 3 types of figurative language.

24. The Jolly Rancher Game! • Raise your hand if you think you know the definition and I will call on you. • Classmates: If you agree, raise your hand. • For each question, those students with the right answer will receive a Jolly Rancher!

25. Simile • Metaphor • Hyperbole • Personification • Onomatopoeia