A Language Presentation

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Language Types
We’re going to look at two types of language:
figurative language
and literal language

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Figurative vs. Literal
To understand
figurative language
figurative
one has to understand the difference between
and literal

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More on Literal
My meaning is exactly what I say.
To be literal is to mean what you say.
For example:
If I tell you to sit down!
I mean it literally: “sit down,” as in: “sit in your seat now, please.”

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and more on Literal
I mean exactly what I say.
Here’s another example.
I’m tired and going home.
This means “I’m tired and I’m going
home” there is no other meaning
other than what is said.

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2nd Figurative
I’m not suggesting we get into the freezer.
To be figurative is to not mean what you say but imply something else.
For example:
If, I tell you: “let’s go chill!”

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Figurative continued
It has nothing
to do with temperature.
“let’s go chill” …
…means let’s relax together and do something fun.

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Figurative vs. Literal
Confused?
Think of it this way:
Literal as real
Figurative as imaginary

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Why Figurative Language?
Also known as descriptive language, or poetic language, figurative language helps the writer paint a picture in the reader’s mind.

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Why Figurative Language?
You know descriptive, that’s when you describe something.

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Why Figurative Language?
Poetic language, that’s what poets do.
Figurative language helps paint a picture in the reader’s mind.

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Again: Figurative Language
Figurative Language does not always mean what is being said or read, but serves to make it more interesting.

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Seven Techniques of
Figurative Language
There are seven techniques that we’re going to look at, and yes, you’ll need to learn all seven.

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Seven Techniques of
Figurative Language
You will need to:
understand them
identify them
use them in your writing

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The seven techniques you need to know:
onomatopoeia
alliteration simile
metaphor
personification
idiom
hyperbole
Seven Techniques of
Figurative Language

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Let’s look at the techniques one at a time.
So here we go.
Hold onto your seats.
Seven Techniques of
Figurative Language

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Onomatopoeia
Examples of the onomatopoeia:
Bang, went the gun!
Swoosh went the basketball
through the hoop.

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Onomatopoeia
The formation or use of words such as buzz, murmur or boo that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to.

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Onomatopoeia in practice
Onomatopoeia is the use of words whose sounds make you think of their meanings.
For example; buzz, thump, pop.
Many comic strips use onomatopoeia.

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Onomatopoeia

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Alliteration
A poetic device which repeats the same beginning sound for effect. Examples of Alliteration:
Sally Sells Seashells By The Sea Shore
Rolling, Racing, Roaring, Rapids

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Alliteration
Alliteration is a sentence or phrase that begins with the same letter and sound. Tongue twisters are generally alliterations.
For example: busy batters bat baseballs by bases.

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Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of the beginning sounds in two or more words. Remember alliteration as a tongue twister, such as:
"Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers."

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Simile
Examples of similes:
She is like a rainy day.
He is as busy as a bee.
They are like two peas in a pod.
A simile is a figurative language
technique where a comparison
is made using like or as.

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Simile
A figure of speech in which two essentially unlike things are compared, often in a phrase introduced by like or as, as in: “How like the winter hath my absence been” or “So are you to my thoughts as food to life” (Shakespeare).

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Complete your custom simile
The cat was as scary as a ____.
The night is like a ____.
The moon is like a ____
The scarecrow was as scary a ____.

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Metaphor
A poetic comparison that does not use the words like or as.
Examples of metaphors:
She is a graceful swan.
He is a golden god.
They are honey from the honeycomb.

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Metaphor
A figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison, as in “a sea of troubles” or “All the world's a stage” (Shakespeare).

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Brian was a wall, bouncing every
tennis ball back over the net.
This metaphor compares Brian to a wall because __________.
a. He was very strong.
b. He was very tall.
c. He kept returning the balls.
d. His body was made of cells.

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We would have had more pizza to eat if
Tammy hadn’t been such a hog.
Tammy was being compared to a hog because she __________.
a. looked like a hog
b. ate like a hog
c. smelled like a hog
d. was as smart as a hog

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Cindy was such a mule. We couldn’t
get her to change her mind.
The metaphor compares Cindy to a mule because she was __________.
a. always eating oats
b. able to do hard work
c. raised on a farm
d. very stubborn

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The poor rat didn’t have a chance. Our old cat, a bolt of lightning, caught his prey.
The cat was compared to a bolt of lightning because he was _______.
a. very fast b. very bright
c. not fond of fleas d. very old

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Even a child could carry my dog,
Dogface, around for hours. He’s
such a feather.
This metaphor implies that Dogface:
a. is not cute b. looks like a bird
c. is not heavy d. can fly

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Personification
Personification is a figurative language technique in which human characteristics are given to nonhuman things.

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Personification
The leaves danced in the wind
Example of personification:
The heat ripped the breath from her lungs.

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Personification
A figure of speech in which inanimate objects or abstractions (things that are not human) are endowed with human qualities or are represented as possessing human form.

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Personification
Examples of Personification:
Hunger sat shivering on the road
Flowers danced about the lawn.

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Personification
Examples:
The sleeping water reflected the evening sky.
Humidity breathed in the girl's face and ran its greasy fingers through her hair.
The tree arrested the oncoming car.

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Idiom
An idiom is a figurative language technique that does not mean what is being said.

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Idiom
Remember what literal means? This is the opposite.
Think about it. When you tell your hommie “chill,” are you suggesting they walk into a freezer? No.

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Idiom
The expression “chill,” is an idiom that means: relax, take it easy or don’t worry. There are tons of idioms. I’m sure you use several all the time, without thinking about it.

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Idiom
An idiom is a speech form or an expression of a given language that is peculiar to itself grammatically or cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its elements.

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Idiom
Idioms are known as regional speech, dialect, slang, jargon, or legal idiom.

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Idiom
Dude!
I can’t understand the idiom all by itself. It takes reference.
Like I need to know how whacked you want to get before I can think of tangling with you.

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Idioms
More examples of idioms:
Mommy says: “Daddy is a little pigeon toad.”
We were chewing the fat.
It’s raining cats and dogs.
She’s as sharp as a tack.
I wish he would kick the bucket.

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Hyperbole
Is when one exaggerates.
We use hyperbole all the time when we want to impress or stress.

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Hyperbole
“He never speaks to her.”
Never? That is a very long time.
Hyperbole means to exaggerates.
Take for example:

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Hyperbole
We have a ton of work.
A ton is a lot of work. A ton is also a thousand pounds.
Hyperbole example:

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Hyperbole
I ate a thousand pounds of pasta.
A thousand pounds is also known as a ton, this person must be really obese.
Hyperbole example:

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Hyperbole
I told you a million times.
I don’t mind repeating myself, but a million times? That’s a lot.
Hyperbole example:

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We’ve looked at
Literal vs. Figurative
Remember:
Real vs. Imaginary

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We’ve looked at
Seven Figurative Language. techniques:
onomatopoeia
alliteration
simile
metaphor
personification
idiom
hyperbole

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State Content Standards for 9th and 10th
Narrative Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text
3.7 Recognize and understand the significance of various literary devices, including figurative language, imagery, allegory, and symbolism, and explain their appeal.