English · Middle school, high school and introductory college English

Figurative Language and Literary Terms Study Guide

Figurative language uses words in a way that goes beyond their literal meaning, to make writing more vivid, emotional or memorable. The most tested devices are comparisons (simile and metaphor), exaggeration (hyperbole), giving human traits to things (personification) and sound patterns such as alliteration. To identify one, ask what the writer is really saying and which technique gets it across.

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Key terms

Figurative language: Language that means something other than its literal words, used to create an effect.
Literal language: Language that means exactly what the words say.
Simile: A comparison between two unlike things using like or as. Example: she was as brave as a lion.
Metaphor: A direct comparison between two unlike things without using like or as. Example: time is a thief.
Personification: Giving human qualities to an animal, object or idea. Example: the wind whispered through the trees.
Hyperbole: Deliberate, extreme exaggeration used for emphasis or effect. Example: I have told you a million times.
Alliteration: Repetition of the same beginning consonant sound in nearby words. Example: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
Onomatopoeia: A word that imitates the sound it names, such as buzz, crash or sizzle.
Idiom: A common phrase whose meaning is not the literal meaning of its words, such as it is raining cats and dogs.
Imagery: Language that appeals to the senses, helping the reader see, hear, smell, taste or feel what is described.
Symbolism: Use of an object, person or image to represent a larger idea, such as a dove for peace.
Irony: A contrast between what is expected and what happens or is said. Verbal, situational and dramatic irony are the three main types.
Allusion: A brief reference to a well-known person, place, work or event that the reader is expected to recognize.
Oxymoron: Two contradictory words placed together, such as deafening silence.

Comparing things: simile and metaphor

Both compare two unlike things to show something about one of them. The difference is the wording: a simile uses like or as, and a metaphor says one thing is the other. When a metaphor continues for several lines or a whole poem, it is an extended metaphor.

If you can circle the word like or as, it is a simile.

Exaggeration and human traits

•Hyperbole exaggerates on purpose: I am so hungry I could eat a horse.
•Personification gives something human traits: the engine coughed and died.
•An idiom is a fixed phrase with a figurative meaning, not a one-time image by the author.

Sound devices

Alliteration repeats beginning consonant sounds in nearby words. Go by the sound, not the letter: knight and night begin with the same sound. Onomatopoeia is a word that sounds like what it names, such as hiss, thud and splash.

Meaning beyond the words

•Symbolism: an object or image stands for a bigger idea.
•Verbal irony: saying the opposite of what you mean, as in saying lovely weather during a storm.
•Situational irony: the outcome is the opposite of what was expected.
•Dramatic irony: the audience knows something a character does not.
•Allusion: a quick reference to another well-known work or event.

How to identify a device on a test

1Decide whether the words are meant literally.
2If not, ask what is being compared, exaggerated or represented.
3Check the wording: like or as is a simile, a direct comparison is a metaphor, human traits on a nonhuman thing is personification, and extreme overstatement is hyperbole.
4For sound, look for repeated beginning sounds (alliteration) or a word that imitates a sound (onomatopoeia).

Common mistakes

Mistake: A simile is any comparison.
A simile compares using like or as. A direct comparison without those words is a metaphor.
Mistake: Personification only applies to talking animals.
It applies to any nonhuman thing given human qualities, including objects, weather and ideas.
Mistake: Hyperbole is a lie.
Hyperbole is exaggeration the reader knows is not literal. It is used for emphasis or humor.
Mistake: Irony is just something sad or a coincidence.
Irony is a contrast between expectation and reality, such as a fire station burning down.
Mistake: Alliteration means repeating the same letter.
It means repeating the same beginning sound. Knight and night alliterate, but cat and city do not.

Common questions

What is the difference between a simile and a metaphor?↓

A simile compares two things with the words like or as, such as as busy as a bee. A metaphor says one thing is another, such as she is a busy bee. Both are figurative comparisons.

What is the difference between hyperbole and an idiom?↓

Hyperbole is an exaggeration a writer invents for effect. An idiom is a fixed phrase, like break the ice, whose meaning every speaker already knows. Many idioms are not exaggerations at all.

What are some examples of personification?↓

The wind whispered, the sun smiled down, and the old house groaned are all personification. In each, a nonhuman thing does something only a person or animal could do.

How many types of irony are there?↓

There are three main types: verbal irony (saying the opposite of what you mean), situational irony (an outcome opposite to what was expected) and dramatic irony (the audience knows more than the characters).

What is the best way to learn literary devices?↓

Write your own example of each one, then mix the cards and identify devices in short quotes. Making and spotting examples works better than rereading the definitions.