This document defines and provides examples of various types of figurative language including connotation, denotation, simile, metaphor, hyperbole, personification, onomatopoeia, synonym, antonym, literal, figurative, alliteration, symbol, analogy, idiom, cliché, diction, verbal irony, pun, and nuance. For each term, a definition is given along with an example and a question to prompt thinking of additional examples.

1. Figurative Language
“Kick Me” Review

2. CONNOTATION
• Definition: An idea or feeling that a word
invokes for a person in addition to its literal or
primary meaning.
▫ EMOTION/FEELING OF A WORD.
• Example: A shark is ruthless.
• Is it nice to call someone a shark?
• What emotion is associated with referring to
someone as an egg head?

3. DENOTATION
• Definition: The literal or primary meaning of a
word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the
word suggests.
• DICTIONARY DEFINITION
• Example: Mostly marine fishes, certain species
of which are large, voracious, and sometimes
dangerous to humans.
• What would the denotation of egg head be?

4. SIMILE
• Definition: a figure of speech in which two
unlike things are explicitly compared using like,
than or as
• Example: He is as brave as a lion.
• Can you think of a simile for an angry person?

5. METAPHOR
• Definition: a metaphor can be described as a
comparison that shows how two things that are
not alike in most ways are similar in other
important ways.
• Example: "I'm a night owl; Paul’s an early bird.
We're different species.”
• Can you think of a metaphor for an angry
person?

6. HYPERBOLE
• Definition: Extreme exaggeration
• Example: "His thundering shout could split
rocks." Or, "Yo' mama's so fat.”
• Can you think of a hyperbole for a really cold
day?

7. PERSONIFICATION
• Definition: giving human qualities to
inanimate objects.
• Example: "The ground thirsts for rain; the
wind whispered secrets to us.“
• Can you think of a way to personify a messy
student’s locker?

8. ONOMATOPOEIA
• Definition: Words that create an auditory
effect similar to the sound they represent.
• Buzz; Click; Rattle; Clatter; Squish; Grunt
• Can you think of any other examples of
onomatopoeia?

9. SYNONYM
• Definition: SYNONYM: A word having the
same or nearly the same meaning as another
word or other words in a language. For example,
the word responsible is the same as
_______________.
• Example: ACCOUNTABLE
• Can you think of any other synonyms for
responsible?

10. ANTONYM
• Definition: A word that has the exact opposite
meaning of another word is its antonym. For
example, the antonym for robust
is____________.
• Example: WEAK
• Can you think of any other antonyms for robust?

11. LITERAL
• Definition: true to fact; not exaggerated; actual
or factual
• Example: The sharp weapon bloodied his head.

12. FIGURATIVE
• Definition: Figurative describes something
that is not to be interpreted literally, but that
instead uses a symbol or a likeness
• Example: “She's the head of the company.”
• Can you think of any other ways to use head in a
figurative way?

13. ALLITERATION
• Definition: Repeating a consonant sound in
close proximity to others, or beginning several
words with the same vowel sound
• Example: Five miles meandering with a mazy
motion.
• Can you think of any other examples of
alliteration?

14. SYMBOL
• Definition: A word, place, character, or object
that means something beyond what it is on a
literal level.
• Example: STOP SIGN
• Can you think of any other symbols?

15. ANALOGY
• ANALOGY: A similarity between like features
of two things
• "My writing is to me, as flying is to a bird.”
• Can you think of any other analogies?

16. IDIOM
• Definition: An expression, word, or phrase that
has a figurative meaning conventionally
understood by native speakers of a particular
culture. This meaning is different from the literal
meaning of the idiom's individual elements. In
other words, idioms don't mean exactly what the
words say. They have, however, hidden meaning.
• Example: Kick the bucket
• Can you think of any other idioms?

17. CLICHÉ
• Definition: A hackneyed or trite phrase that
has become overused. Clichés are considered
bad writing and bad literature.
• Example: Every cloud has a silver lining.
• Can you think of any other cliches?

18. DICTION
• Definition: The choice of a particular word as
opposed to others.
• Example: Rock formation: a stone, a boulder,
an outcropping, a pile of rocks, a cairn, a mound,
or even an "anomalous geological feature.”
• Let’s say you wanted to describe someone who is
thin. What are some word choices that have a
positive connotation? What are some word
choices that have a negative connotation?

19. VERBAL IRONY
• Definition: Saying one thing and meaning
another.
• Example: "The cake is as soft as concrete" - the
person wants to tell that the cake is not so soft to
eat.
• Can you think of any other examples of verbal
irony?

20. PUN
• Definition: A joke exploiting the different
possible meanings of a word or the fact that
there are words that sound alike but have
different meanings
• Example: I knew a woman who owned a taser,
man was she stunning!
• Can you think of any other puns?

21. NUANCE
• Definition: A subtle difference or distinction in
expression, meaning, response, etc.
• Example:
Black-charcoal gray-dove gray-off-white-white