Figurative Language

Using figurative language will help spice up your writing so your reader will be able to better visualize your story and become more engaged. Here are some popular figurative language techniques you may use to make your writing more interesting:

Simile: A figure of speech that makes a comparison using the words like or as.

Example #1 – Their oversized jackets billowed in the wind like the sails of a ship. Example #2 – The enormous bully was as big as a ox. Example #3 – The cagy spy was as sly as a fox.

Metaphor: A figure of speech that makes a comparison without using like or as.

Example #1 – She was the black sheep in the family. Example #2 – He was the shining star in the classroom. Example #3 – The delicate snow was a white blanket across the cursed land.

Personification: A figure of speech in which an object is given human or animal-like qualities.

Example #1 – The old oak branches grabbed angrily at my shirt. Example #2 – The harsh wind howled across the lake. Example #3 – The last piece of pizza called my name. Example #4 -The thick fog swallowed the ships.

Hyperbole: An exaggerated statement, usually used to grab the reader’s attention or to add a sense of drama to a story.

Example #1 – This box weighs a ton. Example #2 – She told her children a million times to clean up their bedrooms. Example #3 – This homework is killing me!

Alliteration – The repetition of sounds at the beginning of words.

Example #1 – The cook created crumbly cookies for Carl and Karen. Example #2 – Nick knew that his niece and nephew needed new notebooks. Example #3 – The big black bug bit the bear on her bottom.

Onomatopoeia – Using words that sound like the noise they make.

Here are some “word sounds” you can use in your writing: boom, buzz, smack, roar, sizzle, thud, howl, rustle, beep, vroom, thump, blurt, hiss, zap, crash, whack, whine, honk.

Idiom – Sayings, phrases, or expressions that have different meanings than their individual words.

Example #1 – I think something fishy is going on around here. #2 – I really need to hit the sack because I’m so tired. Example #3 – The deal she made was fair and square. #4- It was raining cats and dogs. Example #5 – That writing assignment was a piece of cake.