10WordsQStudy guides › Level 6 · Master
Figures of speech
💡 The idea
Writers use figurative language and sound devices to paint pictures with words. There are six kinds to know, and each has a giveaway sign.
| Kind | Sign | Example |
|---|---|---|
| simile | compares with like or as | He ran like the wind. |
| metaphor | says one thing is another | The classroom was a zoo. |
| personification | a thing acts like a person | The wind whispered. |
| hyperbole | a huge exaggeration | I’ve told you a million times! |
| alliteration | the same first sound again and again | Big brown bears bounce. |
| onomatopoeia | a word that sounds like its noise | The bacon sizzled. |
🪜 The steps
- Look for like or as first: if a comparison uses them, it’s a simile.
- A comparison without them is a metaphor.
- Does a thing do something only people do? Personification.
- Could it never really be true? Hyperbole.
- Listen: repeated first sounds, or a noise word?
⚠️ Watch out
- Simile vs. metaphor is the most common mix-up. “As bright as the sun” is a simile; “Grandpa’s heart is pure gold” is a metaphor.
- Not every “like” is a simile. “I like apples” compares nothing.
🎯 Try these
- “The stars winked at us.”
- “This bag weighs a ton.”
- “Her voice was as soft as silk.”
Answers: 1) personification 2) hyperbole 3) simile
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