Loren Short Story Figurative Language Quiz Flashcards
Metaphor
Comparison of two UNLIKE things without using “like” or “as”
A book is a passport to adventure. The bank of justice is not bankrupt.
Simile
Comparison of two UNLIKE thing using “like” or “as”
She floated in like a cloud. The robber was sly as a fox.
Personification
Giving human qualities to inhuman things
The wind whispered through the trees. The ocean swallowed the sinking ship.
Hyperbole
Big exaggeration for effect
My backpack weighs a ton! This is a nightmare. My life is ruined!
Euphemism
A mild, indirect or more polite way of saying something that is otherwise harsh or unpleasant
I was let go from my job today. The dog relieved himself outside.
Idiom
A figure of speech that does not make sense if you take each individual element literally
Don’t break my heart. She’s on the fence with the decision.
I have a green thumb.
Oxymoron
A figure of speech that combines two typically contradictory terms
Jumbo shrimp, deafening silence, minor crisis
Pun
The use of a word or words that either have multiple meanings or sound like other words
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
My skiing skills are really going downhill.
Allusion
A reference to a generally well-known person, place, event, or thing from history, religion, or popular culture.
You’re a real Einstein. My backyard is a Garden of Eden in the spring.
Mac & cheese is my Achilles heel. Don’t be a Scrooge!
Alliteration
Repeated consonant sounds at the beginning of words
Silly Cindy sat on the cinnamon sofa
The melancholy melody mellowed the mood
Assonance
Repeated vowel sounds inside words
The cat sat on my lap (short a) the lazy maid still got paid (long a)
Consonance
Repeated consonant sounds inside and at the ends of words
The tulip petals fell slowly (soft “l”) The fat batter struck out (harsh “t”)
Onomatopoeia
A word whose sound suggests its meaning
Buzz, sizzle, crash, meow
Dramatic irony
When the audience knows something that a character does not.
In a scary movie, the character walks into a house and the audience knows the killer is in the house.
Situational irony
When the opposite of what you’d expect happens. NOT a coincidence.
The marriage counselor files for divorce. The tow truck breaks down. Posting on Facebook about how terrible Facebook is.
