What is a metaphor, simile, hyperbole, irony, alliteration, and imagery?

1 Answer
Oct 27, 2016

** This answer is long

Explanation:

A metaphor is a thing that is symbolic of something else, especially abstract.

*Usually creates a comparison without using like or as

Example:

- The English assignment was a breeze.

  • This implicates that the assignment was very easy

- My mom was boiling mad.

  • This implicates that she is very mad.

A simile compares two things using like or as

Example:

- Soldiers are as brave as lions.

  • This use of a simile compares the braveness of a soldier to that of a lion.

A hyperbole is extreme exaggeration.

*Not to be confused with similes and metaphors because hyperbole's do not make comparisons, they just create an overstatement that cannot be taken seriously

Example:

- My grandmother is as old as dirt.

  • Though you may think this is a simile, it is not. This is a hyperbole because it is an exaggeration, and therefore cannot be taken seriously

Irony is used to contradict what one says and what one does, or what one says and its literal meaning (sarcasm)

*It's usually used to create suspense

Example:

- The teacher passed back the exams. When Jamie received her exam, she exclaimed, "Oh, great!". At the corner of the page held a big red F.

  • This is an example of irony because though Jamie exclaims, "Oh, great!", she's contradicting what is her test score actually is, which isn't so great. In other words, she was being sarcastic.

Alliteration is the repetition of a single letter at the beginning of words in a sentence.

Example:

- P eter P iper p icked a p eck of p ickled p eppers
- S he s ells s eashells by the s eashore

  • These sentences are nursery rhymes also known as tongue twisters because they start the words within the sentence begin with the same letter.

Imagery is visually descriptive language using the 5 senses

Example:

- The red blazing sun shone bright throughout the wide pale blue sky over the rich green grass.

  • This example of imagery appeals to the sense of sight by stating colors of specific nouns.