Reading poetry that uses specific literary devices and discussing each instance within the text can be an effective teaching strategy. Try reading the following poems or songs that make use of various forms of figurative language to your child. As you read aloud, see if your child can find the literary device.

Simile: This quote is a simile because it correlates Elie’s movement to that of a machine, using “like”. Simile: death will not leave Elie alone like glue sticking to something. Simile: Comparing Elie to a small ant. Hyperbole: exaggerating that the road never ends.

Figurative language is phrasing that goes beyond the literal meaning of words to get a message or point across. This definition dates back to the mid-nineteenth century and comes from the Old French word “figuratif,” meaning “metaphorical.” Writers create figurative language through figures of speech such as: Simile.

Figurative language also is used to link two ideas with the goal of influencing an audience to see a connection even if one does not actually exist. Writers of prose and poetry use figurative language to elicit emotion, help readers form mental images and draw readers into the work.

Symbolism is the practice or art of using an object or a word to represent an abstract idea. An action, person, place, word, or object can all have a symbolic meaning.

Irony is not figurative language. There is a type of irony called verbal irony, and although this might sound like it would be figurative language, it…

Authors use figures of speech to make their writing more interesting. If an author can make his or her point in a new and fresh way, readers are more…

23 Common Figures of Speech (Types and Examples)

• SIMILE. In simile two unlike things are explicitly compared.
• METAPHOR. It is an informal or implied simile in which words like, as, so are omitted.
• PERSONIFICATION.
• METONYMY.
• APOSTROPHE.
• HYPERBOLE.
• SYNECDOCHE.
• TRANSFERRED EPITHETS.