English Language Arts
Grade 9
15 min
Classify figures of speech: review
Classify figures of speech: review
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Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Differentiate between simile, metaphor, and personification with 90% accuracy.
Identify hyperbole and explain its intended rhetorical effect.
Define and classify at least five major figures of speech from literary excerpts.
Analyze how an author's choice of figurative language contributes to tone and meaning.
Classify metonymy and distinguish it from similar figures of speech like personification.
Apply a systematic process to classify unfamiliar figures of speech in complex sentences.
Ever wonder why a breakup song talks about a 'heart of stone' or an ad claims a drink gives you 'wings'? 🎶 That's the power of figurative language!
This tutorial is a review of how to classify common figures of speech. Mastering this skill is...
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Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
SimileA figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two unlike things, using connecting words such as 'like' or 'as'.The old car sputtered and coughed like a dying man.
MetaphorA figure of speech that makes an implicit or hidden comparison between two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as'. It states that one thing *is* another.Her voice was music to his ears.
PersonificationA figure of speech in which an idea, animal, or object is given human attributes (emotions, actions, or qualities).The wind whispered secrets through the trees.
HyperboleAn extreme and intentional exaggeration for emphasis or comic effect, not meant to be taken literally.I've told you a million times to clean your room!
MetonymyA figure...
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Key Rules & Conventions
The Comparison Test
Step 1: Identify the non-literal statement. Step 2: Identify the two things being compared. Step 3: Look for the 'bridge' word.
Use this to distinguish between simile and metaphor. If the comparison uses 'like' or 'as', it's a simile. If it states one thing *is* the other directly or implicitly, it's a metaphor.
The Human Action Test
Ask: Is a non-human object, animal, or idea performing a distinctly human action, or expressing a human emotion?
This is the key to identifying personification. 'The angry sea' is personification because anger is a human emotion. 'The sea is a monster' is a metaphor, as being a monster is not exclusively human.
The Association Test
Ask: Is one word or phrase be...
4 more steps in this tutorial
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Challenging
Consider two sentences: 1. 'His words were like daggers.' 2. 'His words were daggers.' Which statement best analyzes the difference in their rhetorical effect, based on the principles of simile and metaphor?
A.Sentence 1 (simile) is stronger because 'like' emphasizes the comparison.
B.Sentence 2 (metaphor) creates a more direct and intense effect by equating the words with weapons, removing any distance.
C.Both sentences have the exact same meaning and effect, as they compare words to daggers.
D.Sentence 1 (simile) is more literal, while Sentence 2 (metaphor) is purely figurative.
Challenging
A student analyzes the line 'The camera loves her' as personification. A classmate argues it's metonymy, where 'the camera' stands for the audience or the director. Using the systematic process from the tutorial, which classification is stronger and why?
A.Metonymy is stronger, because an inanimate object cannot feel love; 'the camera' is an associated concept for the people behind it.
B.Personification is stronger, because the 'Human Action Test' is clearly met: the camera is given the human emotion of 'love'.
C.Both are equally valid, and it is impossible to choose the better classification.
D.Neither is correct; it is a hyperbole because the camera's affection is exaggerated.
Challenging
In a poem, an author writes, 'The old clock in the hall cleared its throat and chimed the hour.' How does this specific choice of personification ('cleared its throat') contribute to the tone and meaning in a way that simply saying 'the clock chimed' would not?
A.It suggests the clock is broken and needs repair.
B.It creates a formal, almost human presence for the clock, giving it a sense of character, age, and deliberate action.
C.It makes the clock seem threatening and dangerous.
D.It is simply a more creative way to say the same thing, with no change in meaning.
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