Figurative Language — Answer Key
Part A: Fix the Sentence
Each sentence has an error. Rewrite it correctly on the line.
1. Fix the sentence:
The sentence "The blanket of snow covered the yard" is a simile.
Corrected: The sentence "The blanket of snow covered the yard" is a metaphor.
Snow is called a blanket directly, without using "like" or "as," so this is a metaphor — similes always include like or as to compare.
2. Fix the sentence:
The sentence "I have told you a million times" is personification.
Corrected: The sentence "I have told you a million times" is hyperbole.
Saying you said something a million times is an enormous exaggeration for effect, and that over-the-top stretch is what makes it hyperbole.
3. Fix the sentence:
The sentence "The old house groaned in the wind" is a metaphor.
Corrected: The sentence "The old house groaned in the wind" is personification.
Groaning is a sound only living people or animals make, so giving that human-like action to a house is personification.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. The saying "Let the cat out of the bag" is an idiom that means to reveal a secret.
This idiom has nothing to do with real cats — it is an old expression that means to tell something that was supposed to stay hidden, or reveal a secret.
2. Her hair was as golden as honey. This sentence is a simile.
Honey is a rich golden color, so it makes the perfect picture when using "as golden as" to describe the shade of her hair.
3. Saying you waited "forever" in line is an example of hyperbole.
You did not really wait for all of time — saying "forever" is a big exaggeration to show the line felt slow, which is what hyperbole does.
4. "The city was a beehive of activity" is a metaphor comparing the city to a busy insect home.
A beehive is always buzzing with busy bees moving everywhere, so calling a city a beehive paints a clear picture of nonstop activity.
Part C: True or False?
Read each statement. Circle True or False.
1. An idiom means exactly what the words say.
True False
An idiom's meaning is different from its literal words — "let the cat out of the bag" is not about a real cat, it means to tell a secret.
2. The sentence "She cried a river of tears" is an example of hyperbole.
True False
No one actually cries an entire river, so the sentence stretches the truth to show she cried a lot — that big exaggeration is hyperbole.
3. A metaphor always uses the word like or as.
True False
Similes are the ones that use like or as — a metaphor makes a direct comparison without those words, such as "time is a thief."