Students complete nine sentences about figurative versus literal meaning — 'raining cats and dogs,' a heart of gold, and a breezy test. The matching activity pairs four sentences about a smiling sun, a light-as-feather comparison, purple plum alliteration, and a clinging bell with their device labels.
Distinguishing figurative from literal meaning is the bridge between identifying a device by name and understanding what the device actually communicates to the reader.
Style:
Literary Devices
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. When someone says "It is raining cats and dogs," they do not mean animals are falling from the sky.
2. The literal meaning of "He has a heart of gold" is that his heart is made of gold, but the figurative meaning is that he is very kind.
3. "The test was a breeze" figuratively means the test was easy.
4. "I nearly died laughing" is hyperbole because no one actually died.
5. "The leaves whispered secrets to each other" is figurative because leaves cannot actually whisper.
6. "She is as brave as a lion" literally compares her to a lion but figuratively means she is very brave.
7. Figurative language makes writing more interesting by creating pictures in the reader's mind.', a: 'mind'
8. "Time flies when you are having fun" uses a metaphor to say that time seems to pass quickly.
9. When we interpret figurative language, we look beyond the literal meaning of the words.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
"The sun smiled down on us"
→ personification
alliteration
"She was as light as a feather"
→ simile
simile
"Peter picked a pail of purple plums"
→ alliteration
onomatopoeia
"The clang of the bell echoed"
→ onomatopoeia
personification
Literary Devices
★ Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1) When someone says "It is raining cats and dogs," they do not mean animals are falling from the sky.
2) The literal meaning of "He has a heart of gold" is that his heart is made of gold, but the figurative meaning is that he is very kind.
3) "The test was a breeze" figuratively means the test was easy.
4) "I nearly died laughing" is hyperbole because no one actually died.
5) "The leaves whispered secrets to each other" is figurative because leaves cannot actually whisper.
6) "She is as brave as a lion" literally compares her to a lion but figuratively means she is very brave.
7) Figurative language makes writing more interesting by creating pictures in the reader's mind.', a: 'mind'
8) "Time flies when you are having fun" uses a metaphor to say that time seems to pass quickly.
9) When we interpret figurative language, we look beyond the literal meaning of the words.
★ Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1) Match each item to its correct answer.
"The sun smiled down on us"
→ personification
alliteration
"She was as light as a feather"
→ simile
simile
"Peter picked a pail of purple plums"
→ alliteration
onomatopoeia
"The clang of the bell echoed"
→ onomatopoeia
personification
Ready to Practice?
Complete each section carefully.
10 Questions
10-15 minutes
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