GRADE 10
Language Structures and Conventions
Activity 4: Figurative Language and Rhetorical Devices
Note
Figurative Language:
Language used imaginatively, not in a strict literal sense. Three common Figures of
speech are:
Metaphor, Simile, Personification, Hyperbole.
1. Metaphor
A metanhor compares characteristics of unlike things without using the words like
or as.
Example:
The clouds were fluffy cotton balls floating through the sky.
2. Simile
A simile is a description that compares characteristics of two unlike things to one
another,
using the words like or as.
Example:
The sea is as smooth as glass.
That day, her voice was like an angel's.
3
Personification
Personification- giving human qualities to inanimate objects
Example:
The trees danced in the windy storm.
The sun greeted the young girl as it peeked in her window.
4. Hyperbole
Hyperbole is an extreme, obvious exaggeration.
Example:
Her hair was as tall as a skyscraper. It must have taken a gallon of hairspray to
fix it. "Yes, I heard you. You must have said that a million times already."
Rhetorical Device:
This device is also known as the Persuasion or Stylistic Device. It is used to
convey a meaning with an aim of persuasion. The following are the common examples
of rhetorical devices: Alliteration, Onomatopoeia, Repetition.
1. Alliteration
Alliteration - the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of
several words which are next to each other.
Example:
The Sly Snake Slithered Silently.
Peter Pan piped his pipe louder.
Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia - when a word is used to suggest a sound that would normally be heard.
Example:
The buzzzzzz of the bee is driving me crazy.
Crash! As the two cars collided, pieces of twisted metal filled the street.
3. Repetition - is a literal device that involves intentionally using a word or
phrase for effect, wo or more times in a speech or written work. For repetition to
be noticeable, the words or the phrases should be repeated within proximity of each
other.
Example:
Make it rain, make it rain, make it rain.
1 looked upon the rotting sea, And drew my eyes away;
I looked upon the rotting deck, And there the dead men lay.
4. Consonance
Consonance - This is the repetition of consonant sound at the end of a word.
Example:
The quaCK of the duck.
5. OxymoronOxymoron - is a figure of speech that combines two words that
seemingly contract eachExample:My pants were a little big, but I wore them anyway.I
was all alone in a crowd of people.
6. IronyIrony - the difference between what you expect to happen and what
actually does happen.Example:A man who is a traffic cop gets his license suspended
for unpaid parking tickets.
7. IdiomsIdioms - is a phrase that should not be taken for its literal
meaning.Idioms use words or phrases in a way that is different from its usual or
"dictionary" meaning.Example.The little girl was the apple of her daddy's eye.Can
you lend me a hand with the ladder?
8. SarcasticSarcastic - a sharply ironical taunt; sneering or cutting
remark: a review full of sarcasms.Example:After walking into the classroom of
misbehaving learning, the teacher thanks them for their respect and excellent
behaviour while she was out of the classroom.
Activity 4.1
Figurative Language and Rhetorical Language
State whether the sentence is a simile or a metaphor.
• 4.1.1 He is as brave as a lion.
• 4.1.2 Jealousy is a green-eyed monster.
• 4.1.3 The road was a ribbon wrapped through the desert.
• 4.1.4 My heart is a lonely hunter that hunts on a lonely hill.
• 4.1.5 Life is like an onion. You peel it off one layer at a time and
sometimes you cry
• 4.1.6Her mind is an unweeded garden.
Activity 4.2
Which word/words make the following sentences a personification.
4.2.1 The refrigerator accommodated all the goodies.
4.2.2 The sun is frowning too much upon us.
4.2.3 The land shows its ravaged face.
4.2.4 The poor chair suffered under the substantial woman.
4.2.5 The branches of the sycamore trees bowed forward as if responding to the
morning breeze.
