Figures of Speech Worksheets

Related ELA Standard: L.7.5.A

Core Standard
Answer Keys Here

A figure of speech is a word or phrase that comes off in a completely different manner from its literal meaning. Often figures of speech are used to engage readers and make them think more deeply towards the purpose of the assertion. Figures of speech often attempt to make the writing more human and put a personal touch on what is being examined. The goal of a figure of speech is to leave a mark on your audience. This is usually accompanied with astonishment or laughter. There are a wide range of vehicles to help you achieve this. Some of provide human traits to inanimate objects. Others exaggerate to an overwhelming level. These worksheets will help students use figures of speech in their own writing. In this collection of bold worksheets we will look at how figures of speech can be used within a set of context.

Figure of Speech Worksheets To Print:

Recognizing Allusions - There are simple sentences and short paragraphs to work on here. Read each of the sentences below. Underline the allusion. Then identify whether it alludes to literature, mythology, or the Bible.

Biblical Uses - This is a specific literature genre to work with. Each of the sentences below contains a Biblical allusion. Underline where it appears and then explain its meaning.

Historical Usage - A little bit of a look back in time for you. You will examine sentences and identify how this technique has been applied.

Working That Allusion - You will be examining extended sentences that are pre-written for you. You will decide the form that is used and classify it as one of the following: A. Literature B. Mythology C. Bible

Writing with Allusions - Sometimes you will see people label these "flashbacks". You will identify it used in paragraph form and then explain what it means to the reader.

Figures of Speech in Literature - Identify the metaphor and simile in the passage. This is a well known reading passage and poem that you will analyze.

Recognition in Literature - There are two allusions in the passage. Identify whether they are illusions from history, literature or mythology.

Explain How It Happens - Locate the allusion in the poem. Write it on the line below. You will then be asked to go a step further and explain what it means.

Allusions in Literature - The passage contains three allusions. Identify them, and briefly explain what each is alluding to.

Famous Writes - Identify and explain each allusion in each of the famous pieces of writing.

Literary Allusions in Book Titles - Authors often allude to other literary works when they title their books.

Finding Hidden Meaning... - Explain how the underlying thoughts functions to add meaning within the context of the story.

Tripping On Words - Words can be tough to draw from in this activity. These entries are all pretty volatile situations that may engage readers a bit.

Indirect Reference - Such as: From the moment he first laid eyes on her he could no longer give us the time of day.

Take It For Real - Identify whether the allusion is to literature (L), the Bible (B) or mythology (M). Write the correct letter on the line.

How to Identify Figures of Speech

Figures of speech are the elements in the written text of any language that mean something else in a given context rather than giving their literal meaning. These are important to any text, especially the literary and fictional text, to make the reader understand a point with clarity and to convey a deeper sense indirectly with the usage of a few words than that would have to be used if the direct idea had to be stated. The connotative meanings of the figures of speech are widely known to the audience and sometimes, even if it is not widely known, the reader easily understands them taking the meaning from the context. There are a lot of figurative elements in the English language that are used for different purposes. Some of these are as follows:


Here are some of the figures of speech that are commonly used in text and conversations. The explanations of these figures of speech will help you in identifying them easily.


Simile

A simile is a figure of speech that is widely used to compare two things and to show a similarity between two very distinct phenomena based on a particular aspect. A simile uses the words like as, just like, similar to, like, etc. to show a comparison between the ideas under discussion. An example of a simile used in a sentence can be “He is as brave as a lion.”


The comparison is usually done between two entities that are very unlike each other. For example,

She was acting like a frog.
He was running like a wolf.
She is as brave as a lioness.
The child is behaving like a clown.


Metaphor

A metaphor performs the same function as that performed by a simile in the statements. The only difference is that a metaphor used regards one thing as some other thing based on some aspect of its quality that the other thing is famous for. Moreover, there is no use of comparative terms like as, just like, etc. in a statement with metaphor. An example of metaphor's use in a sentence can be “He is a lion.”


A metaphor is that figure of speech that is used to make a direct comparison between two different entities. The metaphor can be used when you want to put immense focus on a trait of a person that is very much alike to something. For example,

The child is a clown.
She was a frog.
He was a wolf.
She is a lioness.


Irony

The irony is an interesting figure of speech. It is used when you want to create a mocking effect in the text. Irony occurs when there is a conflict or difference between what is being said and the actual meaning. For example,

Mother said "how wonderful", when I told her I had to work on Sundays.
The unsinkable Titanic sank on its first voyage.


Personification

Personification is a figure of speech that gives human-like qualities and emotions to a non-living thing to increase its importance and stress on the ideas associated with it in a statement.


Personification is that figure of speech that is used to give the traits of a human being to non-human entities. This figure of speech is used in the literature mostly to give the details of something. For example,

The tea branches danced with the breeze.
The storm ate up the entire town.


Oxymoron

The oxymoron is the figure of speech that occurs when two contradicting words combine. For example,

Sweet sorrow
Peace force

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Biblical Allusions Preview