Figurative Language (Meaning & Tone)
What does this sentence mean?
The stars winked at me from the night sky.
The stars appeared to twinkle like they were winking.
Tone - Peaceful
What type of irony?
A bakery runs out of bread and has to close early.
Situational irony—A bakery is expected to always have bread, but it runs out.
I had only one thing on my mind—winning.
To create emphasis on "winning."
What is an unreliable narrator?
Someone who can not be trusted.
The eerie wind howled through the abandoned house as shadows crept along the walls.
Why did the author choose the words "eerie," "howled," and "crept"?
To create a spooky, unsettling mood.)
What does the sentence below mean?
Her voice was a melody that danced through the air.
Her voice was beautiful and pleasant to listen to
Tone- Admiring
"Oh, great! Another pop quiz," said Jake, groaning as he put his head on his desk.
Verbal irony—Jake says "great," but he clearly means the opposite.
I love reading; however, I don’t always have time for it.
To show a contrast between two related ideas. The first part expresses enjoyment of reading, but the second part explains a problem—there isn’t enough time.
In The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, how does the narrator show they are unreliable?
(They insist they are not mad but contradict themselves)
The tiny puppy yipped excitedly, its fluffy tail wagging like a flag in the wind.
Why did the author use words like "tiny," "yipped," and "fluffy"?
To make the puppy seem playful and adorable.
What does this sentence mean?
The abandoned house stood like a forgotten ghost, whispering secrets in the wind.
The house was eerie, old, and seemed mysterious.
A professional swimmer nearly drowns in a shallow pool.
Situational irony—A strong swimmer is expected to be safe in water, but they almost drown.)
Colin went to the store and bought: milk, eggs, and cheese.
(To introduce a list.)
A narrator insists they are completely fine, but they keep describing how they haven’t slept in days and hear voices in their head.
The commander barked orders at the nervous soldiers, his steel gaze unyielding.
What effect do words like "barked" and "steel gaze" create?
They make the commander seem strict, intense, and powerful.
Time tiptoed past me as I struggled to finish my test.
Time felt like it was moving too quickly or slipping away unnoticed. Tone- anxious
In a scary movie, the audience knows the villain is hiding in the closet, but the main character opens the door anyway.
Dramatic irony—The audience knows something the character does not.
The storm was coming fast; we needed to find shelter immediately.
To emphasize a need for safety.
A very young child tells a story about their parents "turning into monsters" at night when they argue, but the reader can tell they mean it figuratively.
(They are too young to fully understand what is happening and describe things in an exaggerated way.)
Instead of saying "She walked into the room," an author writes, "She glided into the room, her gown trailing behind like a wave of silk."
What is the effect of the word "glided" instead of "walked"?
It makes her movement seem graceful and elegant.)
The city was a living, breathing beast, its streets pulsing with restless energy.
The city felt alive, crowded, and constantly moving with activity.
Tone- Chaotic
A student stays up all night studying for an important test, only to find out the next morning that the test was postponed.
Situational irony—The student’s effort was unnecessary, which is the opposite of what they expected.
She had a difficult choice to make—stay in her hometown or move to a new city.
A narrator describes a perfect, happy town where everyone smiles all the time, but in small hints, they mention people mysteriously disappearing.
(They are oblivious to the truth or in denial about what is really happening.)
A writer describes a character as "an unstoppable force, a wildfire consuming everything in its path."
*Why does the author compare the character to a wildfire? (
(To show that they are powerful, destructive, and impossible to contain.)