EnglishFreePrintable

Figurative Language Focus

A free english worksheet ready for your classroom. Open in Kuraplan to grab the print-ready PDF, customize it for your students, or generate a fresh version in seconds.

Download now

Name:Date:

Figurative Language Focus

Read the original passage, then explore how figurative language creates pictures, sounds and feelings. Use evidence from the passage and your own ideas.

A morning at Saltbush Lagoon

Before sunrise, Matilda followed the sandy track to Saltbush Lagoon. Overnight, rain had filled the shallow pools. The reeds stood shoulder to shoulder, guarding the water. A cool breeze nudged the paperbarks, and their leaves shivered like tiny green flags. Somewhere in the rushes, a frog gave one sleepy croak. When the sun rose, gold spilled across the lagoon. The water was a sheet of hammered silver, broken by the ripples of a duck paddling past. Matilda heard the wind whisper through the grasses. She imagined the lagoon waking up and stretching after a long night. At the track’s edge, Matilda noticed a plastic wrapper caught in a bush. The bright scrap looked like a dropped piece of sky, but it did not belong there. She picked it up and placed it in her pocket to bin later. Then she sat quietly, watching the lagoon sparkle.

Spot the language

Use the passage above for Questions 1–5.

1.In the passage, “the reeds stood shoulder to shoulder, guarding the water”. Which technique gives the reeds a human action?

Simile
Personification
Alliteration
Onomatopoeia

2.Find the simile used to describe the paperbark leaves. Copy it and explain what it helps you picture.

3.“The water was a sheet of hammered silver” compares the water to silver without using “like” or “as”. What is this technique, and what does the comparison suggest?

4.Which phrase uses personification to make the lagoon seem alive?

“Overnight, rain had filled the shallow pools.”
“The lagoon waking up and stretching after a long night.”
“A duck paddling past.”
“Matilda sat quietly.”

5.The passage says, “Matilda heard the wind whisper through the grasses.” What mood does the word “whisper” create? Give one reason.

6.The wrapper is described as “a dropped piece of sky”. Is this a simile or a metaphor? Explain how the phrase shapes the description of the litter.

Try it as a writer

Use the lagoon setting, or imagine another Australian natural place you know.

7.Write one original simile to describe a sound at the lagoon. Use “like” or “as” and make the comparison clear.

8.Rewrite “The breeze moved the reeds” using personification. Keep your sentence suitable for a calm morning setting.

9.Write a descriptive paragraph of 4–6 sentences about a natural place that should be cared for. Include at least one simile, one metaphor and one example of personification. Underline or label each example.

10.Choose the best explanation: How can figurative language help a reader?