English (ELA)FreePrintable
Figurative Language Detective
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Figurative Language Detective
Read each sentence carefully. Figurative language uses words in a nonliteral way to create a picture or idea. Similes compare using “like” or “as,” metaphors say one thing is another, and idioms have meanings that differ from the literal words.
Spot the Language
1.Which sentence uses a simile?
- The kitten curled up like a fuzzy ball.
- The kitten was a tiny shadow.
- The kitten landed on the rug.
- That kitten is the apple of my eye.
2.Which sentence contains a metaphor?
- Wyatt’s backpack is a heavy rock.
- Wyatt carried her backpack upstairs.
- Wyatt’s backpack is as blue as the sky.
- Wyatt found her backpack under the desk.
3.Which phrase is an idiom that means “to reveal a secret”?
- Spill the beans
- Walk on two feet
- As quiet as a mouse
- A blanket of snow
4.Select all the sentences that tell something literally, just as it happened.
- A robin perched on the fence.
- Our team was a bunch of rockets.
- The lunchbox weighs two pounds.
- The wind whispered through the trees.
5.Match each sentence to its type: simile, metaphor, idiom, or literal.
- The playground was a sea of children.
- Diego’s smile shone like sunshine.
- Dad said the new puzzle was a piece of cake.
- A blue jay sat on the mailbox.
- The blanket felt as soft as a cloud.
- When Eli heard the news, he was over the moon.
- Idiom
- Literal
- Simile
- Metaphor
- Idiom
- Simile
Explain the Clue
6.In “After the long hike, Brianna was a tired bear,” is “a tired bear” a simile, metaphor, or idiom? Is it literal or figurative? Explain what it tells you about Brianna.
7.What does the idiom “hold your horses” mean when someone says it before you rush out the door?
8.Write an original simile about rain. Include “like” or “as.”
9.Why might a writer describe a busy hallway as “an ant hill”?
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