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HEW How english works: Figurative Language ACTIVITY 3.5
Learning Target
• Analyze and explain in conversation how figurative language used in a short story produces effects on the reader.
Figurative Language
Figurative language is language that writers use to move beyond the literal meaning of a word or phrase. Figurative language can enhance a story’s descriptions and produce different effects on the reader. In “Eleven,” the author, Sandra Cisneros, uses figurative language to add interest and special effects to her writing.
Language Resources: Figurative Language
Figure of speech
Definition
example
personification
the act of giving human qualities to non-human things
The clouds danced across the sky.
metaphor
a way of describing something by comparing it to something else
The doghouse is buried under a blanket of snow.
simile
a phrase that describes something by comparing it to something else; often uses the word “like” or “as”
After school, she felt free as a bird. I ran like the wind to catch the bus.
As you read through “Eleven,” look for examples of figurative language. Write three examples of figurative language from the text in the chart, including which figure of speech is being used. Then analyze each example to understand the effect the author is trying to create. Use the Language Resources: Figurative Language chart for support.
example from Text
analyze the effect
evaluate How effective It Is
simile: “the way you grow old is kind of like an onion”
The layers of an onion fit together. Rachel thinks when you grow old, you can feel each passing year inside yourself.
Unit 1 • Stories of Change • Part 3: Eleven 35
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