Last week, we discussed how often times in English, authors use words and phrases that say one thing when they really mean something else. We said that figurative language helps authors “spice up their writing,” or make it more interesting.

We know when we say, “Kyan is a brain” we are using a metaphor to describe Kyan as smart!

Saying, “Nancy is as bright as a lightbulb,” is simile that is comparing Nancy to a lightbulb because she is bright. We can use our context clues to infer that this simile means Nancy is smart!

We also discussed personification. Can you think of some examples of times when we give human characteristics to things that are not human?

Idioms are another type of figurative language. Idioms are combinations of words that mean something very different than what they say. Here are some examples to think about: