Year 7 · English · Literature
Figurative language and imagery
Identify similes, metaphors, personification, alliteration and onomatopoeia, and explain the picture or feeling each one creates for a reader.
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Learning goals
Learners will
- Identify common figurative and sound devices in a short passage.
- Explain the effect a language feature has on a reader, not just name it.
Success looks like
- I can tell the difference between a simile and a metaphor.
- I can spot personification, alliteration and onomatopoeia.
- I can write a sentence explaining what a language feature makes the reader see or feel.
The big idea
Writers rarely say things plainly when they want readers to feel something. Instead they use figurative language – words that mean more than their literal meaning – and sound devices that make writing memorable when read aloud.
A simile compares two things using 'like' or 'as': 'The creek was as still as a sheet of glass.' A metaphor makes the comparison directly: 'The creek was a sheet of glass.' Metaphors usually feel stronger because they do not admit that the comparison is only a comparison.
Personification gives human actions or feelings to non-human things: 'The old ute groaned up the hill.' Utes cannot really groan, but the word helps us hear the strain of the engine and almost feel sorry for it.
Alliteration repeats a starting consonant sound ('the salty sea spray stung'), while onomatopoeia uses words that sound like what they describe ('the kookaburra's cackle', 'the screen door slapped'). Both make writing more vivid when spoken.
Naming a device is only the first step. In English, marks come from explaining the effect. A useful formula is: The writer uses [device] '[quote]' to suggest/show [idea], making the reader [see/feel/think] [effect].
- Ask: what two things are being compared?
- Ask: what qualities do they share?
- Ask: how does that change the way I picture or feel about the subject?
Worked examples
Identifying and explaining a metaphor
Read the original sentence: 'By midday the paddock was a frying pan, and the sheep huddled in the thin shade of the gums.' Identify the device and explain its effect.
- Find the comparison: the paddock is compared to a frying pan.
- Check for 'like' or 'as': there is none, so it is a metaphor.
- Think about what the two share: both are flat surfaces that become extremely hot.
- Write the effect: the reader can almost feel the heat rising from the ground, and understands why the sheep are seeking shade.
Answer: The writer uses the metaphor 'the paddock was a frying pan' to show how intensely hot the ground has become, making the reader feel the harsh midday heat of the Australian summer.
Sorting several devices in one passage
Original passage: 'Rain rattled on the tin roof. The wind whispered warnings through the window frames, and the storm crouched over the town like a hungry dog.' Name three devices.
- 'Rattled' imitates a sound: onomatopoeia.
- 'Wind whispered warnings through the window' repeats the 'w' sound: alliteration. Wind 'whispering warnings' also gives the wind a human action: personification.
- 'Like a hungry dog' uses 'like' to compare the storm to an animal: simile.
Answer: Onomatopoeia ('rattled'), alliteration and personification ('wind whispered warnings'), and a simile ('like a hungry dog'), which together make the storm seem noisy, close and threatening.
Practice check
Have a go, then check your answers. Each answer comes with an explanation.
Answer guide for parents
Which sentence contains a simile?
Her laugh was like a bell ringing across the oval. — Only this sentence makes a comparison using 'like'.
'The old gate complained every time we pushed it open.' What device is used?
Personification — A gate cannot really complain; it has been given a human action.
Which word is an example of onomatopoeia?
Sizzle — 'Sizzle' imitates the sound of something frying.
Why might a writer choose a metaphor instead of a simile?
A metaphor states the comparison directly, so it can feel stronger. — A metaphor presents the comparison as if it were true, which often creates a bolder image.
Which is the best explanation of effect for 'The wind howled all night'?
'Howled' makes the wind sound wild and distressed, creating an uneasy mood. — An explanation of effect says what the reader feels or imagines, not just the name of the device.
Name the device: 'Big brown bilbies bounced beside the burrow.' (one word)
Alliteration — The 'b' sound is repeated at the start of nearby words.
Name the device: 'My brother is a bulldozer at the dinner table.' (one word)
Metaphor — The brother is directly called a bulldozer, with no 'like' or 'as'.
What is the general term for descriptive language that appeals to the senses? (one word)
Imagery — Imagery helps readers see, hear, smell, taste or feel what is described.
Watch out for
- Thinking any sentence with 'like' is a simile. 'I like pizza' compares nothing; a simile must compare two different things.
- Stopping at the label. Writing 'this is a metaphor' earns little credit unless the learner explains the effect on the reader.
- Believing alliteration needs the same letter rather than the same sound. 'Cute kittens' is alliterative even though the letters differ.
Tips for parents
- Read a page of any book aloud together and pause when you hear a vivid phrase. Ask, 'What does that make you picture?'
- Keep the effect formula on a sticky note near the desk until it becomes habit.
- Praise precise explanations ('that shows the heat is unbearable') more than correct labels.
Go further
- Write a six-sentence description of your backyard during a thunderstorm using at least one of each device from this lesson, then highlight and label them.
- Collect five examples of figurative language from advertisements or song lyrics and explain why each one is effective.
- Turn three similes into metaphors and discuss with a parent which version is stronger and why.