Year 6 · English · Literature
Figurative language
Recognising and using similes, metaphors, personification, alliteration and onomatopoeia, and explaining the effect on the reader.
Awaiting educator review. This material was drafted by our content team with AI assistance and is waiting for review by a qualified educator. Please check it suits your child before using it. Created 10 October 2026.
These lessons were written around Australian Curriculum strands and matched to New Zealand year levels by age (NZ Year 1 is the first year of school). They are not yet mapped to The New Zealand Curriculum, so check them against your own learning programme.
Learning goals
Learners will
- Identify similes, metaphors, personification, alliteration and onomatopoeia.
- Explain what a figurative phrase means and why the author used it.
- Use figurative language to make descriptive writing more vivid.
Success looks like
- I can name the type of figurative language in a sentence.
- I can explain the picture or feeling it creates.
- I can write my own simile, metaphor and example of personification.
The big idea
Figurative language uses words in imaginative ways, not literally. It helps readers picture a scene, hear a sound or feel an emotion.
- A simile compares using 'like' or 'as': 'The road shimmered like water in the heat.'
- A metaphor says one thing is another: 'The outback at noon was an oven.'
- Personification gives human actions or feelings to non-human things: 'The old gum tree groaned in the wind.'
- Alliteration repeats a first sound: 'Cheeky cockatoos chattered.'
- Onomatopoeia uses words that imitate sounds: 'The sausages sizzled; the screen door banged.'
When you find figurative language, ask two questions: What does it really mean? and Why did the author choose it? 'The outback at noon was an oven' means it was extremely hot, and the comparison helps readers feel the heat.
Use figurative language thoughtfully. One fresh, well-chosen comparison is more powerful than several clichés such as 'as cold as ice'.
Worked examples
Simile or metaphor?
Is 'Her voice was honey' a simile or a metaphor?
- Look for 'like' or 'as'. There are none.
- The sentence says her voice was honey, so it is a metaphor.
- Meaning: her voice was sweet and smooth.
Answer: A metaphor. It suggests her voice was sweet and smooth.
Explaining personification
Explain: 'The waves gobbled up our sandcastle.'
- Waves cannot really eat, so 'gobbled' gives them a human-like (or animal-like) action.
- This is personification.
- Effect: it suggests the waves destroyed the sandcastle quickly and greedily.
Answer: Personification that shows the sandcastle was destroyed quickly, as if the sea were hungry.
Practice check
Have a go, then check your answers. Each answer comes with an explanation.
Answer guide for parents
'The kitten was as light as a feather.' What type of figurative language is this?
simile — It compares using 'as', so it is a simile.
Which sentence uses personification?
The sun smiled down on the picnic. — The sun cannot really smile, so it is given a human action.
Which phrase uses alliteration?
seven slippery seals — 'Seven slippery seals' repeats the /s/ sound.
What does 'My brother is a night owl' mean?
He likes staying up late. — The metaphor compares him to an owl, which is active at night.
Which word is an example of onomatopoeia?
thud — 'Thud' sounds like the noise it describes.
'The stars were diamonds scattered across the sky.' Is this a simile or a metaphor? Type one word.
metaphor — It says the stars were diamonds, without 'like' or 'as'.
Type the onomatopoeia word in: 'The bacon sizzled in the pan.'
sizzled — 'Sizzled' imitates the sound of the bacon cooking.
Which small word, besides 'as', often signals a simile? Type one word.
like — Similes often use 'like' or 'as'.
Watch out for
- Thinking any sentence with 'like' is a simile. 'I like pizza' is not a comparison.
- Believing metaphors are lies. They are deliberate comparisons that readers understand are not literal.
- Using figurative language in every sentence. Too much can make writing confusing.
Tips for parents
- Point out figurative language in everyday speech ('It's raining cats and dogs', 'I'm so hungry I could eat a horse').
- Ask 'What does that really mean?' when you hear a figure of speech.
- Celebrate original comparisons, even unusual ones, over familiar clichés.
Go further
- Write a five-line poem about a storm with one example of each type of figurative language.
- Collect onomatopoeia from a kitchen: list every sound you hear while dinner is cooked.
- Draw the literal meaning of an idiom or metaphor, such as 'a heart of gold', as a funny cartoon.