Figurative Language: Creative Ways to use Words in Writing

We communicate every day, all day long.  Whether it’s causal conversation or in a more formal setting, the spoken word or the written word, figurative language is an important part of that communication.  Telling a story, explaining something, getting an idea across, writing a poem, coming up with a great punch line for a new joke, working on a presentation or speech, all of these can utilize figurative language to make them more engaging.  There are many ways we can make our wording creative so that they become more; more entertaining, more funny, more sad, more ironic, more descriptive… 
Things that are hard to explain can be explained easier with figurative language.  Stories that aren’t very engaging can be made more captivating with figurative language.

So, what exactly is figurative language?  Figurative language is when we use words figuratively instead of literally.  For example, if something is literally on fire, it is actually burning, with flames, and the fire department may need to be called.  But, if something is figuratively on fire, it means it is amazing, fantastic, great, etc., such as someone whose basketball team scored a large number of baskets in a row.  “Your team is on fire!”  

There are many different kinds of figurative language.  This class will look at 11 of them, one per class as we cycle through the lessons.  Time will be taken to teach and discuss each one with examples.  Students will be given the opportunity to make their own sentences using each figurative language element.  The 11 elements we will look at are:
1) Simile
2) Metaphor
3) Alliteration
4) Personification
5) Oxymoron
6) Onomatopoeia
7) Hyperbole
8) Litotes
9) Idiom
10) Allusion
11) Synecdoche

As this is an ongoing class, with each lesson being able to stand on it’s own, students can join at anytime throughout the lesson cycle.  Students are also welcome to cycle through the lessons as many times as they need to get a handle on these figurative language elements.  There are more elements, but these 11 are the most common ones taught to this age group.

Tentative Schedule:

Week of June 9:  Simile
Week of June 16:  Metaphor
Week of June 23:  Alliteration
Week of June 30:  Personification
Week of July 7:  Oxymoron
Week of July 14:  Onomatopoeia
Week of July 21:  Hyperbole
Week of July 28 :  Litotes
Week of Aug. 4 :  Idiom
Week of Aug. 11:  Allusion
Week of Aug. 18:  Synecdoche
Week of Aug. 25:  Simile


*Please note:  There may be a week or two in August that I may take off for a summer break with my family.  If this happens, I will adjust the schedule, taking out the week or two that I will not be teaching, and adjusting the lessons so that none are missed.

Week of Sept. 1:  Metaphor
Week of Sept. 8:  Alliteration
Week of Sept. 15:  Personification
Week of Sept. 22:  Oxymoron
Week of Sept. 29:  Onomatopoeia
Week of Oct. 6:  Hyperbole
Week of Oct. 13:  Litotes
Week of Oct. 20:  Idiom
Week of Oct. 27:  Allusion
Week of Nov. 3:  Synecdoche
Week of Nov. 10:  Simile
Week of Nov. 17:  Metaphor
Week of Nov. 24:  Alliteration
Week of Dec. 1:  Personification
Week of Dec. 8:  Oxymoron
Week of Dec. 15:  Onomatopoeia


*Please note:  There will be no classes the week of December 22 as I will be taking the week off for a Christmas break with my family.  

Week of Dec. 29:  Hyperbole
Week of Jan. 5:  Litotes
Week of Jan. 12:  Idiom

And so on, going through the cycle again and again.

Schedule is subject to change at the discretion of the teacher.  More dates will be added closer to the new year.