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Literary Elements

English Language Arts, Grade 4

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Authors use figures of speech in their writing to make the text interesting. They are not meant to be taken literally. They speak to the reader’s imagination and help the reader to form a mental image of the scene. A simile is a figure of speech. It is a comparison that uses the words like or as. Here are some examples: I flicked the switch, and the overhead light snapped on. It made the room as bright as the noonday sun. Dad watched Drake sleeping and thought that he looked as innocent as a newborn baby. Gwen was so thin she was bony; her mother said that she ate like a bird. When Suzanne laughed, she sounded like a hyena. A metaphor is another figure of speech. It is a comparison that does not use the words like or as. Here are some examples: My car is a real lemon. A car that’s a lemon is “sour” because it has a lot of flaws. Brian snapped, “Quit being such a crab!” Brian is not talking to an actual crab. He’s speaking to a person who is being cross and ill-tempered. William shielded his eyes and looked out across the water that sparkled with a thousand diamonds. This is just an interesting way to state how the light is reflecting from the water’s surface. When Ms. Mertz entered the room, Carter flew to her and became a clinging vine, attached to her leg. This is just an interesting way to help the reader envision how the child acted the moment he saw his mother. NY134 56 Literary Elements: Figures of Speech Visit www.newpathlearning.com for Online Learning Resources. © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. 92-4037

Finish each sentence using a simile from the box. One simile is not used. 1. The jet engine’s roar was _________________________________________. 2. I tried to bite the biscuit, but it was _________________________________________. 3. We wouldn’t get there in time unless Zack stopped _________________________________________! 4. Her wetsuit was so tight that it _________________________________________. 5. The toddler’s pink cheeks _________________________________________. 6. They crept through the darkened house _________________________________________. 7. Ryan was so hungry he _________________________________________. 8. Melissa sank down, threw her hands over her face, and _________________________________________. as hard as a rock cried like a baby fit like a glove as quietly as a mouse looked like roses ate like a pig as stubborn as a mule as loud as thunder moving like a snail 12 6 9 3 1 11 2 10 4 5 7 8 Literary Elements: Figures of Speech Visit www.newpathlearning.com for Online Learning Resources. © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. 92-4037

Literary Elements

English Language Arts, Grade 4

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