--- title: "Figurative Language and Literary Devices" description: "Determine the meaning of figurative and connotative language in context, analyse the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, and identify literary devices such as metaphor, simile, person" canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/figurative-language-and-literary-devices-mt_DVSHx3YMkN source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/figurative-language-and-literary-devices-mt_DVSHx3YMkN.md retrieved: 2026-10-19 --- > **Agent view.** This is the Markdown twin of the page, for tools and assistants. > When to use this site, and the call that answers each job: https://lightmysky.com/agent-instructions.md > API description (OpenAPI 3.1): https://lightmysky.com/openapi.json · Authentication: https://lightmysky.com/auth.md > Pricing: https://lightmysky.com/pricing.md · Catalog: https://lightmysky.com/llms.txt · Full catalog: https://lightmysky.com/llms-full.txt > Every machine-readable file on this domain: https://lightmysky.com/.well-known/ai-catalog.json > Ask for Markdown with `Accept: text/markdown`, a `.md` address, or `?mode=agent`. # Figurative Language and Literary Devices Determine the meaning of figurative and connotative language in context, analyse the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, and identify literary devices such as metaphor, simile, personification, allusion, and irony Subject: English · Area: Reading Comprehension · Ages 11 to 14 Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/figurative-language-and-literary-devices-mt_DVSHx3YMkN ## Ready when they can - Identify a metaphor or simile in a passage and explain its effect on the reader - Explain how an author's word choice creates a particular tone (e.g., menacing, humorous, melancholic) - Recognise an allusion to a myth, the Bible, or another text and explain what it adds to the meaning ## Lesson: Reading Between the Lines Writers often mean more than the literal words on the page. Figurative language uses words in a way that is not meant word-for-word, to make you picture something or feel a certain way. **Example.** A simile compares two things using 'like' or 'as': 'Her voice was as sharp as a knife.' A metaphor skips those words and says one thing IS another: 'Her voice was a knife.' Both make you picture something cutting and harsh, even though no real knife is there. *(drawing: The little word 'like' or 'as' is the simile signal. A metaphor skips it and says one thing IS another.)* Word choice sets the mood. Words with almost the same meaning can feel very different: 'The dog crept toward me' feels tense, but 'The dog trotted toward me' feels playful. Writers pick words on purpose. **Example.** An allusion is a short reference to a well-known story, person, or text. 'The patience of Job' points to a Bible story about a man who suffered for years without complaining, so it means extremely patient. An allusion works when you know its source. If a name is new, use the nearby words as clues, then look it up. Personification gives human actions or feelings to something not human: "The wind screamed through the trees." Hyperbole is exaggeration on purpose, like "I have told you a million times." Situational irony happens when what occurs clashes with a clear expectation, such as a fire station, built to fight fires, burning down. *(drawing: Ask two questions: what do the words literally say, and what are they really telling you? The gap between the answers is where the meaning hides.)* **Recap.** Figurative language and word choice work together to create a feeling, so look past the literal words to find what the author really means. ## Practice 24 questions on this page, each with its working shown. ## Needs first - [Using and Evaluating Textual Evidence](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/using-and-evaluating-textual-evidence-mt_dmFnJzxKwz) - [How Language Choices Affect the Reader](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/how-language-choices-affect-the-reader-mt_furAIwoO9t) ## Opens up - [Poetic forms and conventions](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/poetic-forms-and-conventions-mt_aClzPBiS9k) - [Advanced Figurative Language](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/advanced-figurative-language-mt_MlmIrLb_7x) - [Effect-Led Analysis of a Writer's Choices](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/effect-led-analysis-of-a-writers-choices-mt_rONa89oLc4) - [Writing Techniques for Effect](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/writing-techniques-for-effect-mt_s6-6FYb5UQ)