Literal vs Figurative Language · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Literal or Figurative?

English · Vocabulary · ages 8-9
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. The sentence 'The log was on fire' is literal, because real flames were burning the log.

    Circle one:   True   False

  2. 'It's raining cats and dogs.' Is this literal or figurative?

    • Figurative: it means it's raining hard
    • Literal: animals are really falling
    • Neither: it's not about rain

  3. Which sentence uses figurative language?

    • The candle was on fire on the table.
    • She was on fire during the game.
    • The campfire was on fire all night.

  4. Read this sentence: 'The whole class had a blast at the party.' What does 'had a blast' mean here?

    • The class had a great time
    • The class heard a loud explosion
    • The class was too tired to play

  5. 'She had butterflies in her stomach' before her speech. What does this mean?

    • She swallowed real butterflies
    • She saw real butterflies flying by
    • She felt nervous

  6. 'I have a mountain of laundry to do' means someone literally has a mountain-sized pile of clothes.

    Circle one:   True   False

  7. Read the passage: 'Jon was so hungry he could eat a horse. He grabbed a sandwich and gobbled it down.' Which phrase is used nonliterally?

    • 'grabbed a sandwich'
    • 'gobbled it down'
    • 'could eat a horse'

  8. Mia read, 'The teacher said her desk was a disaster zone.' Jake thought this meant a real disaster hit the classroom. What was Jake's mistake?

    • He read the sentence too figuratively
    • He read the sentence too literally
    • He ignored the sentence completely
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Literal or Figurative? W1-mt_SUOhjmRqv9-s1

  1. True · The log truly had flames on it, so this sentence means exactly what it says.
  2. Figurative: it means it's raining hard · Cats and dogs don't fall from the sky. The phrase is figurative and means it's raining very hard.
  3. She was on fire during the game. · 'She was on fire' doesn't mean real flames. It means she played really well.
  4. The class had a great time · 'Had a blast' is figurative. In plain words, it means the class had a lot of fun.
  5. She felt nervous · Butterflies in your stomach is a figurative phrase. In plain words, it means she felt nervous inside.
  6. False · This is figurative. It just means there is a lot of laundry, not an actual mountain.
  7. 'could eat a horse' · 'Could eat a horse' is a nonliteral exaggeration. It really means he felt extremely hungry, not that he'd eat an actual horse.
  8. He read the sentence too literally · Jake took a figurative phrase literally. 'Disaster zone' here just means the desk was messy, not that a real disaster happened.
Worksheet · LightMySky