What Is Figurative Language? | Worksheet - Free Printable

Looking at the worksheet, the task is to read the paragraph and use the color codes from the table to underline each example of figurative language.

Let’s go step by step:

First, we need to understand what each type of figurative language means — that’s already given in the table:

- Simile: compares two things using “like” or “as”
- Metaphor: says one thing *is* another (no “like” or “as”)
- Idiom: a phrase that doesn’t mean literally what it says
- Hyperbole: an exaggeration for effect
- Personification: giving human traits to non-human things
- Alliteration: repeating starting sounds in nearby words
- Onomatopoeia: words that sound like what they mean
- Imagery: descriptive words that appeal to the senses

Now, let’s read the paragraph and find examples:

> “Thick, black smoke filled the air. The scent of burnt toast my nostrils and made my eyes water. I gasped for air like a fish out of water. In a panic, I slammed the kitchen door. It closed with a bang as if by magic. The walls of our tiny apartment danced. I could tell I was getting light-headed. I needed to get out for fresh air! I shouted for my mom, but my voice was gravel. 'What's wrong, Willy?' I heard my mom say. The toaster! I shrieked. It was stuck on the highest setting. It could be a fire because it was a million degrees! And now my toast is almost! Mom peeked in the kitchen. The smoke had cleared, but the smell lingered. 'It's really a blessing in disguise,' Mom said. 'Now you can have pancakes for breakfast, instead of toast!'”

Now, let’s find each type:

1. Simile → “I gasped for air like a fish out of water.” → uses “like”
2. Metaphor → “The walls of our tiny apartment danced.” → walls don’t literally dance; this gives them human action → also personification? Wait — let’s check: “danced” is a human action → so this is personification, not metaphor. Metaphor would be “The walls were dancers.” But here it’s “danced” → so personification.
- Actually, “It closed with a bang as if by magic.” → “as if” is simile? No — “as if by magic” is more idiomatic. Let’s hold on.
3. Idiom → “blessing in disguise” → common phrase meaning something bad turns out good
4. Hyperbole → “It could be a fire because it was a million degrees!” → exaggerating temperature
5. Personification → “The walls of our tiny apartment danced.” → walls dancing is human-like behavior
6. Alliteration → “Thick, black smoke” → both start with ‘s’? No — “thick” and “black” — ‘t’ and ‘b’. Not alliteration. What about “smoke” and “scent”? Both start with ‘s’ → yes! “The scent of burnt toast my nostrils” — wait, typo? Probably “filled my nostrils”. So “scent” and “smoke” — both ‘s’ → alliteration.
- Also “shouted for my mom, but my voice was gravel” — no alliteration there.
- “pancakes for breakfast” — ‘p’ and ‘b’ — no.
- Maybe “burnt toast” — ‘b’ and ‘t’ — no.
- Actually, “Thick, black smoke” — ‘t’ and ‘b’ — not same sound.
- Let’s look again: “I gasped for air like a fish out of water” — ‘g’ and ‘f’ — no.
- Perhaps “smoke” and “scent” — both start with ‘s’ → that’s alliteration.
7. Onomatopoeia → “It closed with a bang” → “bang” sounds like the noise
8. Imagery → many examples: “Thick, black smoke”, “scent of burnt toast”, “eyes water”, “voice was gravel” — these appeal to sight, smell, touch, sound → so multiple imagery examples.

Wait — the instruction says “underline each example” — so we need to identify which parts match which category.

But since this is text-based, I’ll list them clearly:

- Simile: “I gasped for air like a fish out of water.”
- Metaphor: Is there one? “My voice was gravel” — that’s a metaphor! Voice isn’t literally gravel — comparing voice to gravel → metaphor.
- Idiom: “blessing in disguise”
- Hyperbole: “a million degrees”
- Personification: “The walls... danced”
- Alliteration: “smoke” and “scent” — both start with ‘s’ → but they’re not adjacent. Better: “Thick, black smoke” — no. “burnt toast” — no. Actually, “shouted for my mom” — ‘s’ and ‘m’ — no. Perhaps “gravel” and “gasped”? No. Maybe there’s no strong alliteration? Wait — “pancakes for breakfast” — ‘p’ and ‘b’ — no. Hmm. Let’s re-read: “The scent of burnt toast my nostrils” — probably “filled my nostrils” — so “scent” and “smoke” — both ‘s’ — that’s alliteration even if not adjacent? Usually alliteration is in close proximity. “Thick, black smoke” — ‘t’ and ‘b’ — not same. Perhaps “I shrieked” — ‘sh’ sound — but only one word. Maybe “bang” and “by magic” — ‘b’ and ‘b’? “It closed with a bang as if by magic” — “bang” and “by” — both start with ‘b’ → that’s alliteration!
- Onomatopoeia: “bang”
- Imagery: “Thick, black smoke”, “scent of burnt toast”, “eyes water”, “voice was gravel”, “smell lingered” — many sensory details.

So let’s finalize:

- Simile: “like a fish out of water”
- Metaphor: “my voice was gravel”
- Idiom: “blessing in disguise”
- Hyperbole: “a million degrees”
- Personification: “walls... danced”
- Alliteration: “bang as if by magic” — “bang” and “by” both start with ‘b’
- Onomatopoeia: “bang”
- Imagery: multiple phrases describing senses

Note: “bang” is both onomatopoeia and part of alliteration — that’s fine.

Also, “as if by magic” might be considered an idiom, but “blessing in disguise” is clearer.

Another possible idiom: “light-headed” — but that’s literal in context? Not really an idiom. “Gravel” for voice is metaphor.

So, to summarize for the student:

You should underline:

- “like a fish out of water” → simile (color for simile)
- “my voice was gravel” → metaphor (color for metaphor)
- “blessing in disguise” → idiom (color for idiom)
- “a million degrees” → hyperbole (color for hyperbole)
- “walls... danced” → personification (color for personification)
- “bang as if by magic” → alliteration (because “bang” and “by” both start with ‘b’) — or just “bang” and “by” — but the phrase is “with a bang as if by magic” — so “bang” and “by” are close.
- “bang” → onomatopoeia (color for onomatopoeia)
- “Thick, black smoke”, “scent of burnt toast”, etc. → imagery (color for imagery)

Since the worksheet has colors assigned to each type, you’d use those colors to underline the matching phrases.

Final Answer:
Underline the following phrases with the corresponding colors from the table:
- Simile: "like a fish out of water"
- Metaphor: "my voice was gravel"
- Idiom: "blessing in disguise"
- Hyperbole: "a million degrees"
- Personification: "walls... danced"
- Alliteration: "bang" and "by" (in "with a bang as if by magic")
- Onomatopoeia: "bang"
- Imagery: "Thick, black smoke", "scent of burnt toast", "eyes water", "voice was gravel", "smell lingered"

(Note: Some phrases may fit multiple categories, but choose the best match based on the definitions.)