The Figurative Language Terms worksheet was created for the CESA #1 EL OER Project. Having a deep understanding of figurative language is essential while acquiring the English language. For many EL students, understanding the different terms is overwhelming. This worksheet provides students with the opportunity to watch videos and listen to songs to increase their background knowledge of various figurative language terms. Students will have exposure to: simile, metaphor, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, alliteration, idiom, allusion, and personification. They will also have an opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of the terms by writing definitions, drawing labeled pictures, and/or creating individual examples.

"The Highwayman" by Alfred Noyes is a classic favorite-a poem that tells a good story with powerful imagery and a rhythmic cadence reminiscent of horses' hooves. The story tells of the highwayman's visit to see the beautiful Bess at the old inn (probably the Spaniard's Inn on Hampstead Heath) and of the terrible fate they both meet. The mysterious ending of the poem suggests that the lovers' spirits still linger on the edge of the heath. Their haunting story certainly remains alive in the words of Alfred Noyes. Look for the musical version of the poem by Lorena McKennitt on The Book of Secrets CD and use this resource to highlight the following literary devices: alliteration, metaphor, personification, simile, and new vocabulary.

This lesson provides an introduction to the language and poetics of the epic poem Beowulf. Although this lesson assumes students will read Beowulf in translation, it introduces students to the poem’s original Old English and explains the relationship between Old, Middle, and Modern English. Students are introduced to the five characters in the Old English alphabet that are no longer used in Modern English. As a class, they translate a short, simple phrase from Old English, and then listen to a passage from the poem being read in Old English. Next, students are introduced to some poetic devices important to Beowulf. They learn about alliteration by reading an excerpt from W. H. Auden’s modern English poem “The Age of Anxiety,” then listen for alliteration in the Old English version of a passage from Beowulf. Finally, students explore the poetic functions of kennings, compounds, and formulas in Beowulf.

This resource can be used to teach figurative language. It includes simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia, hyperbole, personification, alliteration, and idioms. A definition and several examples are included.