Year 5 English: Figurative language: how it creates effects
Part of the Year 5 English reading poetry and plays chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Figurative language: how it creates effects
Storm Kitchen
The sky is a pan of boiling slate.
Thunder grumbles at the stove.
Rain taps its silver fingers on the glass,
and whispers, "Let me in."
Crash! goes the lightning, a spoon on a tin.
Splash! go the puddles on the lane.
Silver spoons of sleet slide down the drain
and hiss like kettles all in a row.
Key ideas
- A simile compares two things using like or as: the moon was like a coin.
- A metaphor says one thing is another: the sky is a pan of slate.
- Personification gives human actions to things: rain taps its fingers.
- Alliteration repeats the same first sound: silver spoons of sleet.
- Onomatopoeia is a word that sounds like its meaning: crash, splash, hiss.
Method. Is one thing said to be another, or compared with like or as?
- Look for like or as. No like or as is used.no comparison word
- Name the device. The sky is said to be a pan, so it is a metaphor.metaphor
- Write the answer. metaphor
Check. A metaphor. ✓
Method. Does the rain do something a person does?
- Look at the action. Rain taps with fingers, which a person does.human action
- Name the device. Giving rain a human action is personification.personification
- Write the answer. personification
Check. Personification. ✓
Method. Look for a word that sounds like the thing it describes.
- Look at the words. Splash sounds like water hitting the ground.sounds like
- Name the word. Splash is onomatopoeia.Splash
- Write the answer. Splash
Check. Splash. ✓
Exercise 9B Practice: figurative language
Method. Does thunder do a human thing?
- Look at the action. Grumbles is a human action.grumbles
- Decide. Giving thunder a human action is personification.Yes
- Write the answer. Yes
Check. Yes. ✓
Method. Look for the word like or as.
- Look for a comparison word. The town slides past, a sleepy train: no like or as is used.no like or as
- Name the device. The town is said to be a train, so it is a metaphor.metaphor
- Write the answer. The town slides past, a sleepy train
Check. The town is a sleepy train, which is a metaphor. ✓
Method. Look at the first letter of each word.
- Find the first letters. Silver, spoons, sleet, slide all begin with s.s
- Name the sound. The s sound is repeated.s
- Write the answer. s
Check. s. ✓
Method. Is one thing said to be another?
- Look at the words. The town is said to be a train.is a train
- Name the device. It is a metaphor.metaphor
- Write the answer. metaphor
Check. A metaphor. ✓
Method. Does an engine do a human thing?
- Look at the verb. Sighs is something a person does.sighs
- Name the device. Giving the engine a human action is personification.personification
- Write the answer. personification
Check. Personification. ✓
Method. Find a word that sounds like the noise it describes.
- Look at the word. Crash sounds like a loud noise.loud noise
- Name the word. Crash is onomatopoeia.Crash
- Write the answer. Crash
Check. Crash. ✓
Method. Think about the sound of a crash.
- Think about the sound. A crash is loud and sudden.loud and sudden
- Explain the effect. The reader feels the storm is loud and close.close
- Write the answer. it makes the storm sound loud and sudden
Check. It creates a loud, sudden storm. ✓
Method. Think about what a pan on a stove does.
- Think about the picture. A boiling pan is hot and bubbling.hot
- Explain the effect. The sky seems dark, heavy and about to bubble over.dark
- Write the answer. it makes the sky seem hot and angry, like a stove
Check. The sky seems hot and about to boil over. ✓
Method. Look for repeated sounds.
- Look for repeats. Silver, spoons, sleet and slide repeat s.s sounds
- Name the line. The line that repeats s is silver spoons of sleet slide down the drain.Silver spoons of sleet
- Write the answer. Silver spoons of sleet slide down the drain
Check. Silver spoons of sleet slide down the drain. ✓
Method. Look for a human action given to the rain.
- Find the action. Rain taps its silver fingers and whispers.taps and whispers
- Explain the effect. The rain seems like a person at the window.like a person
- Write the answer. by giving the rain a human action, such as tapping its fingers and whispering
Check. The rain is given human actions. ✓
Method. Choose two things and link them with like or as.
- Choose the two things. Thunder and a barrel.thunder, barrel
- Write the simile. The thunder rolled like a barrel down the stairs.like a barrel
- Write the answer. The thunder rolled like a barrel down the stairs.
Check. The simile uses like. ✓
Method. Say the words aloud in your head and listen to the repeated sound.
- Find the repeat. Splash and puddles begin with p or s.p and s
- Explain the effect. The repeated sound makes the splash feel quick.quick
- Write the answer. the repeated p sound makes the splash sound light and lively; any reasonable effect is correct
Check. The effect is quick and lively. ✓