Readers use their knowledge of figurative language or figures of speech to understand the way words can change from expected meanings to totally different, implied meanings in some reading instances.

If you see readers who . . .

• miss the deeper meaning of the text.
• focus on the literal meaning of the words.
• may not infer the meaning of the words.

Figurative language is common in all sorts of text, as well as spoken language. Readers understand the use of figurative language as an effective way of playing with meaning in order to understand words or phrases that are abstract or complex.

When reading, you need to be aware of figurative language; you must imagine and infer what an author means.

To understand figurative language, it is helpful to be familiar with figures of speech. Teaching readers these common figures of speech gives them the background knowledge to better understand when they encounter them in their reading.

Metaphor: Compares two unrelated things by saying that one is the other, even though it isn't true. She is a night owl.

Simile: Compares two unrelated things by saying one thing is like the other. As blind as a bat

Oxymoron: Pairs contradictory words to express new meaning. Jumbo shrimp, sweet sorrow

Hyperbole: An exaggerated truth. I could do this forever.

Personification: A nonhuman thing described as having human attributes. The wind howled.

Idiom: An expression that means something different from the literal meaning of the words. It was raining cats and dogs.

Onomatopoeia: Words making the actual sound being referred to. Boom, buzz, oink

Alliteration: The same sound repeated in a group of words. She sells seashells.

Understatement: A phrase that makes something appear less important than it really is. It's just a scratch, referring to a large dent

Suggested language:

• Do you see a simile in your text? How do you know? What is it comparing? What is the author wanting you to infer?
• What other types of figures of speech do you see?
• What does the text say, and what do you think it really means?

Possible ways to differentiate instruction:

• Show the students how to keep a two-column list in their reading notebooks. Have them write “Figurative Language” in one column and “Meaning” in another. As readers engage in their own good-fit book, they take note of the metaphors, similes, and other figures of speech. Afterward, confer with them and link their learning back to how inferring from figurative language helps them understand what they are reading.

Reconsider materials, setting, instruction, and cognitive processes.

These strategies may provide support before, during, and after teaching this strategy:

• Use Pictures, Illustrations, and Diagrams
• Use Prior Knowledge and Context Clues
• Back Up and Reread