Question

figurative language stories #4
task a: identify figurative language
grace’s canoe trip
find, underline, and label each instance of figurative language
in the paragraph. check it on the list as you go. you should find
_ simile _ personification (2) ___ idiom
_ metaphor _ alliteration ___ allusion
_ hyperbole (2) _ onomatopoeia (2)

the bright sun gazes down on grace and her family as they canoe
through the calm, crystal clear waters of gray lake. the paddles,
looking tired and worn out from their long day, slowly push the water
back, causing them to drift forward with each stroke. the huge
arkansas sun bakes their skin like cookies in an oven. grace’s mind is an
ocean of places she would rather be when she notices a splashing
sound in the distance. suddenly, grace and her family stumble upon an
immense waterfall. grace wonders if niagara falls could possibly be as
beautiful as this waterfall. with a sudden burst of energy, grace
paddles at the speed of light. she is on cloud nine as she approaches the
waterfall that must stretch upwards for a hundred miles.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each sentence for figurative language:

1. Personification (2 instances)

• “The bright sun gazes down on Grace and her family…”: Sun (non - human) is given the human action “gazes”.
• “The paddles, looking tired and worn out from their long day, slowly push the water back…”: Paddles (non - human) are given human traits “tired” and “worn out” and the action “push” (personified as if they are exhausted).

2. Simile

• “The huge Arkansas sun bakes their skin like cookies in an oven.”: Uses “like” to compare sun - baked skin to cookies in an oven.

3. Metaphor

• “Grace’s mind is an ocean of places she would rather be.”: Directly compares “Grace’s mind” to “an ocean” (no “like” or “as”).

4. Onomatopoeia (1 found, need 1 more)

• “…she notices a splashing sound in the distance.”: “Splashing” imitates the sound of water. We can also consider if there are others, but this is one.

5. Hyperbole (2 instances)

• “Grace paddles at the speed of light.”: Exaggerates Grace’s paddling speed (no one can paddle at the speed of light).
• “…the waterfall that must stretch upwards for a hundred miles.”: Exaggerates the height of the waterfall.

6. Idiom

• “She is on cloud nine as she approaches the waterfall.”: “On cloud nine” is an idiom meaning extremely happy.

7. Allusion (if present, but not obvious here)

There’s no clear allusion (reference to a well - known person, event, or work) in the given text.

To complete the task, we underline and label each:

• Personification: Underline “The bright sun gazes down…” and “The paddles, looking tired…”, label “Personification”.
• Simile: Underline “The huge Arkansas sun bakes their skin like cookies in an oven.”, label “Simile”.
• Metaphor: Underline “Grace’s mind is an ocean of places she would rather be.”, label “Metaphor”.
• Onomatopoeia: Underline “splashing”, label “Onomatopoeia” (and find another if needed, e.g., maybe “push” isn’t, but “splashing” is clear).
• Hyperbole: Underline “Grace paddles at the speed of light.” and “…stretch upwards for a hundred miles.”, label “Hyperbole”.
• Idiom: Underline “She is on cloud nine…”, label “Idiom”.

If we were to list the labeled instances as per the task’s checkboxes:

• ✔️ simile (1 found, the cookie comparison)
• ✔️ personification (2 found: sun gazing, paddles tired)
• ✔️ metaphor (1 found: mind as ocean)
• ✔️ hyperbole (2 found: speed of light, hundred - mile waterfall)
• ✔️ onomatopoeia (1 found: splashing, need 1 more, maybe “push” isn’t, but we can note)
• ✔️ idiom (1 found: on cloud nine)
• (Allusion: no check)

The key is to identify each type by their definitions: personification (human traits to non - humans), simile (comparison with “like”/“as”), metaphor (direct comparison), onomatopoeia (sound - imitating words), hyperbole (exaggeration), idiom (common figurative phrase), allusion (reference).

Answer:

To solve this, we analyze each sentence for figurative language:

1. Personification (2 instances)

• “The bright sun gazes down on Grace and her family…”: Sun (non - human) is given the human action “gazes”.
• “The paddles, looking tired and worn out from their long day, slowly push the water back…”: Paddles (non - human) are given human traits “tired” and “worn out” and the action “push” (personified as if they are exhausted).

2. Simile

• “The huge Arkansas sun bakes their skin like cookies in an oven.”: Uses “like” to compare sun - baked skin to cookies in an oven.

3. Metaphor

• “Grace’s mind is an ocean of places she would rather be.”: Directly compares “Grace’s mind” to “an ocean” (no “like” or “as”).

4. Onomatopoeia (1 found, need 1 more)

• “…she notices a splashing sound in the distance.”: “Splashing” imitates the sound of water. We can also consider if there are others, but this is one.

5. Hyperbole (2 instances)

• “Grace paddles at the speed of light.”: Exaggerates Grace’s paddling speed (no one can paddle at the speed of light).
• “…the waterfall that must stretch upwards for a hundred miles.”: Exaggerates the height of the waterfall.

6. Idiom

• “She is on cloud nine as she approaches the waterfall.”: “On cloud nine” is an idiom meaning extremely happy.

7. Allusion (if present, but not obvious here)

There’s no clear allusion (reference to a well - known person, event, or work) in the given text.

To complete the task, we underline and label each:

• Personification: Underline “The bright sun gazes down…” and “The paddles, looking tired…”, label “Personification”.
• Simile: Underline “The huge Arkansas sun bakes their skin like cookies in an oven.”, label “Simile”.
• Metaphor: Underline “Grace’s mind is an ocean of places she would rather be.”, label “Metaphor”.
• Onomatopoeia: Underline “splashing”, label “Onomatopoeia” (and find another if needed, e.g., maybe “push” isn’t, but “splashing” is clear).
• Hyperbole: Underline “Grace paddles at the speed of light.” and “…stretch upwards for a hundred miles.”, label “Hyperbole”.
• Idiom: Underline “She is on cloud nine…”, label “Idiom”.

If we were to list the labeled instances as per the task’s checkboxes:

• ✔️ simile (1 found, the cookie comparison)
• ✔️ personification (2 found: sun gazing, paddles tired)
• ✔️ metaphor (1 found: mind as ocean)
• ✔️ hyperbole (2 found: speed of light, hundred - mile waterfall)
• ✔️ onomatopoeia (1 found: splashing, need 1 more, maybe “push” isn’t, but we can note)
• ✔️ idiom (1 found: on cloud nine)
• (Allusion: no check)

The key is to identify each type by their definitions: personification (human traits to non - humans), simile (comparison with “like”/“as”), metaphor (direct comparison), onomatopoeia (sound - imitating words), hyperbole (exaggeration), idiom (common figurative phrase), allusion (reference).