Figurative language is a tool that an author employs (or uses) to help the reader visualize (or see) what is happening in a story or poem. Some common types of figurative language are: simile, metaphor, alliteration, onomatopoeia, idiom, puns, and sensory language:

• Simile: comparison using like or as. It usually compares two dissimilar objects.
  Example: His feet were as big as boats. We are comparing the size of feet to boats.
• Metaphor: states that one thing is something else. It is a comparison, but it does NOT use like or as to make the comparison.
  Example: Her hair is silk. The sentence is comparing (or stating) that hair is silk.
• Alliteration: repetition of the initial consonant. There should be at least two repetitions in a row.
  Example: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. The first letter, p, is a consonant. It is repeated many times. (If you use a syllable rather than a consonant, it is assonance.)
• Onomatopoeia: imitation of natural sounds in word form. These words help us form mental pictures about the things, people, or places that are described. Sometimes the word names a thing or action by copying the sound.
  Example: Bong! Hiss! Buzz!
  
• Hyperbole: figure of speech that is an exaggeration. Persons often use expressions such as "I nearly died laughing," "I was hopping mad," and "I tried a thousand times." Such statements are not literally true, but people make them to sound impressive or to emphasize something, such as a feeling, effort, or reaction.