Figure of Speech Quiz: Spot Metaphors, Similes, and More
This figure of speech quiz helps you identify similes, metaphors, personification, and more in short examples. Get instant feedback to check your understanding and build skills fast. If you want more, try our figures of speech practice, then deepen your knowledge with a literary devices quiz or a rhetorical devices quiz.
Study Outcomes
- Identify Figures of Speech -
Recognize and name common figures of speech - such as metaphors, similes, personification, and hyperbole - when they appear in sentences.
- Differentiate Key Types -
Distinguish between similar figures of speech by noting their unique characteristics and how they convey meaning.
- Analyze Usage Context -
Examine how authors use various figures of speech to enhance tone, imagery, and emotional impact in writing.
- Apply Recognition Skills -
Use your understanding to accurately identify figures of speech in new sentences and short passages.
- Reinforce Learning with Examples -
Review illustrative examples for each figure of speech to strengthen recall and deepen comprehension.
- Enhance Language Fluency -
Integrate knowledge of figures of speech to enrich your own writing and verbal expression.
Cheat Sheet
- Metaphor vs Simile -
Similes compare two unlike things using "like" or "as," while metaphors assert the comparison directly without those words. For example, "Her voice is like silk" (simile) versus "Her voice is silk" (metaphor), a distinction highlighted by the Purdue OWL. Recognizing this difference is key for mastering any figure of speech quiz.
- Personification & Hyperbole -
Personification gives human traits to non-human entities ("The wind whispered through the trees"), whereas hyperbole employs deliberate exaggeration ("I've told you a million times") to emphasize a point, as defined by the Cambridge Dictionary. Both heighten imagery and engagement by appealing to readers' emotions, making them staples in a figures of speech quick check.
- Alliteration & Assonance -
Alliteration repeats initial consonant sounds ("She sells seashells"), while assonance repeats vowel sounds ("The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain"), according to the Oxford English Dictionary. These sound devices enhance rhythm and memorability, crucial for success in an english test name the figures section.
- Onomatopoeia & Oxymoron -
Onomatopoeia uses words that mimic real sounds ("buzz," "clang"), and oxymorons combine contradictory terms ("bittersweet," "deafening silence"), per Merriam-Webster. Spotting these in texts boosts recall by engaging both auditory and conceptual understanding.
- Practice with Flashcards & Quizzes -
Create flashcards listing types of figures of speech on one side and examples on the other, then test yourself using a free figure of speech quiz or figures of speech quick check from university writing labs. Regular drills reinforce definitions and sharpen recognition skills for any english test name the figures challenge.