Most 11+ comprehension passages contain at least one piece of figurative language — and at least one question testing whether your child can recognise it.
The big three
- Simile: a comparison using "like" or "as". "The lake was as smooth as glass."
- Metaphor: a comparison that says one thing is another. "Her heart was a lonely island."
- Personification: giving human qualities to objects, animals or ideas. "The wind whispered through the trees."
What examiners actually ask
Rarely just "what type is this?" — more often they'll ask why the writer chose it. "Smooth as glass" might tell us the lake is calm and untouched. Practice now to see this in real comprehension questions.
A tip for the trickier types
Oxymoron ("fierce comfort"), hyperbole ("I've told you a million times"), and idiom ("bite the bullet") also appear — usually labelled in the question.