Figurative Language & Word Shades
Aligned to L.5.5 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
What this lesson teaches
Words carry more than plain meaning. Idioms, similes, and metaphors add color, and similar words can have slightly different shades of meaning.
Worked examples
Example 1
'Break a leg' is an idiom meaning good luck. And 'glad,' 'thrilled,' and 'content' all mean happy, but each shows a different level of it.
Example 2
'The deadline loomed' uses a word that suggests threat. 'The deadline approached' does not. Same event, different feeling.
Example 3
Connotation is the feeling a word carries beyond its meaning. 'Thrifty' and 'stingy' both mean careful with money, but only one is a compliment.
Practice questions
- Explain what a common idiom really means.
- Order 'warm, hot, boiling' from least to most.
- Write a simile and tell what it means.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Lenguaje Figurado y Matices
Las palabras cargan más que su significado literal. Los modismos, símiles y metáforas dan color, y palabras parecidas pueden tener matices ligeramente distintos.
Ejemplo 1: 'Estar en las nubes' es un modismo que significa estar distraído. Y 'contento', 'feliz' y 'eufórico' significan alegre, pero cada uno muestra un nivel distinto.
Ejemplo 2: 'La fecha límite se cernía' usa una palabra que sugiere amenaza. 'La fecha límite se acercaba' no. El mismo suceso, distinta sensación.
Ejemplo 3: La connotación es el sentimiento que carga una palabra más allá de su significado. 'Ahorrativo' y 'tacaño' significan cuidadoso con el dinero, pero solo uno es un elogio.
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