1 · Literal or figurative?
Literal words mean exactly what they say. Figurative words paint a picture and mean something else.
"It is raining cats and dogs."
Literal: animals are falling from the sky. That is silly.
Figurative: it is raining very hard.
On the test, the silly literal choice is almost always a trap.
2 · Similes: like or as
A simile compares two different things using like or as. Ask: what do the two things have in common?
The baby's cheeks were as soft as rose petals.
Cheeks and rose petals are different things.
What they share: both are very soft.
So the simile means the cheeks were very soft.
3 · Metaphors: is, without like
A metaphor compares by saying one thing is another, with no "like" or "as."
The classroom was a zoo after the fire drill.
The classroom is not really a zoo.
What a zoo is like: noisy, wild, animals everywhere.
So the classroom was loud and wild.
4 · Things acting like people
Writers sometimes give things human actions: the wind whispers, the sun smiles, the stairs groan. This is called personification.
The old stairs groaned as we climbed to the attic.
Stairs cannot really groan.
The author means the stairs creaked loudly, like an old person groaning.
It also makes the attic feel old and spooky.
5 · Big exaggerations
An exaggeration says something far bigger than the truth to make a point.
- "I have a million things to do" means a lot of things.
- "This backpack weighs a ton" means very heavy.
- "I waited forever" means a long time.
When a choice takes the exaggeration as a fact, it is the trap.
6 · Sayings
Some groups of words mean something different from each word. These are idioms, or sayings. Use the rest of the passage to figure out the meaning.
- a piece of cake: very easy
- under the weather: a little sick
- break the ice: help people start talking
- hit the books: study
- cold feet: nervous about doing something
What does "got cold feet" mean?
His feet were not cold. He asked to go last, so he was nervous.
7 · Mood: how the words make you feel
Some questions ask about the mood or tone. Look at the describing words and add them up.
What is the mood?
Creaked, empty, shadows, dusty, a door swinging shut by itself.
The mood is spooky or a little scary.
Not cheerful, not silly. None of the words point there.
8 · Why did the author compare?
A harder question asks why the author used a comparison. The answer is almost always: to help the reader picture or feel something. Say what the comparison shows: how loud, how fast, how scary, how happy.
9 · Your test-day checklist
- Ask: is this literal or figurative?
- For like/as or "is," find what the two things share.
- Cross out the silly literal choice.
- Use the next sentence to check the meaning.
- For mood, add up the describing words.
Ready to practice?
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