Author's Purpose and Craft: Describing Authors Use Of Figurative Language To Achieve Purposes (TEKS.ELA.6.9.D)
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Texas 6th Grade ELA › Author's Purpose and Craft: Describing Authors Use Of Figurative Language To Achieve Purposes (TEKS.ELA.6.9.D)
The first raindrops began as a quiet rehearsal, tapping the roof with shy fingers. Then the storm found its drumsticks and pounded a fierce rhythm that rattled the windows. Wind pack howled around the corners, wolves testing the doors, while the trees bowed and whispered frantic secrets. In the hallway, the light flickered, a nervous blink that made the house feel like it was holding its breath. I wrapped the blanket tighter as thunder rolled its heavy barrels across the sky, marching closer. When the front gate squealed, it wasn't metal; it was the storm laughing at us, daring us to come out and dance.
What is the effect of the figurative language in this passage?
To create a tense, stormy mood and show the narrator's unease
To inform the reader of the storm's exact wind speed and direction
To prove the house is literally breathing and laughing
To make the story more interesting without changing mood or tone
Explanation
Personification and metaphor (the storm as a drummer, the house holding its breath) build a tense, foreboding mood that reflects the narrator's anxiety. Extension: Revise this plain sentence with two figurative sentences: "It was stormy outside." Sentence starters: "The wind is a..." and "Thunder marched..." Enrichment: Compare this storm imagery with a calmer rain scene in another text; how do their tones differ?
Morning slipped into our classroom like warm honey, pooling across the desks in slow, golden puddles. The clock, sulking on the wall, dragged its feet from one minute to the next, as if recess were a mountain too steep to climb. Pencils dozed in their cups, and the bulletin board breathed a soft sigh, tired of pinning the same cheerful faces. Our teacher's voice floated gentle as a feather, brushing the edges of sleep from our eyes. Even the chairs seemed to settle deeper, hugging us with lazy arms. I traced the window's edge and watched the sun yawn over the playground, a friendly giant stretching before it spoke.
What is the effect of the figurative language in this passage?
To explain the classroom's exact layout and seating chart
To establish a calm, drowsy tone and show time moving slowly
To prove that objects really sleep and yawn
To make the description more interesting without adding meaning
Explanation
Personification (clock dragging its feet, sun yawning) and metaphor (morning like warm honey) create a relaxed, sleepy tone that emphasizes how slowly time passes. Extension: Revise this plain sentence with two figurative sentences: "The classroom was quiet in the morning." Sentence starters: "Sunlight tiptoed..." and "The clock grumbled..." Enrichment: Compare this cozy morning tone to a fast-paced school scene in another text.
The city woke as the sun sank, trading its day clothes for a jacket of sparks. Streetlights stitched glowing buttons down the avenues, and the river flashed a grin at every passing bridge. Buses sighed at curbs, then gathered themselves and shouldered forward. From my window, I could feel the sidewalks pulse, a steady heartbeat urging footsteps along. Billboards blinked like impatient eyes, but above them the moon kept slow time, a drummer who didn't rush. I wasn't alone—every window held a tiny theater—but the city seemed to speak directly to me, whispering, Keep moving. I answered by lacing my shoes; the city and I were partners in the dance.
What is the effect of the figurative language in this passage?
To describe the exact public transit schedule
To show that the narrator dislikes the city
To create an energetic, lively mood and personify the city as a partner
To confuse readers with fancy words
Explanation
Metaphors and personification (city waking, sidewalks pulsing, a dance with the city) convey energy and companionship, shaping an upbeat, lively mood. Extension: Revise this plain sentence with two figurative sentences: "The city was busy at night." Sentence starters: "The city is a..." and "Neon signs winked..." Enrichment: Compare this energetic tone with a quiet small-town night scene in another text for tone differences.
By July, the garden coughed dusty breaths, its soil a tongue gone dry. Tomato vines slumped like sleepy children, and the hose, coiled and cranky, refused to rise. The sun stood over everything like a strict teacher, arms crossed, watching us wilt. I carried the watering can anyway; its thin stream was a tiny promise, a silver thread stitching patience into the beds. The leaves listened. Somewhere beneath the mulch, roots gripped the story and held on. When a cloud finally shouldered the heat aside, the first raindrop landed with a brave thump—the drumbeat of relief. The garden lifted its face, drinking in the song, and I felt my shoulders sing along.
What is the effect of the figurative language in this passage?
To teach the science of plant biology step by step
To show the narrator is angry at gardening tools
To make the scene sound silly and random
To emphasize struggle and build a hopeful tone when rain arrives
Explanation
Personification and metaphor (garden coughing, sun as a strict teacher, rain as a drumbeat) stress hardship and then shift to hope when relief arrives, shaping the tone. Extension: Revise this plain sentence with two figurative sentences: "The garden was dry." Sentence starters: "The soil is a..." and "The sun glared..." Enrichment: Compare this drought imagery to a lush spring garden in another text and explain how the tones differ.
Evening slipped into the neighborhood like a cat, quiet and sure-footed. The sun folded its bright tent and tiptoed away, leaving the streetlamps to wake and yawn. Wind threaded through the maples, whispering secrets that only the leaves could keep. My bicycle waited on the porch, a patient horse nosing the rail, while the cracked sidewalk stretched ahead like a pale ribbon. Far off, the train muttered to itself, a tired giant dragging its feet. I pushed off, and the cool air wrapped around me, a shawl stitched with crickets. Houses blinked their windows, one by one, until the block glowed like a pocketful of stars.
What is the effect of the figurative language in this passage?
It shows the speaker is in a dangerous storm and must hurry home.
It creates a calm, dreamy mood by making the evening feel alive and friendly.
It proves the bicycle is old and needs to be replaced.
It just makes the writing more interesting without changing the feeling.
Explanation
Personification and metaphor (evening as a cat, sun folding its tent, air as a shawl) give the setting gentle movement and warmth, creating a calm, dreamy mood and a tone of quiet wonder. Extension: Revise a plain line with two sentences using metaphor or personification. Plain: It was evening and quiet on my street. Sentence starters: The evening..., The wind.... Enrichment: Compare this passage to a text that describes a noisy, hectic evening; explain how different figurative language changes tone.
Morning unrolled across the trail like a pale ribbon of light, and the fog clung to the pines, a shy blanket that didn't want to leave. The creek chattered over stones, telling jokes only water understands. Rocks knelt beside the path like sleepy guardians, and a hawk stitched circles into the soft fabric of the sky. My boots spoke in soft thuds, steady as a heartbeat. When the sun finally lifted its face, it scattered gold coins through the branches. I breathed in the cold, bright air, and the climb felt less like work and more like a handshake from the mountain itself.
What is the effect of the figurative language in this passage?
It shows that real coins were falling from the trees.
It warns the reader that the hike is dangerous and unfriendly.
It just adds fancy words without changing meaning.
It creates an uplifting tone by personifying nature as welcoming and alive.
Explanation
Personification (fog as a shy blanket, sun lifting its face) and metaphors (sun scattering gold coins, a handshake from the mountain) make the landscape feel friendly and alive, building an uplifting, hopeful tone. Extension: Write two sentences using metaphor or personification to revise a plain line. Plain: It was morning on the trail. Sentence starters: The mountain..., The sun.... Enrichment: Compare this friendly portrayal of nature to a passage that depicts nature as harsh; discuss how figurative choices change tone.
At dawn, the city rubbed its eyes and stretched. Shop awnings fluttered awake, and the sidewalks yawned wide for the first footsteps. Buses grumbled at the corners like old dogs, while the crosswalk signals blinked their patient winks. The sun dipped a bright brush into the sky and painted the bakery roofs with warm butter. Somewhere, an alarm clock pinched the air, and pigeons stitched shadows across the bricks. I carried a paper bag that breathed out cinnamon, and the street seemed to nod me along. By the time I reached the corner, the block had a heartbeat, steady and sure beneath my shoes.
What is the effect of the figurative language in this passage?
It gives the scene a lively, welcoming mood by treating the city like a waking person.
It proves the bakery really paints roofs with butter.
It shows the speaker is frightened and wants to leave quickly.
It just makes the writing more interesting but doesn't affect tone.
Explanation
Personification (the city rubbed its eyes) and metaphors (the sun painted with a bright brush, the block had a heartbeat) make the city feel awake and energetic, creating a lively, welcoming mood. Extension: Write two sentences using metaphor or personification to revise a plain line. Plain: The city was busy in the morning. Sentence starters: The city..., The buses.... Enrichment: Compare this cheerful city morning to a text that portrays a gloomy city dawn; explain how figurative language shapes different tones.
By afternoon the sky gathered its gray fists over the field. The wind shouldered the trees, rude and impatient, and the flag snapped like a warning. Dust scurried along the baseline, chased by the first cold drops. Thunder cleared its throat somewhere beyond the bleachers, then spoke louder, a judge tapping for silence. I tightened my laces while the clouds braided themselves into a single dark rope. The sunlight tried to hold the edge of the grass, but the storm swallowed it whole. When the whistle finally blew, the air felt electric, and the field waited, a held breath before the shout.
What is the effect of the figurative language in this passage?
It shows that the game will certainly be canceled.
It proves the wind actually knocked down trees.
It builds a tense, suspenseful mood by personifying the storm as a force closing in.
It just makes the sentences longer and more interesting.
Explanation
Personification and metaphor (sky with gray fists, thunder as a judge, clouds a dark rope) make the storm feel purposeful and threatening, creating tension and suspense. Extension: Write two sentences using metaphor or personification to revise a plain line. Plain: A storm was coming to the field. Sentence starters: The sky..., Thunder.... Enrichment: Compare this tense storm scene to a calm weather passage; discuss how different figurative choices shift tone.