Figurative Language

Personification - Giving human or living qualities to an non-living (inanimate) object.  Examples:  the wind whipped my face; the fire danced in the darkness; the chill air was biting my face; the cave's mouth was open wide and ready to consume them.

Simile - Comparing two unlike things using the words LIKE or AS.  Examples: He runs like a cheetah.

Metaphor - Comparing two unlike things directly NOT using like or as.  Examples:  He is a cheetah on the track;  the wind is wicked.

Onomatopoeia - Words that represent sounds.  Examples:  Bang, boom, ring.

Hyperbole - An obvious exaggeration.  Examples:  He jumped over the moon when heard the good news; I was so shocked my jaw dropped to the floor.  

Alliteration - The repeating of initial consonant sounds. Examples: Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Peppers; The Terrible Toothache.

Idiom - A saying that isn't literal but is commonly understood.  Many have historic origins.  "I'm going the "whole nine yards."  (WWI airplane guns had strips of ammunication that were nine yards long.);  Other idioms:  "It's raining cats and dogs,"  "Once in a blue moon," "Break the ice."

Irony - Expressing the opposite of what one would expect.