Hyperbole, puns, oxymorons and sound words

Grade 6 Reading Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   Four lines about a messy room. Ren looks for a figure of speech. Which line uses hyperbole?

   • The room was so messy it needed its own zip code.
   • The books hit the floor with a loud thud.
   • The toy robot on the shelf was a tiny giant.
   • The room was messy, and the desk had two cups on it.
2. 2.

   Four lines about a game. Jun looks for a figure of speech. Which line uses an oxymoron?

   • The new goalie was quite a catch.
   • The game lasted a hundred hours.
   • After the goal, the crowd let out a quiet roar.
   • The ball went whoosh past the goalie.
3. 3.

   Four lines about a kitchen. Esme looks for a figure of speech. Which line uses onomatopoeia?

   • The kitchen smelled so good the whole town came running.
   • The cook told a stirring story over the soup pot.
   • The batter went plop into the pan.
   • The cook stirred the soup with a long wooden spoon.
4. 4.

   Four lines about a windy day. Pia looks for a figure of speech. Which line is a pun?

   • Flying kites in the wind was a breeze.
   • The wind was a gentle storm.
   • The kite flew so high it touched the moon.
   • The kite was red, and the string was long.
5. 5.

   Waiting for the bus took a hundred years. Luz reads the sentence. What does the figure add that plain words would not?

   • it says the bus was late
   • it tells the reader the wait lasted a century
   • it shows how slow and boring the wait felt
   • it lets the reader hear the bus arrive
6. 6.

   At the quiet library table, the friends felt alone together. Bo reads the sentence. What does the figure add that plain words would not?

   • it shows two feelings at once: close to friends yet quiet and apart
   • it says the friends sat in different rooms
   • it says the friends were in a library
   • it stretches the truth so the quiet sounds enormous
7. 7.

   Ari looked at the cafeteria line and said, “This line goes on for a hundred miles.” Kira reads the scene. Which choice names the figure of speech and tells why?

   • onomatopoeia: “goes on” sounds like walking feet
   • hyperbole: no line is really a hundred miles long
   • pun: “line” can mean a row of people or a phone line
   • oxymoron: a short wait and a long line are opposites
8. 8.

   The popcorn went pop, pop, pop in the pot. Ari reads the scene. Which choice names the figure of speech and tells why?

   • pun: “pop” can mean a fizzy drink or a sudden sound
   • oxymoron: “pop” and “pot” are opposite words
   • onomatopoeia: “pop” sounds like the noise popcorn makes
   • hyperbole: the popcorn pops more than any pot could hold
9. 9.

   Everyone knew who won the contest, but the judges called it an open secret. Milo reads the scene. Which choice names the figure of speech and tells why?

   • onomatopoeia: “kept” sounds like a lock clicking
   • oxymoron: “open” and “secret” are opposite words side by side
   • pun: “open” can mean not shut or honest
   • hyperbole: the secret was bigger than the whole school and its yard
10. 10.

    Why did the broom win the contest? It swept the competition. Zee reads the scene. Which choice names the figure of speech and tells why?

    • pun: “swept” means cleaning with a broom and also winning easily
    • oxymoron: “broom” and “contest” are opposite words
    • onomatopoeia: “swept” sounds like the noise of a broom
    • hyperbole: the broom beat more players than any broom could