Points up some techniques for teaching students the age and origin of words and phrases used in American simile and metaphor, resulting in a heightened feeling for literary style and increased appreciation of creative writing. (Author/RB)

In this seventh-grade language unit, the study of semantics is introduced by an examination of the relationships between words and their referents, particularly in terms of changes of meaning and degrees of abstraction. Classroom activities are suggested to help students become aware of "language liveliness" and the processes of…