Figurative Language

What is Figurative Language?

– Literal vs. Figurative Language

– Literal Language – You say exactly what you mean. You make no comparison,

and you do not exaggerate or understate the situation.

– Figurative Language – You DON’T say exactly what you mean. You DO compare,

exaggerate, and understate the situation. You use similes, metaphors,

hyperboles, and other figures of speech to make your writing more exciting.

Figurative language uses figures of speech to be more effective, persuasive,

and impactful.

Simile

– A simile is a figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing similarities

between two different things. Unlike a metaphor, a simile draws resemblance

with the help of the words “like” or “as.” Therefore, it is a direct

comparison. We often hear comments like, “John is as slow as a snail.”

Metaphor

– Metaphor is a figure of speech that makes an implicit, implied, or hidden

comparison between two things that are unrelated, but which share some

common characteristics. In other words, saying one thing is something else.

– Her voice is music to his ears. (This implies that her voice makes him feel

happy)

Personification

– Personification is a figure of speech in which a thing – an idea or an animal – is

given human attributes. The non-human objects are portrayed in such a way

that we feel they have the ability to act like human beings. For example, when

we say, “The sky weeps,” we are giving the sky the ability to cry, which is a

human quality.

Onomatopoeia

– Onomatopoeia is defined as a word, which imitates the natural sounds of a

thing. It creates a sound effect that mimics the thing described, making the

description more expressive and interesting. For instance, saying, “The gushing

stream flows in the forest” is a more meaningful description than just saying,

“The stream flows in the forest.”

Hyperbole

– Hyperbole, derived from a Greek word meaning “over-casting,” is a figure of

speech that involves an exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis. It is a

device that we employ in our day-to-day speech. For instance, when you meet a

friend after a long time, you say, “It’s been ages since I last saw you.”

Oxymoron

– Oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two opposite ideas are joined to create

an effect. The common oxymoron phrase is a combination of an adjective

preceded by a noun with contrasting meanings, such as “cruel kindness,” or

“living death”.

Imagery

– Imagery means to use figurative language to represent objects, actions, and

ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses. Usually it is thought

that imagery makes use of particular words that create visual representation of

ideas in our minds.

– It was dark and dim in the forest. (The words “dark” and “dim” are visual

images).

Assonance

– Assonance takes place when two or more words, close to one another repeat

the same vowel sound, but start with different consonant sounds.

– For instance, in the following sentence: “Men sell the wedding bells

Symbolism

– Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities, by giving them

symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense. Symbolism can

take different forms. Generally, it is an object representing another, to give an

entirely different meaning that is much deeper and more significant.

Sometimes, however, an action, an event or a word spoken by someone may

have a symbolic value. For instance, “smile” is a symbol of friendship.

Pun

– A pun is a play on words in which a humorous effect is produced by using a

word that suggests two or more meanings or by exploiting similar sounding

words having different meanings. For instance, in a sentence “A happy life

depends on a liver”, liver can refer to the organ liver or simply the person who

lives.

Alliteration

– Alliteration is a repetition of a sound at the beginning of two or more

neighboring words.

– Polly planted plenty of pretty pansies.