Figurative language
Figurative language can be found in literature and poetry where the writing appeals to the senses. It can do this by giving a word with a specific meaning, by comparing two things in such a way that you find the comparison interesting or by using words that have unusual constructions or sounds. You use figurative language when writing goes beyond the actual meanings of words so that the reader gains new insights into the objects or subjects in the work.
Types of Figurative Language:
Metaphor
A figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between a thing or person to another.
Example: You were a gray beret and the whole being at peace.
Personification
A figure of speech that provides nature or human-like qualities to something non-human.
Example: The restless tidal waves raged all throughout the night.
Alliteration
A figure of speech that signifies an occurrence of closely connected words all starting with the same letter.
Example: A big bully beats a baby boy.
Simile
A figure of speech in which two completely different things are explicitly compared to one another using the words, “like” or “as”.
Example: He was black as night and as fast as light.
Hyperbole
An obvious and intentional exaggeration, an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally, as “to wait an eternity.” Language that describes something as better or worse than it really is.
Example: "enough to feed a small army"
Imagery
Pictures or photographs, language that causes people to imagine pictures in their mind, pictures of people or things in a work of art
Examples: the book contains a great deal of sexual imagery, the movie was full of biblical imagery
Onomatopoeia
The creation of words that imitate natural sounds. The use of words whose sound suggests the sense. The naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it.
Examples: buzz, hiss, hiccup
Idiom
An expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its separate words but that has a separate meaning of its own, a form of language that is spoken in a particular area and that uses some of its own words, grammar, and pronunciations, a style or form of expression that is characteristic of a particular person, type of art, etc., an expression in the usage of a language that is peculiar to itself either grammatically (as no, it wasn't me) or in having a meaning that cannot be derived from the conjoined meanings of its elements (as ride herd on for “supervise”).
Example: "give way" meaning "retreat"
Symbol
An action, object, event, etc., that expresses or represents a particular idea or quality, a letter, group of letters, character, or picture that is used instead of a word or group of words, something that stands for or suggests something else by reason of relationship, association, convention, or accidental resemblance; especially : a visible sign of something invisible (, the lion is a symbol of courage), an arbitrary or conventional sign used in writing or printing relating to a particular field to represent operations, quantities, elements, relations, or qualities, an object or act representing something in the unconscious mind that has been repressed (,phallic symbols), an act, sound, or object having cultural significance and the capacity to excite or objectify a response
Example: the traditional physician's symbol of a staff entwined with a snake
Pun
A play on words in which humorous effect is produced by using a word that suggests two or more meanings or by exploiting similar sounding words having different meanings.
An elephant's opinion carries a lot of weight.
Allusion
An indirect reference to something that is used to convey a specific idea or meaning without offering any additional information, implying a basic understanding of the expression being used.
Example: “Though I have seen my head (grown slightly bald) brought in upon a platter / I am no prophet” –T.S. Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (A Biblical allusion that references John the Baptist.)
Paradox
Something that appears to be contradictory but that is presented as being true.
Example: “I must be cruel only to be kind.” –William Shakespeare, Hamlet
External Links
Examples of Figurative Language
Different figurative language words and definitions
Work Cited
Corp., LoveToKnow. Your Dictionary The Dictionary We Can Understand. LovetoKnow Corp. 1996-2014.
Nelsoncj. Figurative Language Definitions/Examples/Pictures. Quizlet LLC. 2014.
Schowartz, B. Debora, Dr. Figurative Language and Rhetorical Devices. California Polytechnic State University. 2002.
Martin, Phillip. What is figurative language? All Rights Reserved.
Answer Corporation. Why do writers use figurative language? Answer Corporation. 2014.