Figurative language
The type of language the varies from the norms of literal language, in which words mean exactly what they say. Figurative language involves comparing two things that may not relate to each other. Figurative language doesn't literally mean what it says.
Figurative Language Words
Metaphor
A comparison between two things not using like or as.
Your lips are roses.
Personification
A figure of speech that uses human features that is connected with an idea, object, and animal.
I admired the fish's sullen face.
Alliteration
A repetition of letters and sounds at the start of the word.
Doug's dog likes diagonal doors.
Simile
A comparison between two things using like or as.
Your eyes are like the green grass.
Hyperbole
The exaggerated claims or statements that shouldn't be taken seriously.
I've told you a million times.
Imagery
A descriptive language and vivid to add insight to the work.
All the houses are built that way, with ornamental urns set on the mansard roof-tops where the pigeons take their walks.
Onomatopoeia
Using the words that sound just like the meaning.
Snap, crackle, pop
Idiom
An expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent elements.
I have butterflies in my stomach.
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
A figure of speech that makes a reference to person, place, or something that happened.
Stop acting like my ex-husband please.
Paradox
Someone who does two things that seem to be opposite to each other or who has the qualities that are opposite.
The swiftest traveler is he that goes afoot.
Examples of Figurative Language
Her voice sounds like Madonna.
It's raining cats and dogs.
Alright, the sky misses the sun at night.
The poorest man is the richest, and the rich are poor.
Hear the mellow wedding bells.
I move fast like a cheetah on the Serengeti.
Her head was spinning from all the new information.
I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.
I’ve told you a million times to clean your room!
Figurative Language Games
It's always great to learn figurative language when you can play games.
Super Shooter Basketball Review Game
Soft Schools-Figurative Language Quiz
Why do we use figurative language?
Authors use figurative language because they want to convey creativity. Creative writers like authors use metaphor, analogy and symbols to stir the reader's thoughts and bring out the emotion and perceptive that can't be uttered by the world's dictionary meaning alone. Figurative language is also a rhetorical tool. The figurative use of language can sometimes be more effective, especially in creative writing. Sometimes it just makes things easier to understand. Also, using figurative language can make things more difficult to understand depending on the intention of the orator.
External Links
Examples of Figurative Language
Different figurative language words and definitions
Figurative Language and Rhetorical Devices
Why do authors use figurative language?
Why do writers use figurative language?
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.
Ask.com. Why Do Authors Use Figurative Language Ask.com. 2014.
Answer Corporation. Why do writers use figurative language? Answer Corporation. 2014.