Figurative Language
Figurative language = language in the form of sayings or expressions that do NOT mean what they say literally; there is no truth to them; they are purely exaggerations (as opposed to literal language, which is true word-for-word; you mean what you say) and are meant to be a humorous way of writing/telling story
Example: It’s raining cats and dogs. (This is not true…just is raining hard)
Example: The boy was scared stiff of the teacher. (Not true…just really
scared)
These sayings or expressions are called Idioms. Most of these can be further broken down into some special types of idioms:
Simile: a comparison of one object, thing, or person to another object, thing, or person using the words “like” or “as”
Example: He was like a rocket in the way he ran to the shed.
Metaphor: a comparison of one object, thing, or person to another object, thing, or person NOT using “like” or “as”; can use words like “is”, “are”, “was”, “were”, and “am” to make the comparisons. Be careful that you don’t just describe what an object is; YOU HAVE to COMPARE it to something else.
Example: She is a mouse the way she is so quiet.
Oxymoron: the use of two words or phrases back-to-back in a sentence or thought that are direct opposites of each other.
Example: The little big guy lifted weights.
Hyperbole: an extreme exaggeration that isn’t true
Example: I am so hungry that I could eat a horse.
Example: He was so quiet that librarians were afraid of him.
Personification: this is the idea of giving a non-human object or thing a human trait or quality.
Example: The bus hummed as it flew down the street.
Example: The pen yelled loudly as it had to keep marking items incorrect.
Onomatopoeia: this is the use of putting the sound(s) an object makes in the sentence (sometimes these are interjections as well).
Example: The bell dinged as it rang.
Example: A bee buzzed as it flew past the flower.
Example: Pow! The boy knocked his head against the wall as he walked.
Alliteration: this is the effect where most of the words in a sentence either begin with the same letter and/or have the same beginning sounds.
Example: Chucky Cheese chewed chocolate-chip cookies.
Example: Kevin kicked Conner a couple times in the kitchen.
Generally, most idioms will be one of these types of figurative language.
Figurative language is a great way to bring at topic to life. It is prominent in poetry!!