Figurative Language
Literal vs. Figurative

Literal = actual

“I literally got hit by lightning” = someone
actually got hit by lightning
WRONG:

“I literally died from laughter” = someone
actually died from laughing (but how would
they live to tell the tale?)

Many people use the phrase incorrectly! Unless
something actually happened, don’t say
literally
Figurative Language
Figurative language is used with a
meaning that is different from the
basic meaning and that expresses
an idea in an interesting way by
using language that usually
describes something else
--Merriam-Webster
Metaphor
a
word or phrase for one
thing that is used to refer
to another thing in order to
show or suggest that they
are similar
 Doesn’t use “like” or “as”
Examples of metaphor

You are a pig
 Describes

Juliet is the sun
 Romeo

someone who is a slob
compares Juliet’s beauty to the sun
He is my rock
 This
describes someone who is strong and stable
Simile
A
comparison using “like”
or “as”
Same
idea as a metaphor, but
it uses those specific words
Examples of simile

Life is like a box of chocolates
 Life
is unexpected, just like when you bite
into a piece of chocolate because you don’t
know what filling is inside!

He is as strong as an ox
 Comparison
to oxen, which are strong animals
that are often used to haul heavy objects
Personification

Giving human qualities to nonhuman entities (e.g., animals,
inanimate objects, etc.)

Again, like a metaphor because it is
a comparison
Examples of Personification

The wind whispered


Comparing wind to a human voice
Time creeps up on you

Follow someone who doesn’t know you’re there,
so time is slowly passing without your awareness

The frogs sang

Frogs can’t actually sing, but their croaking is being
compared to singing
Alliteration

The repetition of beginning sounds of
words


Remember: sometimes k makes the same
sound as c
Most common is the repetition of the first
letter of a word
Examples of alliteration

Sally sells sea shells by the sea shore

“From forth the fatal loins of these two
foes” – Romeo and Juliet
Onomatopoeia

Words that imitate sounds
 Ding!
 Pop!
 Crash

Don’t forget about more subtle sounds
 Whisper
(the s sounds like a whisper)
 Murmur
(the r sounds like someone is
mumbling)
 Giggle
(the g sounds are upbeat and
staccato like a giggle)
Hyperbole
 An
exaggeration
 Describing
something as better
or worse than it really is
Examples of hyperbole

My homework took me a million years to
complete!


Homework took a long time to do
Her eyes make the stars look like they’re not
shining

Her eyes are luminous and pretty
Imagery

Language that creates a visual in the
reader’s head using the senses

The reader can visualize what is being
described through sensory description

Involves descriptions that affect the
senses: sight, sound, smell, touch, taste
Examples of imagery

Rain fell softly on the red rose petals
as the wind blew the branches of the trees
 You

are able to picture this scene in your head
The children were screaming and shouting in
the fields
 Though
this has to do with sound, you can still
imagine this experience
Irony

Expressing meaning using language that normally
signifies the opposite

Situational irony


Verbal irony


A situation that is strange or amusing because things
happen in a way that seems to be the opposite of
what you expected
Sarcasm
Dramatic irony

The reader knows something that the characters
don’t
Examples of irony

Situational: an ambulance running over the
person it was supposed to help

Verbal: “Whoever thought of having
school start at the crack of dawn
was a genius!”

Dramatic: King Duncan not
knowing that Macbeth is planning to
murder him while the audience is
aware of this

Some examples
Allusion

Making a reference to an outside text


Mentioning another book, film, painting, etc.
Biblical allusions are the most common:

Moses

The Garden of Eden

Satan

Revelations

Cain and Abel

Job
Examples of allusion

“When he calls to me, I am ready
I'll wash his feet with my hair if he needs
Forgive him when his tongue lies through his
brain Even after three times, he betrays me”


Moves like Jagger


Lady Gaga is alluding to the story of
Judas betraying Jesus
Allusion to Mick Jagger of the Rolling
Stones who is known for his unique
dancing
“Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood

Siren is a creature in Greek mythology
Rhetorical and
Structural Devices
Structure

How an author orders information in a
text
Rhetoric

Language techniques that an author uses
to persuade listeners or readers
Structural Techniques

In literature

Suspense / tension

Build up of anxiety and anticipation
of what will happen next in a story

Flashbacks


When a story revisits the past
Pacing

How quickly or slowly a story progresses
Structural Techniques
Rhetorical Devices

Euphemism

A milder word that substitutes a harsh
word


Oxymoron

Contradictory words that appear together


The wisest fool ; seriously funny
Anecdote


“passed away” instead of dead
A short account or story that appears in a larger text
Word choice
Rhetorical Devices

Satire

Humor or irony used to mock or ridicule


Repetition


The Colbert Report ; “A Modest Proposal”
Of ideas, words, or phrases for emphasis
Tone

An author’s attitude that establishes a reader’s mood