Literal vs. Figurative Language

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What is Literal Language?

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Literal language means exactly what it says. It describes things in a straightforward way without exaggeration or metaphor.

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What is Figurative Language?

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Figurative language uses words or expressions with a meaning that is different from the literal interpretation. It often involves similes, metaphors, and idioms.

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Example of Literal Language: 'The cat is on the mat.' What does it mean?

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It means that the cat is actually sitting on the mat.

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Example of Figurative Language: 'It's raining cats and dogs.' What does it mean?

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It means that it is raining very heavily, not that cats and dogs are literally falling from the sky.

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What does 'feeling blue' mean?

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'Feeling blue' is a figurative expression that means feeling sad or down.

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What does 'having a green thumb' mean?

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'Having a green thumb' is a figurative expression that means someone is good at gardening or growing plants.

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Identify if the following is literal or figurative: 'She is two-faced.'

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Figurative - it means she is deceitful or hypocritical, not that she literally has two faces.

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Identify if the following is literal or figurative: 'The Smurfs are blue.'

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Literal - it means that the Smurfs are actually the color blue.

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What is a metaphor?

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A metaphor is a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things by saying one is the other.

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What is a simile?

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A simile is a figure of speech that compares two different things using the words 'like' or 'as'.