Literal/ Non-Literal Language

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What is Literal Language?

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Literal language means using words in their most basic sense, without any exaggeration or metaphor. For example, 'The cat is on the mat' means the cat is actually on the mat.

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What is Nonliteral Language?

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Nonliteral language uses words in a way that is different from their usual meaning, often to create an effect or to express something in a more imaginative way. For example, 'It's raining cats and dogs' means it's raining heavily.

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What does 'I've told you a million times!' mean?

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This is an example of nonliteral language, meaning the speaker has repeated something many times, not literally a million.

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What does 'drove them up the walls' mean?

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This is nonliteral language meaning that something was very annoying, not that someone actually drove cars up walls.

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What does 'I have butterflies in my tummy' mean?

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This is nonliteral language meaning the person feels nervous or anxious, not that they have real butterflies.

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What is an example of a literal statement?

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An example of a literal statement is 'The sun is shining.' It means the sun is actually shining.

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What is an example of a nonliteral statement?

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An example of a nonliteral statement is 'He has a heart of stone.' It means he is not kind, not that his heart is literally made of stone.

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What does 'costs a bazillion dollars' mean?

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This is nonliteral language meaning the house is very expensive, not that it literally costs a bazillion.

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What does 'driving me up the wall' mean?

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This phrase means something is very irritating or annoying, not that someone is actually driving up a wall.

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What is the literal meaning of 'The dog barked loudly'?

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The dog made a loud barking sound.