Figurative Language

Figurative Language

By Gerlaine Agbayani

​What is Figurative Language?

Figurative language is a way of speaking or writing which is in a non-literal sense and is designed to have more of an impact about the subject it is referring to. It is used to add a more vivid or imaginative description of something, someone or a situation.​

When used in a literary sense, figurative language adds new layers to the meaning of the text and can create a more emotional, deep response for the reader.​

A simile is a type of figurative language which is used to compare one thing against another. Similes compare the likeness of two things and often feature the words ‘like’ or ‘as’. An example of this would be ‘her smile was as bright as the sun in the sky.’​

​Simile​

A metaphor is a phrase describing something as something it is not in reality. It is used to compare two things symbolically. A metaphor literally describes something as something it is not. A good example of a metaphor would be ‘love is a battlefield.’

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​Metaphor

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An oxymoron is a term which features two words which appear to contradict each other but make sense of the situation overall. A good example of an oxymoron is ‘That woman is pretty ugly.’​

​Oxymoron

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A hyperbole is a figure of speech which exaggerates the meaning of a sentence. For example, you could say ‘My granddad is as old as time.’​

Hyperbole​

An idiom is a phrase which bears no literal meaning to the situation it is describing but it implies the facts or story behind it. For example, ‘there is a silver lining in every cloud.’ This does not mean that there are silver linings inside clouds but it is referring to the fact that in a bad situation, good can always be found.​

Idiom​

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Personification is a type of figurative language. It is used to give an inanimate object or item a sense of being alive. The speaker would talk to the object as if it could understand and was intelligent.​

​Some text here about the topic of discussion.

Personification​

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