Two Main Types of Language:

Literal language is explicit, obvious, out in the open and plainly stated. It is a major part of non-fiction texts, but can also be found in fiction.

Figurative language infers or suggests things rather than stating them. It creates a picture in your mind, it is imagery. Figurative language can give a text more richness and depth. It is often found in fiction texts and autobiographies, but can also be found in non-fiction.

What is figurative language?Whenever you describe something by

comparing it with something else, you are using figurative language.

Types of Figurative LanguageImagerySimileMetaphorPersonificationHyperboleIdioms

Imagery Language that appeals to the senses.

Descriptions of people or objects stated in terms of our senses.

•Sight •Hearing •Touch •Taste •Smell

MetaphorA figure of speech which involves an implied

comparison between two relatively unlike things using a form of be. The comparison is not announced by like or as.Example: The road was a ribbon wrapped through the dessert.

MetaphorA metaphor compares two unlike things. "My baby sister's a doll," you might say, compares your sister's

size and sweetness to that of the perfection of a doll. At another time you might say, "My brother is a rat." This compares your brother to the nastiest little creature you can think of. In both cases you would be making a metaphor - a form of comparison that directly compares two unlike things. A metaphor wastes no time in getting to the point.

Metaphors are used to compare two things. A metaphor says that one thing IS another thing.

For example: She is a pig. I am comparing her to a pig. I probably mean she has a big appetite and likes to eat!

Metaphor – Me metaphorsWrite a poem about yourself. Your poem does not have to

rhyme, but it does need to paint a picture of you.At least five lines long. The first line only the word me. The last line is your name. Second, third, and fourth lines -metaphors describing you.

Example:Me

I am a cloud floating in a hot air balloon.I am a flower growing toward the sun.

I am a book sharing what I know.Mary

SimileA figure of speech which involves a direct

comparison between two unlike things, usually with the words like or as.

Example: The muscles on his brawny arms are strong as iron bands.

SimileLook at this picture of The Boating Party by Mary Cassattfrom the National Gallery of Art.

Practice Exercise : Write a paragraph describing what you see. Be sure to include at least three similes in your description. Compare what you see in the picture to other objects or feelings.

SimileDo you remember who said, "Life is like a box of chocolates" ?Forrest Gump was comparing life to a box of chocolates. He meant that we never know what life has planned for us.

Personification A figure of speech which gives the qualities of a person to an animal, an object, or an idea.

Example: “The wind yells while blowing." The wind cannot yell. Only a living thing could yell.

PersonificationThe most familiar kind of

personification is comparison in other words …

speaking of something that is not human as if it had human abilities and human reactions.

HyperboleAn exaggerated statement used to heighten

effect.Used to emphasize a point.

Example: She’s said so on several million occasions.

Summary

IdiomsAn idiom or idiomatic expression refers to a construction

or expression in one language that cannot be matched or directly translated word-for-word in another language.

Example: "She has a bee in her bonnet”, meaning "she is obsessed," cannot be literally translated into another language word for word.

IdiomsIdioms are groups of words whose meaning is different

from the ordinary meaning of the words. The context can help you understand what an idiom means.

Example: "Put a lid on it." Our teacher tells us to put a lid on it. She's not really telling us to put a lid on something but to be quiet and pay attention.

IronyExpression meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.

Example :"‘Don't go overboard with the gratitude,’ he re-joined with heavy irony“.