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There are many ways to use figurative language. Here are some of the more common types, and examples of their use. Idioms. An idiom is an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its separate words but that has a separate meaning of its own. Many (although not all) idioms are examples of figurative language.
Nov 18, 2022 · Some figures of speech, like metaphor, simile, and metonymy, are found in everyday language. Others, like antithesis, circumlocution, and puns take more practice to implement in writing. Below are some common figures of speech with examples, so you can recognize them and use them in your writing. Give your writing extra polish.
- Examples and Observations
- Cognitive Processes Used in Understanding Figurative Language
- "Getting Away with Murder"
- Searle on Paraphrasing Metaphors
- False Dichotomies
- Figurative Meanings of Conceptual Metaphors
- Literal and Figurative Meanings of Idioms
"In France, there is a saying 'C'est quoi, ce Bronx?' Literally, it means, 'What is this, the Bronx?' Figuratively it means 'What a dump!'" (Brian Sahd, "Community Development Corporations and Soci..."Eccentric first came into English in 1551 as a technical term in astronomy, meaning 'a circle in which the earth, the sun, etc. deviates from its center.' . . . "In 1685, the definition slid from..."[W]hen a speaker says Criticism is a branding iron, he or she does not literally mean that criticism is a tool to mark livestock. Rather, the speaker intends this utterance to have some figurative...
"Interestingly, there are occasions when understanding what someone says automatically leads one to infer a figurative meaning even if the speaker did not necessarily intend that figurative meaning...
"Because in metaphorical utterances what the speaker means differs from what he says (in one sense of 'say'), in general, we shall need two sentences for our examples of metaphor--first the sentenc...
"Explanations and descriptions of metaphors, as well as irony, usually evoke the dichotomy 'literal' and 'figurative.' That is, metaphors, as well as instances of irony, are said to have an immedia...
"When we study similarities and differences in the metaphorical expression of a conceptual metaphor, we need to take into account a number of factors or parameters, including the literal meaning of...
"Experiments carried out by Häcki Buhofer and Burger (1994) have shown that people are often unable to distinguish between the literal and the figurative meaning of an idiom. This means that the li...
- Richard Nordquist
Figurative language refers to language that contains figures of speech, while figures of speech are the particular techniques. If figurative speech is like a dance routine, figures of speech are like the various moves that make up the routine. It's a common misconception that imagery, or vivid descriptive language, is a kind of figurative language.
- Similes. Similes use the words “as” or “like” to explicitly highlight the similarities between two seemingly different things. You’re sweet like candy.
- Metaphors. Compared to similes, metaphors are implicit comparisons because they don’t use “as” or “like.” Daniel is the light of my life. There are many different types of metaphors, including standard, implied, mixed, extended, and conceptual metaphors.
- Idioms. An idiom is a phrase in which the meaning of the whole cannot be derived from the meaning of the parts. There are plenty of fish in the sea. A non-native English speaker might not deduce that this phrase means “there are numerous eligible people to date.”
- Hyperboles. A hyperbole is an exaggerated statement that is used to emphasize something or add a desired effect. You’ve likely used a hyperbole if you’ve ever said something like
Apr 13, 2023 · Figurative language is language that uses words or expressions with a meaning that is different from the literal interpretation. It is often used to create imagery, evoke emotion, or emphasize a point in a way that literal language cannot.
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Oct 24, 2024 · Figurative language examples include similes, metaphors, personification, hyperbole, allusions, and idioms. Language that uses figures of speech is known collectively as figurative language. Figurative language is often used to add creative flourish to written or spoken language or to simplify a complex idea. The opposite of figurative language ...
