What is figurative language?

Figurative language refers to words or phrases that make sense, but are not literally true. If you say “that news hit me like a ton of bricks,” you’re using figurative language; listeners understand the news you receive is deeply emotional and also know that you are not really hit by 2000 pounds of bricks (because if it were you, you would die). Similarly, if you say “he begged me to reconsider, but I had a hard heart, and I refused”, you are also using figurative language; the listener understands that you are describing yourself as rigid or intolerant, and knows that your heart is not really made of stone (for if you did, you would be dead).

man swimming in money

This guy is really swimming in money

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 meaning of separate words but has its own meaning. Many idioms (though not all) are examples of figurative language.

Have a little patience,” the teacher tells the students as they leave school. (Teachers tell students to slow down, doesn’t mean they should pick up four-legged animals.)

He was up in the air about whether to go to the concert. (He is undecided, and not hanging from the ground.)

The dog ate the muffin little while. (The dog ate the muffins quickly and without a sudden flare.)

Senator famous for throws his colleague under the bus during the election season. (He’s famous for blaming others to gain an advantage and not actually pushing anyone under a moving vehicle.)

Metaphors

Metaphors And compare is another category of figurative language usage. Metaphor replaces a word or phrase with a word or phrase that creates an analogy or explanation with an image.

My desk has a mountain of papers up there. (No real mountain, just a large amount of paper)

my aunt is a walking encyclopedia, and everyone wanted her on their team on game night. (Auntie is a person of considerable knowledge, but not really a legged multi-volume series.)

He sat quietly, ignoring her words soak in. (This person is receiving information, but they are not really getting wet doing so.)

compare

ONE compare is a phrase using the words alike or EQUAL to describe someone or something by comparing it to someone or something similar.

Fast like lightning, I picked up the paper and read it. (The paper is picked up very quickly, if the person picks up lightning fast, the paper is broken)

Traffic is moving like slow as molasses. (Traffic moves very slowly, as molasses usually does when people try to dump it out)

I’m so tired I’ll sleep like a baby. (Saying you’ll sleep like a baby means you’ll sleep deeply, but we don’t know if that’s how a baby will sleep; some babies sleep well and others don’t. sleep)

hype

The figurative use of language also takes the form of exaggeration or exaggeration. This very often represents an impossibility or near impossibility:

She is really swimming in the money. (The person depicted is not actually swimming in the pool of money, but merely has a lot of money.)

Tickets sold out at the speed of light. (Tickets sell out very quickly; they don’t travel at 299,792,458 meters per second)

The show lasts forever. (The show lasted a long time)

characterize

Finally, if we are given qualities or abilities that people have but which we are describing cannot logically be possessed, the result is another type of figurative language called personality. chemical.

We see the lights dance in the distance. (Lights twinkling, but not actually performing the waltz)

the wind is howl all night. (The wind is making noise, but not using its vocal cords to cry out in grief.)

From dance off the page. (Words make a strong and immediate impression on the reader, but they stay still on the page on which they were printed.)

In some cases, it can be very simple to distinguish one type of figurative language from another: if you say ‘my love is alike a flower’ you are using a comparative, and if you say ‘my love To be a flower’ you are using metaphor. In other cases, however, it may not be easy for you to determine whether an example of figurative language is idiomatic, exaggerated, or metaphorical (and it may be a combination of some or all of them). these).

See more:  Pro-Verb: The Complement to the Pronoun

Using figurative language allows the writer to be both playful and effectively convey information to the reader. It provides the tools for writers to paint a picture with words (words bring images to the reader’s mind; we don’t have groups of letters strung together and holding brushes and paints).

MORE EXAMPLE OF TRAINING EQUIPMENT

Categories: Usage Notes
Source: vothisaucamau.edu.vn

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