Figurative & Literal Language

 Literal language is used to mean exactly what is written. For

example:

It was raining heavily, so I rode the bus.

In this example of literal language, the writer means to explain
exactly what is written: that he or she chose to ride the bus
because of the heavy rain.

 Figurative language is used to mean something other than

what is written, something symbolic, suggested, or implied. For
example:

It was raining cats and dogs, so I rode the bus.

Can you think of more examples for

literal and figurative language?
Importance of Figurative Language
The inclusion of figurative language in writing can add depth,
meaning, and color to the text. Figurative language helps writers
make a point or describe an image that a normal sentence
couldn’t.
It also helps make the story more interesting, and more
memorable, by giving it a deeper meaning than what is on
the surface.
presentation title
Simile
A simile is a comparison between two unlike things using the words "like" or "as." For example:

as slippery as an eel
like peas in a pod
as blind as a bat
eats like a pig
as wise as an owl
as busy as a bee
as clear as a bell
as hard as nails
as light as a feather
as good as gold
 Effect/ Significance of Simile:
The writer compares x with y to show/
reinforce/ demonstrate/ manifest
…………….
 And a tear like silver, glistened in the corner of her eye
The writer compares the tear to silver to show how clear, obvious and
shiny it is.

 Tony said these cruel words as ruthlessly as the hoof of a horse tramples
on a rose.
The writer compares how Tony said the words to a horse carelessly
Metaphor
A metaphor makes a comparison between two
unlike things or ideas. Examples include:

• heart of stone

• time is money

• the world is a stage

• she's a night owl

• Life is a race

• He is the only ray of hope for us

Effect/ Significance of Metaphors:
For example: “Our soldiers were lions in the war.”

The writer compares our soldiers to lions to show that they

are brave, strong and fought like lions.

He was a diamond among the sea of glass.

The man is compared to diamond to show that he is unique
and valuable among other ordinary men.
 RICHARD BRANSON

“Business opportunities are like buses.

There's always another one coming.”
***Extended Metaphor
A version of metaphor that extends over the course of multiple lines, paragraphs. Extended
metaphors build upon simple metaphors with figurative language and more varied, descriptive
comparisons.

All the world’s a stage,

And all the men and women merely players;

They have their exits and their entrances;

And one man in his time plays many parts,

His acts being seven ages.

William Shakespeare
Example: Romeo and Juliet by William
Shakespeare
But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief.

Romeo compares the object of his affection to the sun:

a radiant, untouchable figure. Extending the analogy
(comparison), he wishes that she would rise quicker
and chase away the moon, which pales in comparison
to the beauty of Juliet.
Effect:
 It allows writers to draw a larger comparison between
two things or ideas.
 It also allows the audience to visualize a complex idea
in a memorable way or tangible.
 They highlight a comparison in a more intense way
than simple metaphors or similes.
Personification
An idea or thing given human attributes and/or feelings or is spoken of as if it were human.

 My alarm yelled at me this morning.  This article says that spinach is good for you.

 I like onions, but they don’t like me.  Unfortunately, when she stepped on the Lego,

 The sign on the door insulted my intelligence. her foot cried.

 My phone is not cooperating with me today.  The sunflowers hung their heads.

 That bus is driving too fast.  That door jumped in my way.

 My computer works very hard.  The school bell called us from outside.

 The mail is running unusually slow this week.  In addition, the storm trampled the town.

 I wanted to get money, but the ATM died.  This advertisement speaks to me.
Explanation of simile, metaphor and personification

 The writer compares ………… to ………. to show

…………………..
 The writer compares ………..... to ………... to emphasize
…………….
Effect of simile, metaphor and personification
 Provides the reader with a more descriptive image of ……….
 It sparks the reader’s imagination
Pathetic Fallacy
Pathetic fallacy is giving human feelings to something
non-human.
Be careful: don't mix up pathetic fallacy with personification.

• Pathetic fallacy is always about giving emotions to something non-human.

• Personification is giving any human attribute to an object. For example, 'The wind
whispered through the trees.' or 'The flowers danced in the breeze.’

• Weather and Seasons

Pathetic fallacy is often used to describe the environment. The weather
and season can be described with human emotions to reflect the mood
of a character or create a tone.

'The raindrops wept around him.'

'The weather is miserable outside.'
More Examples + Effect
 “Great milk comes from happy cows. Happy cows come from
California.” (Real California Milk TV Commercial)

 “I wandered lonely as a cloud.”

 The ambitious ocean swell and rage and foam.

• Writer use Pathetic Fallacy try to bring inanimate objects to life, so

that the nature of emotions they want to convey is understood in a
better way. This is because it is easier for readers to relate to
abstract emotions when they observe it in their natural
surroundings.
Oxymoron
An oxymoron is a figure of speech usually one or two words in which seemingly contradictory terms appear
side by side.

 accurate estimate  jumbo shrimp

 alone together  only option
 awfully good  original copy
 bittersweet  passive-aggressive
 climb down  same difference
 close distance  seriously funny
 grow smaller  small crowd
 living dead  virtual reality
 Purpose and Effect

OXYMORONS TEND TO HAVE DEEPER

MEANINGS AND THEY ARE MORE MEMORABLE
THAN NONCONTRADICTORY WORDS PLACING CONTRASTING
WORDS NEXT TO EACH
OTHER MAKES EACH ONE
STAND OUT MORE
SETS THE MEANING CLEAR DRAMATIC EFFECT
AS A CONTRADICTION OF TERMS, AN
OXYMORON BOTH STANDS OUT AND
ALSO ELICITS CRITICAL THINKING.
Hyperbole
An exaggerating statement; the use of exaggerated terms for the purpose of emphasis or heightened effect.

Example:
 I have a ton of things to do when I get home.
 I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.
 She’s as old as the hills.
 I walked a million miles to get here.
 She can hear a pin drop a mile away.
 I died of embarrassment.
 He’s as skinny as a toothpick.
 She’s as tall as a beanpole.

Effect: to emphasize the magnitude (size and importance) of something through exaggerated comparison
 Understatement
A figure of speech in which a writer or speaker deliberately makes a situation seem less important or
serious than it is.

 “Deserts are sometimes hot, dry, and sandy.” – Describing deserts of the world.
 “He is not too thin.” – Describing an obese person.
 “It rained a bit more than usual.” – Describing an area being flooded by heavy rainfall.
 “It was O.K.” – Said by the student who got the highest score on the test.
 “It is a bit nippy today.” – Describing the temperature, which is 5 degrees below freezing.
 “It will not hurt,” – Describing the pain from a syringe.

Effect:
 to avoid telling a truth that might hurt or
harm the people someone loves

 in order to intentionally make a situation

seem less important or smaller than it is
Irony
Irony occurs in literature and in life whenever a person says something or does something that departs from what they (or we)
expect them to say or do.

Writers make use of irony as a literary device for a number of reasons:

 To build tension
 Create humor
 Elicit sympathy for our characters
 Give our story a satisfying twist
 Tie various elements to a central theme or moral
 Character development (either the hero or other characters)
Pun
A play on words, sometimes on different senses of the same word and sometimes on the similar sense or sound of
different words.
Example:
 Jessie looked up from her breakfast and said, "A boiled egg every morning is hard to beat.“
 A bicycle can't stand on its own because it is two-tired.
 No matter how much you push the envelope, it will still be stationery.
 A pessimist's blood type is always B-negative.
 Two peanuts walk into a bar, and one was a-salted.
 Reading while sunbathing makes you well-red.

Effect: achieve a rhetorical or humorous effect in a piece of writing, for example, or as an

icebreaker at a party.
***Apostrophe
A figure of speech used to address someone who is absent or already dead. It can also be used
to address an abstract quality or idea, and even a non-living object.

“Death, be not proud, though some have called thee

Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;”
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

“O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,

The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won,”
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

“Twinkle, twinkle little star

How I wonder what you are”
………………………………………………………………………………………...............................................................................................

“I’m funny, right? What do you know? You’re a door.”

Effect of Apostrophe
 It highlights the importance of the idea or object. It also adds drama,
evoking emotions from jubilation to sorrow.
 To personify or bring to life something not living, so the writer is able to
address it directly.
O apostrophe, how amazing you are!
***Euphemism
A euphemism is an appropriate expression used in the place of a phrase or words
that may be found inappropriate or offensive. Euphemisms are commonly used in
daily language and literature to replace language that some may find displeasing.

Euphemistic language is commonly used in literature, especially older works, as a

way to convey a message without risking the chance of it being barred to censorship
for crude language.

Make the bad words sound better!

•“Passed away” instead of “died”

•“Let go” instead of “fired”
•“Put down” instead of “euthanized”
 More Examples:
 economical/thrifty instead of cheap  curvy instead of fat
 well-off instead of rich  inquisitive instead of asking questions
 break wind instead of pass gas or fart  outspoken instead of bossy
 number one for urinate  aging instead of getting old
 number two for a bowel movement  with child instead of pregnant

Effect Writers use Euphemism to show comfort with their language, and to avoid using offensive
language. Writers use euphemism to use different words to say the same thing to be creative and
introduce a variety in their writing.
Imagery
Imagery using visuals – Visual Imagery

 The night was black as ever, but bright stars lit up the sky in beautiful and
varied constellations which were sprinkled across the astronomical
landscape.

In this example, the experience of the night sky is described in depth with color
(black as ever, bright), shape (varied constellations), and pattern (sprinkled).

Imagery using sounds – Auditory Imagery

 Silence was broken by the peal of piano keys as Shannon began practicing
her concerto.

Here, auditory imagery breaks silence with the beautiful sound of piano keys.
Imagery using scent - Olfactory Imagery

 She smelled the scent of sweet hibiscus wafting through the air, its
tropical smell a reminder that she was on vacation in a beautiful place.

The scent of hibiscus helps describe a scene which is relaxing, warm, and
welcoming.

Imagery using taste - Gustatory Imagery

 The candy melted in her mouth and swirls of bittersweet chocolate and
slightly sweet but salty caramel blended together on her tongue.

Thanks to an in-depth description of the candy’s various flavors, the

reader can almost experience the deliciousness directly.
Imagery using touch -Tactile Imagery

 After the long run, he collapsed in the grass with tired and burning
muscles. The grass tickled his skin and sweat cooled on his brow.

In this example, imagery is used to describe the feeling of strained

muscles, grass’s tickle, and sweat cooling on skin.
 Sound Devices
 Rhyme
Rhyme is the repetition of words with the same sound in a text/poem. The pattern of
similarly pronounced words in a text/poem is thus known as a rhyme scheme.
Example:
The following is an excerpt from Robert Frost's "Acquainted with the Night."

Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.

I have been one acquainted with the night.
Effect: creates and a pleasurable echo which leaves a lasting effect on the
audience/ evoke emotions

 Internal rhyme occurs when the rhyming words appear in the middle of a line.
** I went to town to buy a gown. / I took the car, and it wasn't far.
** I had a cat who wore a hat. / He looked cool but felt the fool.
Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia is a sound device that represents the exact sound of something in the text. The writer forms a word to
imitate the sound made by the object in the text.

It's a form of sound symbolism, whereby the letters represent a sound and might not be a recognizable word in the
dictionary.

Some forms of onomatopoeia are obvious and universally understood, for example;

splish splash, ding dong, tick tock, achoo, shh

Also, some words which denote the sound made can be used as onomatopoeia in texts such as bark, hiss, clattering,
sizzling, clapping among others.

Nevertheless, onomatopoeic sounds may differ from one culture to another, even when the poem is in the same
language.

In some cultures, the sound cows make is represented by moo. In my culture, mbooo (read with oh) is the known sound a
cow makes.

*** to make the reader feel closer to the person, place, event being described

*** to emphasize, exaggerate, dramatize and draw attention to a situation

Alliteration
A literary technique that occurs when two or more words are linked that share the same first consonant sound, such as “fish
fry.” Some famous examples of alliteration sentences include:
** Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
** Sally sells seashells by the sea shore.
** How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
*** The sound, not the letter, is the most important element of alliteration
‘Kitty cat’ and ‘fish phobia’ are considered alliteration examples, but not “thirty typists,” because ‘th’ and ‘ty’ don’t sound the same.
More Examples:
Cream of the crop
French fry
Hit the hay
Pecan pie
Super-Size
Tough talk
Trick or treat
•Sibilance
A figure of speech in which a hissing sound is created within a group of words through the repetition of "s"
sounds.

"Sadly, Sam sold seven venomous serpents to Sally and Cyrus in San Francisco.“

*** sibilance could also include the repetition of the other sounds:

* "Sh" sounds: Under this definition, the common tongue-twister "she sells seashells by the seashore" is an excellent example of
sibilance that mixes "s" and "sh" sounds.

* "F" and soft "th" sounds: For instance, the sentence "she threw a hissy fit" has a hissing sound even though it only has one
sibilant "s" sound.

* "Z" and "v" and hard "th" sounds: Finally, some people's list of sibilant sounds also includes buzzing sounds like "z" and "v"
sounds and hard "th" sounds (as in the word "this").
Assonance
Assonance is a literary device in which the repetition of similar vowel sounds takes
place in two or more words.
*Son of a gun
*The cat is out of the bag
*Dumb luck
*After a while, crocodile
*Chips and dip
*Goodnight, sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite
*Stranger danger
*Winner, winner, chicken dinner
*Motion of the ocean
*Lean, mean, fighting machine
*Wild child
*Surf and turf
Consonance
Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds close to each other within a
line.

The sounds are repetitive whether in the middle or at the end of words, not to be
confused with alliteration.

Words in which at first glance may appear to rhyme but do not, usually apply
consonance like above/approve and amber/chamber.

Example:
The following is an excerpt from Robert Frost's "Acquainted with the Night." There is
repetitive use of consonant sound r, n, and th.

Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.

 Repetition
Repetition is a literary device that involves intentionally using a word or phrase
for effect, two or more times in a speech or written work. For repetition to be
noticeable, the words or phrases should be repeated within close proximity of
each other.
Effect: Repeating the same words or phrases in a literary work of poetry or prose
can bring clarity and emphasize to an idea and/or make it memorable for the
reader.
Time after time Heart to heart Boys will be boys
Hand in hand Get ready; get set; go Hour to hour
Sorry, not sorry Over and over

• “Hey! I’m walking here! I’m walking here!” (Midnight Cowboy)

• “You talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to me? Then who the hell else
are you talkin’ to? You talkin’ to me? Well, I’m the only one here.” (Taxi Driver)
• “You don’t understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I
could’ve been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am.” (On the
Waterfront)
• “Bond. James Bond.” (James Bond films)
Sound devices create musical effects and heighten
artistic and thematic elements of writers’ works. The
use of sound devices ensures that the text is
pleasing and musically varied, which keeps the
reader engaged.

Different sound devices can be used to heighten

emotions in the work, amplify tone, or create or
break tension. They can also guide readers towards
a deeper understanding of the work.
Other Important Terms
Anaphora
Anaphora is a device that features the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive
sentences, phrases, or clauses. Anaphora works as a literary device to allow writers to convey,
emphasize, and reinforce meaning.

Example from Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of
foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was
the season of Darkness…”
**Through repetition of the phrase “it was,” Dickens reinforces to the reader that the time he is
describing is a past filled with oppositions and extremes.

More Examples:
“Go big or go home.”
“Get busy living or get busy dying.”
“Give me liberty or give me death.”
“You’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t.”
“Stay safe. Stay well. Stay happy.”
“I wish I may; I wish I might.”
“Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.”
“Give much, give often, give freely.”
“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”
Allusion
is a reference, typically brief, to a person, place, thing, event, or other literary work with which the reader is presumably
familiar. As a literary device, allusion allows a writer to compress a great deal of meaning and significance into a word or
phrase. However, allusions are only effective to the extent that they are recognized and understood by the reader, and that
they are properly inferred and interpreted by the reader. If an allusion is obscure or misunderstood, it can lose effectiveness by
confusing the reader.
Examples:
His smile is like kryptonite to me. (Superman’s weakness)
She felt like she had a golden ticket. (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)
If I’m not home by midnight, my car might turn into a pumpkin. (Cinderella)
His job is like pulling a sword out of a stone. (King Arthur Legend)
Is there an Einstein in your physics class? (Albert Einstein)
I’m listening to the king. (Elvis Presley)
Achilles’ heel (alluding to the one weakness of Achilles)
arrow of love (allusion to Cupid)
hot as Hades (alluding to the god of death/king of the underworld)
Anecdote
is defined as a short and interesting story, or an amusing event, often proposed to support or
demonstrate some point.
Example:
Is that a white rose? Wow! I love them. My grandfather had a massive rose garden with over 200
different species. Every Friday, he'd go out into the garden, clip a dozen, and make my
grandmother a bouquet. Does love like that exist anymore?
What is the point of this short anecdote?
True love and care is rare these days.