Figurative Vs. Literal Language

Figurative Vs. Literal Language

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE? FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE These are words and expressions that are not literally true. LITERAL LANGUAGE The words mean exactly what they say.

HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF THIS: FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE A blanket of white covered the sleeping forest. She ran like a bullet. Grandma has a green thumb. LITERAL LANGUAGE There was a lot of snow in the quiet forest. She is a fast runner. Grandma’s garden is full of beautiful flowers.

TYPES OF FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE SIMILES METAPHORS IDIOMS PERSONIFICATION

SIMILES: compare two things by using LIKE or AS The line at the movie theater moved like a snake. Friday will be as hot as fire. The theater line was long and moved slowly. The temperature will be very hot.

METAPHOR: compare two things often using the word “is” or “are” The warehouse is a dusty, silent tomb. There is a green ribbon of meadow alongside the river. The warehouse is dirty and a little creepy. There is grass growing next to the river.

IDIOM: an expression that has a different meaning The escaped prisoner hightailed it for the woods. All this homework gets on my nerves. It rained cats and dogs and spoiled the soccer game. The prisoner ran quickly into the woods. This homework annoys me. The soccer game was ruined by too much rain.

PERSONIFICATION: giving human qualities to an animal, object, or ides Raindrops danced along the street. The skyscraper watched over the city as night fell. I could hear the wind whisper through the trees. It started to rain. The building was one of the tallest in the city. I could hear a soft breeze.

1. He quickly discovered that his new friend was as smart as ____________________. 2. With his long legs and neck, he stretched as tall as _________________________. 3. The crashing waves in the ocean were foamy like ___________________________. 4. When her parents left, she felt as lonely as ________________________________. 5. He sharpened his pencil until its point was sharp like ________________________.

When my dad makes up his mind he is a rock, not budging an inch. 2) The lava was a blanket of fire that scorched all the plants in its path. 3) Spinning contentedly, the spider was an artist preparing a masterpiece. 4) During the holiday traffic the highway was one long parking lot. 5) The ice cream bar was a snowstorm in her mouth in the heat of the day.

I know that the fight that they had yesterday seemed serious, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Sam and Paul had been dating forever, so we knew that it wouldn’t be long until they tied the knot. I would have loved to call in sick everyday until the summer, but I had to face the music one day.

Justice is blind and, at times, deaf. Money is the only friend that I can count on. The cactus saluted any visitor brave enough to travel the scorched land. Jan ate the hotdog despite the arguments it posed to her digestive system. The world does not care to hear your sad stories.

Figurative Vs. Literal Language