Figurative language: One meaning of "figure" is "drawing" or
"picture". Figurative language creates pictures in the mind of the
reader or listener. These pictures help convey the meaning faster
and more vividly than words alone.
We use figures of speech in "figurative language" to add colour and
interest, and to awaken the imagination. Figurative language is
everywhere, from classical works like Shakespeare or the Bible, to
everyday speech, pop music and television commercials. It makes
the reader or listener use their imagination and understand much
more than the plain words.
Figurative language is the opposite of literal language. Literal
language means exactly what it says. Figurative language means
something different to (and usually more than) what it says on the
surface:
He ran fast. (literal)
He ran like the wind. (figurative)
In the above example "like the wind" is a figure of speech (in this
case, a simile). It is important to recognize the difference between
literal and figurative language. There are many figures of speech
that are commonly used and which you can learn by heart. At other
times, writers and speakers may invent their own figures of speech.
If you do not recognize them as figures of speech and think that
they are literal, you will find it difficult to understand the language.
Simile
pronounced: SIM-i-lee
It's been a hard day's night,
and I've been working like a dogThe Beatles
A simile is a figure of speech that says that one thing is like
another different thing. We can use similes to make descriptions
more emphatic or vivid.
We often use the words as...as and like with similes.
Common patterns for similes, with example sentences, are:
something [is*] AS adjective AS something
His skin was as cold as ice.
It felt as hard as rock.
She looked as gentle as a lamb.
something [is*] LIKE something
My love is like a red, red rose.
These cookies taste like garbage.
He had a temper (that was) like a volcano.
something [does**] LIKE something
He eats like a pig.
He smokes like a chimney.
They fought like cats and dogs.
* stative verb: be, feel, smell, taste etc
** action verb
Here are some more examples of well known similes:
[is] AS adjective AS something
meaning
as blind as a bat
completely blind
as cold as ice
very cold
as flat as a pancake
completely flat
as gentle as a lamb
very gentle
as light as a feather
very light
as old as the hills
very old
as sharp as a knife
very sharp
[is] AS adjective AS something
meaning
as strong as a bull
very strong
as white as snow
pure white
as wise as an owl
very wise
Longer list of AS...AS similes
[is] LIKE
something
possible meaning (depending on
context)
like a rose
beautiful
like a volcano
explosive
like garbage
disgusting
like an animal
inhuman
like spaghetti
entangled
like dewdrops
sweet and pure
like golddust
precious
[is] LIKE
something
possible meaning (depending on
context)
like a tip
very untidy (tip = garbage dump)
like a dream
wonderful, incredible
like stars
bright and beautiful
[does] LIKE something
meaning
to drink like a fish
to drink a lot
to eat like a bird
to eat very little
to eat like a horse
to eat a lot
to eat like a pig
to eat impolitely
to fight like cats and dogs
to fight fiercely
to sing like an angel
to sing beautifully
to sleep like a log
to sleep well and soundly
to smoke like a chimney
to smoke heavily, all the time
to soar like an eagle
to fly high and free
[does] LIKE something
meaning
to work like a dog
to work very hard
Note that with the AS...AS pattern, the first AS is sometimes
suppressed, for example:
His skin was cold as ice.
The above patterns of simile are the most common, but there are
others made with adverbs or words such as than and as if, for
example:
He ran as fast as the wind.
He is larger than life.
They ran as if for their lives.
Similes can include other figures of speech. For example, "He ran
like greased lightning" is a simile that includes hyperbole (greased
lightning).
Similes often make use of irony or sarcasm. In such cases they may
even mean the opposite of the adjective used. Look at these
examples:
His explanation was as clear as mud. (not clear at all since
mud is opaque)
The film was about as interesting as watching a copy of
Windows download. (long and boring)
Watching the show was like watching paint dry. (very
boring)
Similes are often found (and they sometimes originate) in poetry
and other literature. Here are a few examples:
A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle - Irina
Dunn
Dawn breaks open like a wound that bleeds afresh - Wilfred
Owen
Death has many times invited me: it was like the salt invisible
in the waves - Pablo Neruda
Guiltless forever, like a tree - Robert Browning
Happy as pigs in mud - David Eddings
How like the winter hath my absence been - William
Shakespeare
As idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean - Samuel Taylor
Coleridge
Jubilant as a flag unfurled - Dorothy Parker
So are you to my thoughts as food to life - William
Shakespeare
Yellow butterflies flickered along the shade like flecks of sun William Faulkner
Popular songs, too, make use of simile:
A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle - U2
Cheaper than a hot dog with no mustard - Beastie Boys
I must do what's right, as sure as Kilimanjaro rises like
Olympus above the Serengeti - Toto
It's been a hard day's night, and I've been working like a dog The Beatles
Like A Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan
Like a bat outta [out of] hell - Meat Loaf
My heart is like an open highway - Jon Bon Jovi
These are the seasons of emotion and like the winds they rise
and fall - Led Zeppelin
Thick as a Brick - Jethro Tull
You are as subtle as a brick to the small of my back - Taking
Back
Metaphor
pronounced: MET-uh-for
All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely
players
They have their exits and their
entrancesWilliam Shakespeare
A metaphor is a figure of speech that says that one thing is
another different thing. This allows us to use fewer words and forces
the reader or listener to find the similarities.
The word metaphor comes from the Greek
word metapherin (meaning "transfer").
The simplest form of metaphor is: "The [first thing] is a [second
thing]."
Look at this example:
Her home was a prison.
In the above sentence, we understand immediately that her home
had some of the characteristics of a prison. Mainly, we imagine, she
could not leave her home. She was trapped inside. Why it was a
prison we do not know, but that would be clear from the context-perhaps her husband forced her to stay at home, perhaps she was
afraid of the outside. We don't know, but the rest of the story would
tell us. What is important here is that in five simple words we
understand a lot about her environment, how she felt and how she
behaved. In this sentence, "prison" is a metaphor.
Look at another example:
George is a sheep.
What is one characteristic of sheep? They follow each other. So we
can imagine that George is a follower, not a leader. In this sentence
"sheep" is a metaphor.
Metaphors are very common in everyday language. But poets also
like to use metaphors. In the following famous verse (from The
Highwayman by Alfred Noyes), can you spot three metaphors in the
first three lines?
The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees,
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,
And the highwayman came riding-Riding--riding-The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.
Look at these examples of metaphors with sample sentences and
meanings:
Metaphor
example
Metaphorical
sense
I'm not anangel,
but I wouldn't
behave like that.
exemplary person
a spiritual being
believed to be a
messenger of God
America is
amelting pot.
place where different
peoples, styles and
cultures are mixed
together
a container in
which metals or
other materials are
melted and mixed
John is a
realpig when he
eats.
greedy person
a four-legged
animal kept for
meat (pork)
My father is
arock.
very strong or
reliable person
a hard, mineral
material made of
stone
Original sense
Metaphor
example
Metaphorical
sense
How could she
marry
a snakelike that!
traitor
a long, limbless
reptile (eg: cobra,
python, viper)
The policeman
let him off with
a yellow card.
warning
(in soccer) a yellow
card that the
referee shows to
players when
cautioning them
Original sense
All the above metaphors (the simplest form) are nouns. But there
are other ways of making metaphors, for example with verbs or
adjectives. Here are some examples:
Metaphor example
Original sense of the
word (example)
The committee shot her
ideasdown one by one.
Anti-aircraft guns shoot
down planes.
The private detective dug
upenough evidence to convince
the police to act.
Dogs like to bury bones and
dig them up later.
He broke into her conversation.
Burglars break into
buildings.
Metaphor example
Original sense of the
word (example)
The new movie was very popular.
People flocked to see it.
Birds flock together before
they migrate.
His head was spinning with
ideas.
Some computer hard drives
spin at over 10,000
revolutions per minute.
Reading that book kindled my
interest in politics.
You need to start with twigs
and small branches when
you kindle a camp fire.
Tim lost his job after
a heatedargument with his boss.
We have a heated
swimming pool.
The new car's sexy design
increased sales for the company.
Some women think that
lipstick makes them look
sexy.
He was dressed rather vulgarly in
a loud checked suit.
I can't hear you because
the radio is too loud.
It wasn't long before their
relationship turned sour.
Sour food has an acid taste
like lemon or vinegar.
Difference Between Metaphor and Simile
Both similes and metaphors link one thing to another. A simile
usually uses "as" or "like". A metaphor is a condensed simile, a
shortcut to meaning, which omits "as" or "like." A metaphor creates
a relationship directly and leaves more to the imagination. With
simile A is like B. With metaphor A isB.
simile
metaphor
Your eyes are like the sun.
You are my sunshine.
He eats like a pig.
He lives like a pig.
He is a pig.
Dead Metaphors
In the phrase "to grasp the concept" the physical action "to gras p"
is used as a metaphor for "to understand" (which is non-physical).
But this phrase has been used so often that most English speakers
do not have an image of the physical action in their mind. This
metaphor has died; it is a "dead metaphor".
Mixed Metaphors
The awkward use of two or more different metaphors at the same
time is normally best avoided. It creates conflicting images in the
reader or listener's mind, reduces each metaphor's impact, and
generally causes confusion. Look at this example:
America is a melting pot where new ideas are kindled.
Hyperbole
pronounced: hy-PER-buh-lee
Give me a thousand kisses, then a hundred,
Then another thousand, then a second hundred,
Then still another thousand, then a hundredCatullus
Hyperbole is a figure of speech that uses an exaggerated or
extravagant statement to create a strong emotional response. As a
figure of speech it is not intended to be taken literally. Hyperbole is
frequently used for humour. Examples of hyperbole are:
They ran like greased lightning.
He's got tons of money.
Her brain is the size of a pea.
He is older than the hills.
I will die if she asks me to dance.
She is as big as an elephant!
I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.
I have told you a million times not to lie!
The media and the advertising industry often use hyperbole (which
may then be described as hype or media hype).
Oxymoron
pronounced: ox-ee-MOR-on | plural: oxymora, oxymorons
So fair and foul a day I have not
seen!William Shakespeare
An oxymoron is a figure of speech that deliberately uses two
contradictory ideas. This contradiction creates a paradoxical image
in the reader or listener's mind that generates a new concept or
meaning for the whole. Some typical oxymorons are:
a living death
sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind
a deafening silence
bitter-sweet
The Sounds of Silence (song title)
make haste slowly
he was conspicuous by his absence
Pseudo Oxymorons
In the standard meaning of oxymoron the contradiction is
deliberate. However, in popular usage oxymoron is sometimes used
to mean "contradiction in terms", where the contradiction is
unintentional. Such expressions, unlike real oxymorons, are
commonly used without any sense of paradox in everyday language,
for example:
anecdotal evidence
friendly fire
pretty ugly
A common attempt at humour is to describe a certain phrase as an
oxymoron, implying that the two parts of the phrase are mutually
exclusive and that consequently the phrase as a whole must be
nonsensical:
airline food
American culture
eco-tourism
Microsoft security
military intelligence
