Figurative Language:Similes, Metaphors, Onomatopoeias, and Idioms

by Kathy Webber

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Why is figurative language used in stories, music, movies, comics, and advertisements?

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Literal Meaning vs. Figurative MeaningLiteral Meaning (LM): text comprehended exactly as it it expressed.Figurative Meaning (FM): phrases or words that express a different meaning than the literal one. Often this compares two unlike things that show a like quality (simile or metaphor.) It can also show the sound a word makes (onomatopoeia), or it can be an expression that deviates from the original meaning (idiom.)

Simile Examples:FM: She is as wise as an owl.Literal language LM: She is a very wise person.FM: He is like a fish out of water.LM: He is out of his comfort zone.

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Metaphors Examples:

FM: She is a walking dictionary.LM: She knows a lot.FM: The baseball was a speeding rocket.LM: The baseball was traveling extremely fast.

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Onomatopoeia examples:

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Idiom Examples:FM: I’m going to blow my top.LM: I’m going to lose my temper.FM: He has a green thumb.LM: He is good at growing plants.

FM: She is all bark and no bite,LM: She seems scary, but she is harmless.FM: The grass is always greener on the other side.LM: Things always seem better in another situation.

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So the next time you are: reading a book, watching a movie, listening to a song, reading a comic book, or conversing with a friend, listen and look for figurative language. Think about how you can incorporate figurative language in your own writing.