Figurative Language : Types and Examples
Figurative Language
What is Figurative Language?
A language that describes something by comparing it with something else, you are using figurative language.
Types of Figurative Language:
- Imagery Apostrophe
- Simile Assonance
- Metaphor Paradox
- Alliteration Litotes
- Personification Oxymoron
- Onomatopoeia Synecdoche
- Hyperbole Symbolism
- Idioms Antithesis
- Irony Metonymy
- Euphemism
Imagery
The Language that appeals to the senses. Descriptions of people or objects are stated in terms of our senses.
- Sight
- Hearing
- Touch
- Taste
- Smell
Simile
It includes a straight comparison between two unlike things, usually with words like or as.
Example:
The muscles on his arms are strong as iron bands.
Metaphor
A figure of speech that contrasts two, unlike things WITHOUT using the words like or as and states the comparison as if it were a fact.
Examples:
The voice was a bass drum echoing throughout the car.
You are the light in my life.
Love is a lie
Personification
It gives the qualities of a person to an animal, an object, or an idea.
Example:
The wind cannot yell. Only a living thing can yell.
A few more examples:
- The wind whistled against my cheeks.
- The sun greeted me this morning.
- The flowers begged for water.
- Trees bowed to the ground
- The carved pumpkin smiled at me.
Alliteration
Repeated consonant sounds start at the beginning of words or within words.
Example:
He was wide-eyed and wondering while he waited for Walter to wake.
A few more examples:
- Cutie cat clawed her couch, creating chaos.
- Dan’s dog dove deep into the dam, drinking dirty water as he dove.
- Eric’s eagle eats eggs, enjoying each episode of eating.
- Feud’s friends fried Fritos for Friday’s food.
Onomatopoeia
The use of words that mimic sounds.
Example:
The firecracker made a loud ka-boom!
Hyperbole
It is an exaggeration that emphasizes a point and can be ridiculous or funny.
Examples:
- The lottery winner’s grin stretched from New York City to Los Angeles.
- You snore louder than a freight train
- I have died every day waiting for you
- It was so cold; I saw polar bears wearing jackets.
- I am so hungry that I can eat a horse
- I had a ton of homework
Idioms
An idiom points to a construction or expression in one language that cannot be matched or directly translated word-for-word in another language.
Example:
You should keep your eye out for him.
Meaning:
To keep an eye out for someone means to watch out for them.
Irony
The irony is the use of words that mean the opposite of what you really think, especially in order to be funny.
Example:
“This is my brilliant son who failed out of college.”
She’s a great singer who sings like a crow.
Euphemism
The substitute of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant.
Example:
Passed away: died
I’m busy: Leave me alone
Your being let go: You are fired
Metonymy
In metonymy, an object is designated by the name of something that is generally associated with it.
Example:
The crown, for kings.
Red coats, for British soldiers.
Antithesis
In antithesis, a striking opposition of words or sentiments is made in the same sentence.
Example:
They promised freedom and provided slavery.
Apostrophe
The addressing of usually absent people or a usually personified thing rhetorically.
Example:
Carlye’s “O liberty, what things are done in the name.
Litotes
It is affirmative that is conveyed by the negation of the opposite, the effect being to suggest a strong expression by means of a weaker one. It is the opposite of Hyperbole.
Example:
Not a bad singer
Not unhappy
Not unlike
Assonance
The use of words that have similar vowel sounds near one another.
Example:
Summer fun
Rise high in the bright sky.
Paradox
In which a statement appears to contradict itself.
Example:
“War is peace”
“Freedom is slavery”
“Ignorance is strength”
“My weakness is my strength.”
Oxymoron
Contradictory terms appear side by side. Known as a compressed paradox.
Example:
Great Depression
Criminal Justice
Hell’s Angels
Synecdoche
It is a part used to designate the whole or the whole to designate a part.
Example:
Give us this day our daily bread (for food)
He has many mouths to feed.
A ten-sail (for ten ships)
As a creature (for a man)
Symbolism
Something that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention.
Examples:
A heart means love.
Tears – emotion
Red light means stop
A light bulb means “new idea”
Figurative Language Techniques Used in Writing
Figurative language helps draw up a powerful picture, express a specific setting in detail, communicate the mood, reveal shifts in the atmosphere, and more.
- Personality Reveal
Figures of speech are used in writing to reveal the character traits or the personality of a character. By using phrases like “he spoke in a cold, heavy voice”, writers are able to convey the nature of a character or portray their dimensions.
- Setting The Mood of a Scene
Vivid imagery, symbolism, metaphor, hyperbole, and euphemism are some of the figures of speech that can be used to set the mood of a scene. “He felt there was a crater-shaped hole in him” or “the yellow fog washed the street as in a Wong Kar-Wai film” are ways figurative language can be used to evoke specific emotions or depict a powerful scene.
- Add Comedic Effect
Commonly used to add comedic effect to writing, hyperbole and understatement are the go-to among writers for getting a laugh or two out of readers. Downplaying the seriousness of a situation to convey deadpan humor or adding dramatic effect with hyperbole helps strike the right tone with the reader.
Figurative Language in Poetry and Literature
You’ll never read a story or a poem without metaphors, similes, alliterations, hyperboles, etc. Figures of speech take up significant space in the writing toolkits of writers and poets. Below are some of the most remarkable examples of figurative language in poetry and literature:
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
- Metaphor: “…vivid flashes of lightning dazzled my eyes, illuminating the lake, making it appear like a vast sheet of fire”
Lightning is compared to a sheet of fire.
- Simile: “The saintly soul of Elizabeth shone like a shrine-dedicated lamp in our peaceful home”
Elizabeth’s spirit is compared to a shrine-dedicated lamp to convey her compassionate nature and pure heart.
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
- Onomatopoeia: “…the whistling of drovers, the barking of dogs, the bellowing and plunging of the oxen, the bleating of sheep, the grunting and squeaking of pigs, the cries of hawkers, the shouts, oaths, and quarrelling on all sides…”
Dickens paints the cacophonous market scene in Oliver Twist using phonetic imitations.
- Simile: “…the green damp hung upon the low walls, and the tracks of the snail and slug glistened in the light of the candle, but all was still as death.”
Dickens compares stillness to death to set an eerie mood in the story.
Stopping by The Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost
- Alliteration:
“…he will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow”
Frost uses soft sounds to alliterate and lend a calm, atmospheric quality to the poem.
- Personification:
“…he gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake”
Frost lends human qualities of speech to the horse in the poem, to highlight the cold, secluded nature of the path and environment the rider is moving along.
Literal vs Figurative Language
Literal language, as the word itself signifies, conveys the dictionary meaning of objects, things, etc. No exaggerations, visual cues, comparisons, or similarities need to be used to convey a scene, a mood, or a piece of information effectively through literal language. Descriptions of a setting or an object are limited largely to facts and observable characteristics.
In contrast, figurative language, as we already know, uses different forms of illustrations, like the context or implicit nature of a specific concept, to convey meanings. Understatements, comparisons, creative interpretations, exaggerations, symbolic meanings, sounds, and vivid imagery are employed to impart the essence of a phrase or piece of writing.
While the former cuts to the chase, the latter engages the reader more immersively before delivering the meaning.
Conclusion
Figurative language is a pivotal element in human communication. We are sentimental beings who thrive in and enjoy experimenting with our forms of expression. They lend color, sound, and images to ordinary sentences. It’s safe to say that expression wouldn’t just feel dull and stripped of all life without figures of speech, but we would also fail to connect with each other. It expands our imagination, makes communication more interesting, and acts as an instrument in forging social relationships, too. To be precise, it breathes life into language scripts.
FAQs
What is figurative language in simple words?
When creative contexts, interpretations, and illustrations are conveyed to readers through the use of language, it is understood as figurative language. It can be in the form of comparison, exaggeration, understatement, sounds, embodiment, contrasts, etc.
What are the main types of figurative language?
Writers use several figures of speech on a daily basis to add life to their works. Alliteration, simile, metonymy, hyperbole, personification, assonance, paradox, oxymoron, symbolism, metaphor, and imagery are a few to name.
What is the difference between literal and figurative language?
While literal language is upfront and employs standard dictionary meanings to directly convey the meaning of a phrase, figurative language uses more creativity. The former is upfront and does not seek to indulge the reader beyond what is factually and observably correct. The latter, however, engages and indulges a reader by painting a more vivid picture of a phrase.
Why is figurative language used in poetry?
For poets, figurative language is the bread and butter in writing. They are used to make descriptions more lively, assign meaning to objects, compare concepts, and engage readers in an emotional way. It serves as a powerful tool for expressing ideas and sentiments, and invites the reader to develop interpretations actively.
Is a metaphor a type of figurative language?
Yes. Metaphor is used in writing to compare one thing with another. It lends meaning to a person, place, thing, etc., by virtue of another without using the words “like” or “as”.
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