Figurative Language ReviewEnglish 8 Mrs. Davis

Walk Two Moons

What is Figurative Language?

Figurative Language is language that is used to help make writing more descriptive and lively.

This type of language helps to provide vivid imagery for the

reader.

Figurative

Using a word (or a group of words) to express a meaning other than the dictionary definition.Examples: – I’m feeling a little “under the

weather.”– I’m feeling “blue.”

Literal

Using a word from the dictionary or exact definition.Examples:– I think that I might have the flu.– I am sad.

Similes

A comparison between two things using the words like or as.Examples:

-Lilly is as light as a feather.-The baby is as delicate as a flower.-Danny is sly like a fox.

Metaphors

A comparison of two things but without using like or as.Examples:

-She has a heart of stone.-Life is a winding river.-Her eyes are two stars twinkling in the night.

Hyperbole

An obvious or intentional exaggeration (usually for comedic or dramatic effect)Examples:

-Mom! You never let me go out with my friends!-Sally talks a mile a minute.-Danny was so angry that I saw steam coming out of his ears!

Personification

A description in which nonhuman objects or animals are given human-like characteristics.Examples:

-The stars smiled in the sky.-The wind whispered an ominous tune through the trees.-The flames of the fire danced in the darkness.

What is an Idiom?

Colorful language that is not literal and is not meant to be taken literally.

More about Idioms

Idioms are expressions that are specific to a particular language. They can be confusing because the phrase as a whole might have nothing to do with the literal meanings of the individual words within the expression.

Example: To “let the cat out of the bag” means to reveal a secret, which today has nothing to do with a cat or a bag, but hundreds of years ago it may have.

Where do idioms come from?

Idioms come from many different sources. Some come from the Bible, slang, ancient fables and myths, famous storytellers and authors, cultural customs, folktales, and proverbs.

Some catch on because they rhyme (snug as a bug in a rug) or because they use alliteration (spick and span)

Raining cats and dogs

Because it is raining cats and dogs, our picnic is ruined.

Meaning: to rain very heavily; to pourOrigin: This idiom goes back to the middle 1700s in England. Many cats and dogs drowned in floods caused by torrential rainstorms, and their bodies were found in the streets afterwards as if they had fallen from the sky with the rain.

Put all your eggs in one basket

Keith used all his savings to start a fishing business, but I told him not to put all his

eggs in one basket.Meaning: to risk everything you have at once on a single idea or planOrigin: This idiom goes back to the 1600s when someone realized that if you put all your eggs in one basket and then dropped that basket, all your eggs would be smashed at once.

Chip on your shoulder

Avoid Calvin today. He has a real chip on his shoulder.

Meaning: to be quarrelsome, aggressive, or rude; to be ready to fightOrigin: In the early 1800s, American boys played a game where one boy would put a chip of wood or stone on his shoulder and dare another boy to knock it off. If the other boy was successful, the two boys would fight.

Get up on the wrong side of the bed

Wow, are you grumpy this morning. I can tell you got up on the wrong side of the bed.

Meaning: to awake with a bad temper or mood, feeling aggravated or grouchyOrigin: In the ancient time of the Romans, the left side of anything was considered evil. In fact, the word “sinister” comes from the Latin word for “left”. They thought bad luck would come to anyone who put his or her left foot down first when getting out of bed.

Mad as a hatter

Sean is as mad as a hatter, but he is my most interesting friend.

Meaning: completely crazy, strange, and eccentricOrigin: People who worked in felt-hat factories in the 1800s inhaled fumes of mercury, and, as a result, developed twitches, jumbled their speech, and grew confused. The condition was sometimes mistaken for madness, and is the origin of Lewis Carroll’s Mad Hatter in “Alice in Wonderland.”

Some More…

Green thumbGets under my skinFish out of waterSkating on thin ice

What is a Cliche?

Definition: overused words or phrases that are no longer effective

Cliché

Many idioms are considered clichés because they have become far overused. When the idioms were new, they were considered fresh and original, but over time have become stale and have lost real meaning.

While it is interesting to think about where idioms come from, you should avoid using them in formal writing. Save them for journals and narrative writing.