Figurative Languange

What is figurative language?? Describe something by comparing it with something else. 1. Simile () The simile is a figure of speech that describes something by comparing or establishing its similarity to something else, using like or as. This device makes the description more emphatic. Similes are written in the following forms: 1. [subject] [verb] AS [adjective] AS...[noun] The athlete was AS nimble AS a cat. 2. [subject] [verb] LIKE...[noun] This food tastes LIKE garbage. He drives LIKE a maniac. Here are some common examples of similes, with their meanings: ...as cool as a cucumber. ...as gentle as a lamb. ...as blind as a bat. ...as dead as a doornail. ...as strong as an ox. ...as wise as an owl. ...to drink like a fish. ...to eat like a bird. ...to eat like a horse. ...to smoke like a chimney. ...to work like a dog. ...to sleep like a log. Cool-headed Gentle, non-reactive Completely blind Dead beyond a doubt Very strong Very wise To drink a lot To eat very little To eat a lot To smoke a lot. To work very hard. To sleep soundly.

2. Metaphor () A metaphor is a figure of speech that uses an image, a story or a tangible example to express a quality or qualities possessed by a person or thing, or to represent a less tangible thing; Let us analyse a metaphorical statement: The school was a prison for him. What does this mean? It obviously does mean that the school was literally a prison, for that is ludicrous. It is immediately comprehensible, however, that the school

shares certain characteristics with prisons. It is probable that the person referred to as him feels locked up in school, as prisoners do in prison. The meanings of metaphors, while sometimes simple, are best understood in context. 3. Personification () Personification is a figure of speech where a composer has given human qualities to an object or animal. The old tree is an aged and tired man, Its knobbly fingers tremble, reaching out For its withering brown hat, blown off in the wind. Meaning: The first line is a metaphor. The composer has stated that two objects, a tree and a man, are the same thing. The next two lines give the tree human qualities. The composer has made the trees limbs 'knobbly fingers' and has given the tree a 'brown hat' instead of leaves. These examples of personification help to make the reader empathise with the object.

4. Alliteration () Is a literary device that repeats a speech sound in a sequence of words that are close to each other. Alliteration typically uses consonants at the beginning of a word to give stress to its syllable. Alliteration plays a very crucial role in poetry and literature: It provides a work with musical rhythms. Poems that use alliteration are read and recited with more interest and appeal. Poems with alliteration can be easier to memorize. Alliteration lends structure, flow, and beauty to any piece of writing

5. Onomatopoeia () Many times, you can tell what an onomatopoeic word is describing based on letter combinations contained within the word. These combinations usually come at the beginning, but a few also come at the end. The following examples have been grouped according to how they are used. a. Words Related to Water These words often begin with sp- or dr-. Words that indicate a small amount of liquid often end in -le (sprinkle/drizzle). Bloop splash

An onomatopoeia poem by Lee Emmett of Australia also illustrates many onomatopoeia related to water: water plops into pond splish-splash downhill

b. Words Related to the Voice Sounds that come from the back of the throat tend to start with a gr- sound whereas sounds that come out of the mouth through the lips, tongue and teeth begin with mu-. Giggle Growl grunt c. Words Related to Collisions Collisions can occur between any two or more objects. Sounds that begin with cl- usually indicate collisions between metal or glass objects, and words that end in -ng are sounds that resonate. Words that begin with th- usually describe dull sounds like soft but heavy things hitting wood or earth. Bam Bang Clatter click

d. Words Related to Air Because air doesnt really make a sound unless it blows through something, these words describe the sounds of air blowing through things or of things rushing through the air. 'Whisper' is on this list and not the voice list because we do not use our voices to whisper. We only use the air from our lungs and the position of our teeth, lips and tongues to form audible words. Flutter Gasp whisper e. Animal Sounds If youve spent significant amounts of time with people from other countries, you know that animals speak different languages too. However, animals speak English: Arf Bark

6. Hyperbole () Hyperbole is one of the easiest of figures of speech. Wondering what a hyperbole is? Well, hyperbole is nothing but the exaggeration of any statement. The statement is made only for a dramatic effect, however, it does increase the beauty of speech.
The following are some examples of hyperbole:

That joke is so old, the last time I heard it I was riding on a dinosaur If he talks to me in front of everyone, I will die of embarrassment Our new school is large enough to have its own zip code My backpack weighs a ton! I'm so busy trying to accomplish ten million things at once She is a hundred feet tall

7. Idioms ()
An idiom is an expression whose meaning is different from the meaning of its constituent words. Knowledge of idioms is an important part of comprehension of the English language. Below is a list of some commonly used idioms in English with their meaning and usage: a. After Ajit was released from prison, he decided to turn over a new leaf and become an honest man. IDIOM TURN OVER A NEW LEAF MEANING Changing your better for the better

b. Rajesh got only forty percentage marks in the English mid-term exams. He needs to pull up his socksif he has to score well in his final exams. IDIOM PULL UP ONES SOCKS MEANING To make an effort to improve

c. The candidate of the opposition party spread false rumours about the Minister. People felt that it was an act of hitting below the belt. IDIOM HIT BELOW THE BELT MEANING To act in an unfair matter

d. Payal was taken to task by her mother when she found out that she had failed her Mathematics exam. IDIOM TAKE TO TASK MEANING To reprimand someone

e.

I lost my fathers pen. I will have to face the music when I reach home IDIOM FACE THE MUSIC MEANING To face the consequences of ones action

. f. The teacher asked the students to introduce themselves to each other to break the ice. IDIOM BREAK THE ICE MEANING Overcome initial shyness

g. Manoj stopped talking to Rupa because she did not lend him her notebook. I think he is making a mountain out of a molehill. IDIOM MAKE A MOUNTAIN OUT OF A MOLEHILL MEANING To give great importance to minor things

h. The two brothers can never work together. They are always at loggerheads. IDIOM AT LOGGERHEADS MEANING To differ strongly

8. Cliches A clich is a phrase or expression that is so overused that it becomes annoying. Most clichs begin life as very clever expressions. The first time around, they convey a distinct message in a very funny wayand that makes them repeatable. After too much use, however, they just become corny.

Clichs should be avoided in your academic writing because they tend to make our work sound amateurish. Why? Clichs are a lazy. They convey a very specific message that everyone understands, but they do so in a very unimaginative way. For example, the following trite expressions may convey your feelings about a particular subject youre writing about, but theyre guaranteed to make your reader roll his eyes.

It made my blood boil That rubbed me the wrong way My eyes were glazing over This pushes all my buttons

You may use clichs without realizing it, so it is a good idea to keep an eye out for tired and overused phrases as you proofread. Examples of clichs

Dont get your nose out of shape. Dont get bent out of shape. The teacher chewed me out. Its driving me up the wall. That burned me up. Hes wound up tight. He was mad as a wet hen. His goose was cooked. She was in a fix. He was in a pinch. She was on the spot. She likes to toot her own horn. That was easy as pie. That was pretty hard to swallow. He was grasping at straws. She was flying by the seat of her pants. It got under my skin. My skin was crawling. I was pinning all my hopes on a win. There was a glimmer of hope in his eye. They couldnt see eye to eye. There was a little give and take.