Figurative vs. Literal Language

Language Types
We’re going to look at two types of
language:
figurative language
and literal language
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Figurative vs. Literal
To understand what figurative language is,
you need to understand the difference
between:
figurative and literal
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LET’S START WITH
LITERAL
I’m tired and I’m going home.
This means “I’m tired and I’m going home.” There
is no other meaning other than what is said.
I mean exactly what I stated.
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FIGURATIVE
To be figurative is to not mean what
you say but to imply something else.
For example: If I tell you, “You’re the apple of my eye…”
…I’m not saying that you
are a piece of fruit in my
eye.
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Literal vs. Figurative
Confused?
Think of it this way:
Literal is stated directly.
Figurative is imaginary.
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Why Use Figurative Language?
Also known as
descriptive
language,
figurative
language helps the
writer paint a
picture in the
reader’s mind.
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“This test is a piece of cake.”
Literal
Figurative
TEST
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“My cat is a bolt of lightning.”
Literal
Figurative
MEOW!
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Figurative Language
makes reading more interesting.
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“It is raining cats and dogs!”
 What would it LITERALLY
mean if it rained cats and
dogs?
 What does it FIGURATIVELY
mean if someone says it
rained cats and dogs?
Practice your own drawing!
On one side of the paper draw the LITERAL meaning and on
the other side draw the FIGURATIVE meaning.
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LET’S PRACTICE!
Brian was a wall, bouncing every tennis ball
back over the net.
Brian was NOT LITERALLY a wall!
This metaphor compares Brian to a wall because__________.
a. He was a strong tennis player.
b. He was very tall.
c. He kept missing the balls.
d. His body was made of11cells.
LET’S PRACTICE!
We would have had more pizza to
eat if Tammy hadn’t been such a pig.
Tammy was NOT LITERALLY a pig!
Tammy was being compared to a pig because she __________.
a. looked like a pig
b. ate like a pig
c. smelled like a pig
d. was as smart as a pig
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LET’S PRACTICE!
Cindy was such a mule. We could not
get her to change her mind.
Cindy was NOT LITERALLY a mule!
The metaphor “Cindy was such a mule” compares Cindy to a
mule because she was __________.
a. always eating oats
b. able to do hard work
c. raised on a farm
d. very stubborn
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