Figurative Language
Figurative Language is words that do not mean exactly what they say. There will
be a literal meaning and an abstract meaning.
It is found in all the major parts of literature. (Fiction, Poetry, and even Nonfiction too!!!)
Literal vs. Abstract Meaning
Literal – what the words really say
Abstract – what the writer is really trying to say
Example: I will give you a million dollars when pigs fly.
Literal = Someone can have a million dollars if he ever sees a
pig fly.
Abstract = A person is never going to get a million dollars because pigs do not fly.
Types of Figurative Language

Simile
 Metaphor
Have a literal and abstract
 Hyperbole
meaning.
 Personification
 Symbolism
Exception!
 Imagery
Imagery will not have a
literal and abstract meaning.
Instead you will explain what
sense it relates to.
Simile: Figurative Language in which a comparison of two dissimilar objects is made
using the words like or as.
Examples: “The clouds look like big cotton balls.” Or “Tyler was as busy as a bee.”
Metaphor: Figurative Language in which a direct comparison is made without using
the connector words like or as.
Example: John is a grouchy bear when he gets up from his nap.
Explanation: John and bear are being compared directly
Symbolism: An object that holds a figurative or abstract meaning as well as its
literal meaning; something that stands for something else.
Example: Four Leaf Clover
Literal = A type of clover plan having four leaflets instead of the usual three
Abstract = Good Luck, Irish, Saint Patrick’s Day
Hyperbole: Figurative Language in which exaggeration is used to convey meaning.
Example: “I told you a million times.” Or “I laughed my head off.”
Hyperbole Picture
“If I don’t eat right now, I will starve to death”
Literal / Exaggeration
Abstract / Point the writer is
really trying to make.
Personification: Figurative language in which a non-living or non-human thing (animal,
plant, object, emotion, idea, natural force, etc.) is endowed with human senses,
characteristics, and qualities.
Example: The trees waved their hands as the wind blew throughout
the forest
Literal = The trees have hands and they are
waving at us.
Abstract = It is a windy day and the trees are moving back and forth
Imagery: appeals to the reader’s five senses, it draws readers into a scene
Sight, Hearing, Smell, Taste, Touch
Imagery can appeal to just one sense or multiple senses.
Example: The meadow was bursting with the fragrant new blooms of white lilies
and lavender violets.
Explanation: You can see and smell the flowers because of descriptive words the
writer used.
Example of what is NOT Imagery in writing: The meadow was filled with
flowers.
Explanation: This sentence is NOT Imagery because it does not use
descriptive words appealing to the reader’s senses.
Sound Devices
Sound Devices
are not the same
as figurative language.
Alliteration: is the initial consonant sounds repeated in sequence. (Tongue Twister)
Example: Six snakes slithered southward
Example: Three grey geese in a green field grazing, Grey were the geese and green was the
grazing.
Repetition: is the repeating of words or phrases to create a sound effect in
writing.
Example: Oh Romeo, Oh Romeo, wherefore art thou, Oh Romeo
Onomatopoeia: is a sound device in which the word echoes or suggest its meaning,
so that the sound and sense are reinforced.
Example: Hiss, Bam, Splash, Zap, Whoosh, Boom, etc.