Figurative language

Figurative language is language that is not intended to be taken literally. If somebody says to you that Harry Kewell is a tiger on the football field, you do not think that he literallybecomes a big, wild cat when he walks on to the football field. You imagine that he is fast, ferocious and cunning like a tiger.

Also, if somebody were to tell you that Delta Goodrem sings like an angel, you do not think that she sings as an angel does, but that she has a very sweet and wholesome-sounding voice. Both these examples use figurative language. Aspects of a tiger have been used to describe Harry Kewell and aspects of an angel have been used to describe Delta Goodrem. Compare the figurative and literal sentences:

Figurative Harry Kewell is a tiger on the football field. Literal Harry Kewell is a fast, ferocious and cunning player on the football field.

Text One

Figurative Delta Goodrem sings like an angel. Literal Delta Goodrem has a very sweet and wholesome-sounding voice.

Text Two

When we want to talk about a specific piece of figurative language we call it a figure of speech. For example, 'The poem was filled with figurative language' compared with 'Line 18 of the poem is a figure of speech'.

Figurative language is most commonly used in poetry but can also be used in other written texts as well as visual and spoken texts. Composers use figurative language to make a text seem more real and to create an image in their audience's mind. Let's look firstly at some examples of figurative language with their literal translations. You should try to decide what the literal meaning is before you check the answer.

In each example, the figurative example connotes (implies) the literal meaning. This is known as connotation. In each literal example the phrase denoted is the literal meaning.

Figurative The full forward was a wild animal. Literal The full forward was very aggressive.

Text Three Metaphor

Figurative Acing that test was like taking candy from a baby. Literal Doing well in that test was very easy.

Text Four Simile

Figurative The tree is an old, grey man. Literal The tree is old, withering and dying.

Text Five Personification

Figurative There were millions of people at the 50 Cent concert. Literal There were a lot of people at the 50 Cent concert.

Text Six Hyperbole

Figurative No the sky isn't blue. Literal Yes the sky is blue.

Text Seven Sarcasm (Mostly spoken text)

Figurative The beach is a nasty place - there really is not much to do there. Literal Everybody knows the beach is great - there is so much to do.

Text Eight Irony

These are just a few examples of figurative language and we will look at each of these in much more detail in the following chapters of this topic.

Refer to the 'Find the figurative activity' to practise identifying figurative language.