I know I risk sounding like an English teacher when I use the words “figurative language.” The phrase may sound frightening but figurative language will make your writing more interesting evocative and memorable. And who doesn’t want that –even in non-fiction? Here are some examples of figurative language:
• allusion
• hyperbole
• metaphor
• oxymoron
• personification
• paradox
• simile
I read widely and follow many forms of media, keeping my eyes and ears attuned to figurative language so I can share a piece of it with you each week.
Reading time: Less than 2 minutes I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of similes from John von Sothen…. I will never buy a book because it has a pretty or interesting or compelling cover. But I …
Reading time: Less than 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of images from American writer Mary Grimm…. I’d never before read any of the work of Mary Grimm, pictured above, a professor of English …
Reading time: Just over 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of metaphors from Craig Brown…. I’m not normally terribly interested in what the royal family might be up to. But when I heard (via …
Reading time: Just over 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of similes from writer Ellen Barry…. Ellen Barry is a London-based international correspondent for The New York Times, covering immigration, security, demographics and culture …
Reading time: Less than 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about similes and metaphors from Lori Gottlieb…. When I hear about a book five times in less than a week, that author gets my attention. California-based psychotherapist …
Reading time: Less than 2 minutes I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of similes from author Matthew Walker…. I’ve had troubled sleep for as long as I can remember. I had a hard time falling asleep …
Reading time: Less than 2 minutes I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of metaphors from American writer Patricia Hampl…. The book was lying on my bedside table and my husband happened to glance at it. “What …
Reading time: Just over 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of similes and metaphors from Caitlin Moran… The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism calls Caitlin Moran (pictured above) the most influential British …
Reading time: Less than 2 minutes I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of similes and metaphors from Merilyn Simonds…. I became an instant fan of Canadian writer Merilyn Simonds (pictured above), about 20 years ago when …
Reading time: Less than 2 minutes I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of similes from American author Susan Choi…. I don’t usually buy books as a result of advertisements, but when my favourite book podcast, the …
