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: 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 Anthony Lane… I don’t drink much, even at dinner parties. But in the summer I do love a weak …
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 and similes from Burkhard Bilger…. As the mother of now-adult triplets, I spent several years deep in the trenches, feeding difficult, picky …
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 metaphors from Ronan Farrow…. If I had read the remarkable Ronan Farrow book in any month other than December, I would have named …
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 American writer Kevin Wilson…. I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy a novel in which two of the main characters …
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 Chanel Miller…. Known to the world as Emily Doe, Chanel Miller became a media sensation when her letter to …
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 by Sarah Manguso… I always appreciate a good memoir and ones related to personal health often interest me in particular. …
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 Isaac Mizrahi… I can’t remember who suggested that I read the memoir of designer Isaac Mizrahi. Odds were less than 9/1 …
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 and similes from Jill Ciment… Although I say I seldom read murder mysteries, I’m starting to conclude I read more of them …
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 Amy Waldman…. American author and journalist Amy Waldman (pictured above) was a reporter with the New York Times for …
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 David Bezmozgis… Born in Latvia, David Bezmozgis is a writer and filmmaker based in Toronto. In the summer of 2010, he …
