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 Elizabeth Strout… I’ve admired the writing of Elizabeth Strout (pictured above) ever since I read her remarkable Pulitzer-Prize winning novel Olive Kitteridge. For her acute […]
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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 Wayne Johnston… Novelist Wayne Johnston (pictured above) was born and raised in the St. John’s area of Newfoundland but now lives in Toronto. Canadian readers will
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Reading time: Just over 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about some superb figurative language from John Vaillant…. Although I had worked in the forest industry — as a professional writer and editor — for a number of years, I had never
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Reading time: About 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about figurative language from Richard Osman…. If you’ve ever encountered comedian Richard Osman in person or on television, you’ll know him as a tremendously tall, very funny man. He’s 6 ft 7 inches
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Reading time: About 2 minutes I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about similes and metaphors from Gish Jen…. Gish Jen (pictured above) is a second-generation Chinese American. She graduated from Harvard University with a BA in English, and later attended Stanford Business School, but
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Reading time: About 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about some imagery from chef Marcus Samuelsson… I’m a pretty dedicated amateur chef and baker. And not only do I cook a mean streak, I also love reading about other people with interest
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Reading time: About 2 mins. I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about similes and metaphors from John Banville…. John Banville is an Irish novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. He has won the 1976 James Tait Black Memorial Prize, the 2003 International Nonino Prize, the 2005 Booker Prize
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Reading time: About 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about images from Edward Carey… If anyone recommends a book of historical fiction to me, I’ll take a close look and probably read it. This is what happened with Little — a fictionalized,
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Reading time: About 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 Hope Jahren… Hope Jahren is an American geochemist and geobiologist at the University of Oslo in Norway, known for her work using stable isotope analysis to analyze fossil forests. But she is also the author of
The figurative language of Hope Jahren… Read More »
Reading time: About 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about similes from Jennifer Haigh…. The most recent novel by Jennifer Haigh takes on the topic of abortion. And as the New York Times puts it, ” it would be a terrible mistake
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