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 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about similes and metaphors from American novelist Danzy Senna… I can’t remember who recommended the 2017 Danzy Senna novel, New People, to me. A ‘best book of […]
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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 a series of metaphors, similes and images of personification from Katherena Vermette…. Katherena Vermette has written a gripping and gritty novel displaying the adversity facing Indigenous
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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 similes from the American author Steven Rowley… I was walking by a remainder table in my favourite bookstore when the title of a book grabbed me
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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 metaphors from Lionel Shriver…. American writer Lionel Shriver (pictured above) had her break-out novel in 2003. Titled We Need to Talk about Kevin it tells the
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Reading time: Less than 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about personification from English novelist Jonathan Coe… It’s always interesting to me to see how different writers use different types of figurative language. Some for example, have
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Reading time: About 3 minutes I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of images from Patrick Radden Keefe… I view Patrick Radden Keefe (pictured above) as one of the best, most skillful non-fiction writers alive today. Not
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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 similes and metaphors from Dwight Garner… I’m a big fan of the American journalist and longtime book reviewer Dwight Garner. His work appears in the New
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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 similes and metaphors from novelist Monica Ali… Monica Ali is a British writer of Bangladeshi and English heritage. In 2003, she was selected as one of the “Best
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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 similes from the journalist Carl Bernstein…. The American investigative journalist and author Carl Bernstein was a hero when I was growing up. When he was a young
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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 Leah McLaren… Memoir is my favourite genre. Nevertheless, I knew I was taking something of a risk this summer when I picked
The figurative language of Leah McLaren… Read More »
