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 very funny images from Helen Ellis…. I read the Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo and it inspired me to clean and […]
The figurative language of Helen Ellis…. Read More »
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 Jason Horowitz… I first visited Rome in 2015 and — like many tourists — fell in love with the
The figurative language of Jason Horowitz… Read More »
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 similes and metaphors from Siddhartha Mukherjee… I have a particular admiration for people who write about science in interesting and evocative ways. For me, Siddhartha
The figurative language of Siddhartha Mukherjee… Read More »
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 similes and metaphors from David Bergen… I had searched for the book The Case of Lena S. by David Bergen (pictured above) since its
The figurative language of David Bergen… Read More »
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 Rebecca Kauffman… I love it when I book I pull randomly from a library shelf, written by an author I’ve never heard
The figurative language of Rebecca Kauffman… Read More »
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 simile from Kurt Palka… I had high hopes for the novel The Piano Maker by Kurt Palka. By all appearances, it should have been a
The figurative language of Kurt Palka Read More »
Reading time: Less than 2 minutes I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about figurative language from Joyce Carol Oates… I generally consider myself pretty well-read, in part because I received a good education and also because I’m a voracious reader. Nevertheless,
The figurative language of Joyce Carol Oates Read More »
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 American writer Elif Batuman… Elif Batuman (pictured above) was born in New York City to Turkish parents. She graduated from Harvard College, and received her
The figurative language of Elif Batuman… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about metaphors relating to time… I just about gave up on the podcast S-Town, produced by the same team who brings us This American Life and Serial. Initially, the
The figurative language of time… Read More »
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 British writer Claire Fuller… I recently finished the exquisitely written novel Swimming Lessons by British writer Claire Fuller. To be fair, I
The figurative language of Claire Fuller… Read More »
