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 some personification from New Yorker writer Emily Nussbaum… I haven’t yet seen the much-lauded TV adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel, The Handmaid’s Tale. (I am notoriously […]
The figurative language of Emily Nussbaum… 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 two similes and a metaphor from novelist Barbara Gowdy… I had heard the name of Canadian novelist and short story writer Barbara Gowdy for many years.
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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 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
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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 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
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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 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
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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 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
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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 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,
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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 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 »
