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 some fine work by music writer and cultural critic Alex Ross…. I was a 16-year-old when I went to my first opera, dragged by a friend. […]
The figurative language of Alex Ross… 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 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.
The figurative language of Barbara Gowdy 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 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 »
