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 a couple of similes from Marni Jackson…. Marni Jackson is a Toronto-based journalist who has won many National Magazine Awards for her writing, and she’s also the author of three nonfiction books, including 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 simile relating to the John Dory fish… I can no longer remember where I recently encountered the term John Dory — a book? a newspaper article? — but I couldn’t
It looks a little bit like a horseshoe that sprouted quills… 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 Sara Baume… When I finished the very fine novel Spill, Simmer, Falter, Wither earlier this month, I was electrified by the figurative writing of author Sara
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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 and a metaphor from Andre Alexis…. I’ve always been more of a cat person than a dog one. I grew up with cats and I appreciate their intelligence and their aloof
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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 metaphors from neurosurgeon Henry Marsh…. Henry Marsh is a neurosurgeon, not a professional writer. But like many Renaissance Men, he seems able to turn his hand to many tasks. I
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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 metaphor from Peter Morgan. I am not what you’d call a monarchist. Nevertheless, I’m interested enough in the history of Queen Elizabeth II to have seen the movie The Queen (starring Helen
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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 some personification from writer Olive Senior… Despite having several rave reviews on Amazon, the novel Dancing Lessons, by Olive Senior, hasn’t yet persuaded me to finish it. I find it too self-conscious and the characters
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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 metaphor from Lori Lansens… I jokingly like to say I have a “lifetime to 10 list.” By this I mean that I have 10 books that so impressed me they have changed
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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 similes and metaphors from writer Ian McEwan’s new novel, Nutshell. As a longtime fan of British writer Ian McEwan (pictured above), I am always cheered when he produces a new book and I
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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 figurative language from novelist Emma Donoghue… Born in Dublin, Emma Donoghue (pictured above) is an award-winning writer now living in Canada. Like thousands of other readers, I was impressed with her gripping novel Room,
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