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 2 minutes I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of brilliant similes and metaphors from Helen Macdonald…. I wrote yesterday about a new word I learned from Helen Macdonald, author of H is for Hawk. More […]
The figurative language of Helen Macdonald… 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 from Abigail Thomas… When I heard about the memoir What Comes Next and How to Like It by Abigail Thomas, I knew I had to read it.
The figurative language of Abigail Thomas… 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 Anne Enright…. I zipped through the marvellous novel The Green Road, by Anne Enright (pictured above), late last year. But my end-of-the-year finish meant it
The figurative language of Anne Enright… 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 metaphor from Kim Severson… When we renovated our house six years ago we spent a lot of effort on our kitchen. I’m a serious cook, as is
The figurative language of Kim Severson… 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 several striking metaphors from novelist Ayelet Waldman… I read Ayelet Waldman’s affecting 2014 novel, Love and Treasure, last fall. It told the story of the Hungarian Gold Train,
The figurative language of Ayelet Waldman… 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 metaphor — and a simile — from Guy Lawson. I read a New York Times Magazine piece about new Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, some time
The figurative language of Guy Lawson… 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 metaphors and similes from Anthony Doerr. One of my favourite books of the last five years, the novel All The Light We Cannot See, by
The figurative language of Anthony Doerr.. 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 metaphor from a New York Times review of Benedict Cumberbatch playing Hamlet… I’m a big fan of the actor Benedict Cumberbatch. I find his acting to
Such whispery, self-effacing presences… 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 metaphors and similes from Susan Jane Gilman… The non-fiction memoir, Undress Me In the Temple of Heaven, by Susan Jane Gilman, was recommended to me
The figurative language of Susan Jane Gilman… 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 Gillian Flynn… I don’t typically read mysteries or thrillers (call my habit a character flaw if you like) but I
The figurative language of Gillian Flynn…. Read More »
