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 1940 simile from Edward R. Murrow. When my husband and I were in Washington, DC earlier this month (in the rain, with all the public […]
The figurative language of Edward R Murrow… 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 metaphor by B.C. writer Tom Hawthorne. I used to work with Tom Hawthorne, an award-winning freelance journalist who was recently named Harvey Southam guest lecturer
The figurative language of Tom Hawthorn… 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 metaphorical sentence by James Wolcott. American journalist James Wolcott produces elaborate, labyrinthine sentences, seeping with metaphors. The cultural critic for Vanity Fair magazine and a contributing
The figurative language of James Wolcott… Read More »
Reading time: About 1 minute I like to share interesting figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a piece of personification by novelist Ian McEwan I’ve recently become intrigued by the trick of personification. Why does giving a human characteristic to an inanimate object, such as a
The figurative language of Ian McEwan… Read More »
Word count: 318 words 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 trio of effective metaphors from novelist Tan Twan Eng. Malaysian writer Tan Twan Eng had his first novel, The Gift of Rain, long-listed
The figurative language of Tan Twan Eng… 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 an image from novelist Claire Messud. The novel The Emperor’s Children published in 2006 and written by Claire Messud was one of my favourite books of the
The figurative language of Claire Messud…. Read More »
Reading time: About 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a couple of very funny metaphors about actor Mandy Patinkin. I’ve been a Mandy Patinkin fan for almost 20 years. I first saw the actor on the
Figurative language about Mandy Patinkin… 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 by Canadian author Don Gillmor. When I heard the title of the latest novel by Don Gillmor, Mount Pleasant, I immediately wanted to read
The figurative language of Don Gillmor… Read More »
Word count: 286 words Reading time: About 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about an article on Lyme Disease by Michael Specter, published recently in the New Yorker. I can remember pulling a tick from the leg
The figurative language of Michael Specter… 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 simile from the late Lucy Grealy. I first learned about the late poet Lucy Grealy several years ago when reading Ann Patchet’s book, Truth and
The figurative language of Lucy Grealy… Read More »
