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 read widely, watch movies and listen to the radio. In today’s post you’ll see an interesting piece of figurative language by Adam Green I’ve encountered recently. I have a weakness for sleight-of-hand. As nothing more than a clumsy writer myself, I admire people […]
The figurative language of Apollo Robbins… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute I read widely, watch movies and listen to the radio. In today’s post you’ll see an interesting piece of figurative language I’ve encountered recently from writer John Seabrook. I lost touch with popular music in about, oh, 1982. Yes, I have become my parents.
The figurative language of John Seabrook… Read More »
Reading time: Just over 1 minute I read widely, watch movies and listen to the radio. In today’s post you’ll see an interesting piece of figurative language I’ve encountered recently. It’s from New Yorker writer Lauren Collins. When my family and I went to Paris a year and a half
The figurative language of Lauren Collins… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute I read widely, watch movies and listen to the radio. In today’s post you’ll see an interesting piece of figurative language I’ve encountered recently. It’s by Elizabeth Renzetti. My daily newspaper is the Globe and Mail. In last Saturday’s edition, I read an amusing
The figurative language of Elizabeth Renzetti… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute I read widely, watch movies and listen to the radio. In today’s post you’ll see an interesting piece of figurative language from Joni Mitchell I’ve encountered recently. I still haven’t read any of Zadie Smith’s popular books, such as White Teeth, On Beauty or
The figurative language of Joni Mitchell… Read More »
Reading time: About 1 minute I read widely, watch movies and listen to the radio. In today’s post you’ll see an interesting use of figurative language by Ken Auletta I encountered recently. What could be more noble than the task of eliminating cliches? While I’m not afraid to wield my
Instead of eliminating cliches, tweak them! Read More »
Reading time: Just over 1 minute I read widely, watch movies and listen to the radio. In today’s post you’ll see an interesting piece of figurative language by Nathan Heller I encountered recently. A columnist for Slate Magazine and a film and TV critic for Vogue, Nathan Heller grew up in San Francisco but
The figurative language of Nathan Heller… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute I read widely, watch movies and listen to the radio. In today’s post you’ll see an interesting piece of figurative language I’ve encountered recently, this time focusing on personification. You know, I never fully realized how much I appreciated personification until I started keeping
Personification doesn’t need to be reserved for fiction… Read More »
Reading time: Just over 1 minute I read widely, watch movies and listen to the radio. In today’s post you’ll see an interesting piece of figurative language I’ve encountered recently, this time in a book by Junot Diaz. I’d heard a lot of buzz about Junot Diaz. I knew he
The figurative language of Junot Diaz… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute I read widely, watch movies and listen to the radio. In today’s post you’ll see an interesting piece of figurative language I’ve encountered recently. David Gilbert is a short story writer who lives in New York City. He’s author of the book The
The figurative language of David Gilbert… Read More »
