Figurative Language

Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
 identify the figures of speech in a text; and
 explain the use of language in literature as well as the formal features and conventions
of literature.
 Literary authors use figurative language or figures of speech to deliver a more
effective, persuasive, and impactful message. This enriches a literary text to further
elevate the themes and concepts presented in it.
 We have already been introduced to the common figures of speech like simile,
metaphor, hyperbole, and personification in the past. This helped us understand and
appreciate stories and novels that heavily used this device.
The following are some other kinds of figurative language that we also use in our daily
conversations and communication.
 1) An analogy is a comparison that presents the similarities between two concepts or
ideas.
 Example:
 Just as a sword is the weapon of a warrior, a pen is the weapon of a writer.”
 In the example, the sword and the pen were compared because both of them are
weapons or instruments used by a warrior and a writer, respectively. Both occupations
will not function without their respective instruments.
 2) A cliché is a word, a phrase, a sentence, or a whole text that used to be perceived as
clever but has become démodé. One reason may be through frequency of use and that
it no longer provides surprise to the reader nor vivid imagery. This is something that
must be avoided in writing.
 Examples:
 raining cats and dogs
lovely as a rose
quick as lightning
 The abovementioned statements are so overused that they no longer give an artistic
effect.
 3) Connotation is the secondary or suggestive meaning of the word, one that is not its
literal or primary meaning in the dictionary.
 Examples:
 green home
green products
green living
 The word green in the examples does not only refer to the color but has also become sy
environmentally nonymous to being sound.
 4) Denotation is the literal meaning of the word, one that is usually its primary meaning
in the dictionary.
 Examples:
 house, home, residence, abode, dwelling
 These words may all have the same denotation, but each has its own association. For
instance, house refers to one’s place of residence when talking formally, but home may
refer to any place.
 5) Euphemism is used to substitute for a description that is considered harsh or blunt.
This figurative language is most often used for delicate matters such as sex, death or
violence, and embarrassing topics.
 Example:
 She is with our Creator now.
 This means that the subject has died. Other euphemisms for death are “gone to
heaven,” “eternal peace,” “at rest,” and “left the earth.”
 6) Hyperbole is a gross exaggeration to achieve an effect, usually for humor or
emphasis.
 Example:
 I was dying of boredom while I was waiting in line.
 The use of the term dying is an exaggeration since boredom is not a possible cause of
death.
 7) Metaphor compares two seemingly unlike objects that have similar or common
characteristics without the use of like or as.
 Example:
 The assignment was a breeze.
 The assignment and breeze are unlike objects. Using breeze to describe the assignment
means that it was easy since the word breeze is associated with the
words pleasant and easy.
 8) Metonymy is a word or phrase that is substituted for another that is closely
associated to it.
 Example:
 The Malacañang Palace released a statement regarding the President’s health.
 In the example above, the term Malacañang Palace was used to substitute for the
representative from the Office of the President of the Philippines since Malacañang
Palace is the proper noun for the place where the Philippine president resides and takes
office.
 9) An oxymoron is a combination of two ideas that appear to be opposite or
contradictory.
 Examples:
 complete break
dirty white
tuck out
 Complete break is an oxymoron since a break is a temporary event and the
word complete is associated with permanence. Dirty white is contradicting because white
is associated with cleanliness and spotlessness. Tuck out is also contradicting because
tucking as a motion is directed toward the inside of a certain place or thing.
 10) A paradox is an assertion that seems to be contradictory or silly but actually reveals
some truth.
 Example:
 "I must be cruel to be kind." - Hamlet, William Shakespeare
 Being cruel is the opposite of being kind; however, this is a paradox many parents are
familiar with. Some actions such as giving their children a curfew or restricting some of
their spending may be seen as cruel, but it is actually beneficial or kind for the children
in the long run.
 11) Personification is a statement or statements wherein an animal, object, or abstract
idea is given human attributes or characteristics.
 Example:
 The flowers bathe in sunlight, and the grass reached out to the sky.
 The verbs bathe and reach are actions that are performed normally by humans, not by
flowers and grass. However, personification was used to present a vivid imagery of how
the flowers are under the sun and how tall the grass is.
 12) Simile compares two seemingly unlike objects by using the words like or as.
 Example:
 Our soldiers are as brave as lions.
 The adjective brave was used to compare lions and soldiers. The use of the
word as makes the statement a simile.
 13) Synecdoche is used when a part or portion of something is used to represent the
whole or vice versa.
 Example:
 I brought my wheels.
How many heads are coming to the party?
 In the first example, wheels are used to stand for the term car. In the second
example, heads stand for people.