Figures of Speech

A picture is worth a thousand words.
Figurative language: One meaning of "figure" is "drawing" or "picture". Figurative language creates pictures in the mind of the reader or listener. These pictures help convey the meaning faster and more vividly than words alone.

We use figures of speech in "figurative language" to add colour and interest, and to awaken the imagination. Figurative language is everywhere, from classical works like Shakespeare or the Bible, to everyday speech, pop music and television commercials. It makes the reader or listener use their imagination and understand much more than the plain words.

Figurative language is the opposite of literal language. Literal language means exactly what it says. Figurative language means something different to (and usually more than) what it says on the surface:

In the above example "like the wind" is a figure of speech (in this case, a simile). It is important to recognize the difference between literal and figurative language. There are many figures of speech that are commonly used and which you can learn by heart. At other times, writers and speakers may invent their own figures of speech. If you do not recognize them as figures of speech and think that they are literal, you will find it difficult to understand the language.

In this lesson we look at four common types of figure of speech:

Simile
A figure of speech that says that one thing is like another different thing

Metaphor
A figure of speech that says that one thing is another different thing

Hyperbole
A figure of speech that uses an exaggerated or extravagant statement to create a strong emotional response

Oxymoron
A figure of speech that deliberately uses two contradictory ideas