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: About 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about metaphors from Ruth Ozeki… Ruth Ozeki is a writer, filmmaker and Zen Buddhist priest. Her breakout first novel, which was published in 1998, was based on her work […]
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Reading time: Less than 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about some similes from Reema Patel… Reema Patel is a Canadian writer and lawyer based in Toronto who has spent the last ten years working in provincial
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Reading time: About 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about figurative language from Liane Moriarty… Liane Moriarty is an Australian author who has written nine novels, including the New York Times bestsellers Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers, which were
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Reading time: About 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of images from Tessa Hadley…. Tess Hadley is a British author, who writes novels, short stories and nonfiction. She has published eight novels, as well
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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 from Irish-American writer Colum McCann…. Irish-American writer Colum McCann (pictured above), was born in Dublin but now lives and works in New
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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 novelist Tom Rachman…. I found the 2010 book, The Imperfectionists, by Tom Rachman, to be a magnificent coup —
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Reading time: About 1 minute I like to share similes and metaphors I encounter in my reading. I write today about the figurative language of Julian Barnes…. I read Julian Barnes’ latest novel, The Only Story, earlier this year. While I enjoyed the beginning, I can’t say the book was up
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Reading time: About 2 minutes I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of arresting images from American writer Amor Towles…. I love receiving books — they are my favourite gift in the world. Particularly if the giver
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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 young adult author Vicki Grant…. I don’t typically read a lot of young adult fiction. I make a happy exception for
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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 from Belinda McKeon…. I can no longer recall how I discovered Belinda McKeon’s remarkable novel, Tender. I think, perhaps, I was browsing in a
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