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 simile from Cristina Henriquez… I read The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez (pictured above) several months ago and both the novel and its characters have remained with […]
The figurative language of Cristina Henriquez… 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 metaphor from Janet Malcolm… As a person with four siblings — three sisters and a brother — l love hearing or reading family stories. They remind me
The figurative language of Janet Malcolm… 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 featuring US senator Bernie Sanders. I’m no expert on American politics but I read the New Yorker weekly and the New York Times (online) daily.
As if he were conducting electricity… 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 from Eudora Welty…. Eudora Welty (1909—2001) was a prolific writer from the American South who wrote in many different genres, including novels, short stories, speeches and essays.
The figurative language of Eudora Welty… 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 series of metaphors from Shane Koyczen. I first heard spoken-word poet Shane Koyczen when he performed at the 2010 winter Olympics, hosted by Vancouver. He was
Evocative language from Shane Koyczen Read More »
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 host of metaphors from Lorrie Moore… The coming-of-age story of a young woman in the ’70s, in upstate New York, Who Will Run the Frog Hospital is
The figurative language of Lorrie Moore… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about some metaphors from Nicholson Baker… The book The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker will not be to everyone’s taste. It’s very short (142 pages) but a slow read, laden as
The figurative language of Nicholson Baker… 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 metaphor from Ian McEwan. As a recent fan of novelist Ian McEwan, I’m now in the process of “back-reading.” That is, I’m searching for novels he wrote years
The figurative language of Ian McEwan… Read More »
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 novelist Joshua Ferris… I read the novel To Rise Again at a Decent Hour — by Joshua Ferris — on the strength of
The figurative language of Joshua Ferris… 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 some splendid personification from William Boyd… I picked up the novel Brazzaville Beach, by William Boyd, at my local library entirely because it carried a handwritten note
The figurative language of William Boyd… Read More »
