{"id":259,"date":"2012-01-12T23:25:58","date_gmt":"2012-01-13T04:25:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/transfer.writingcommons.org\/2012\/01\/12\/incorporating-figurative-language-into-your-paper\/"},"modified":"2024-02-11T11:17:42","modified_gmt":"2024-02-11T11:17:42","slug":"figurative-language","status":"publish","type":"section","link":"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/style\/elements-of-style\/diction\/figurative-language\/","title":{"rendered":"Figurative Language"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"tts_content_wrapper_2\" >\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_69_1 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/style\/elements-of-style\/diction\/figurative-language\/#What_is_Figurative_Language\" title=\"What is Figurative Language?\">What is Figurative Language?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/style\/elements-of-style\/diction\/figurative-language\/#Types_of_Figurative_Language\" title=\"Types of Figurative Language\">Types of Figurative Language<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/style\/elements-of-style\/diction\/figurative-language\/#What_Does_Figurative_Language_Matter\" title=\"What Does Figurative Language Matter?\">What Does Figurative Language Matter?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/style\/elements-of-style\/diction\/figurative-language\/#Figurative_Language_Clarity_Readability\" title=\"Figurative Language, Clarity &amp; Readability\">Figurative Language, Clarity &amp; Readability<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/style\/elements-of-style\/diction\/figurative-language\/#Recommended_Resources\" title=\"Recommended Resources\">Recommended Resources<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_Figurative_Language\"><\/span>What is Figurative Language?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);\"><i>I<\/i><\/span><em>t&#8217;s<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>the use of words in nonliteral ways:<ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/style\/diction\/figurative-language\/personification\/\">Personification<\/a><em> &amp; <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/style\/diction\/figurative-language\/metaphor\/\">Metaphor<\/a> Examples<\/em>: \u201cYour government is working night and day to repel this virus, and we will succeed, just as this country has seen off every alien invader for the last thousand years\u201d (Boris Johnson)<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>a tool <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/rhetoric\/rhetorical-situation\/writer-speaker-author-rhetor-sender\/\">writers, speakers, knowledge workers . . .<\/a> use<ul><li>to make their <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/rhetoric\/rhetorical-situation\/text-composition\/\">compositions<\/a> more engaging and <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/style\/clarity\/\">clearer<\/a>. <\/li><\/ul><ul><li>to project an appropriate <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/rhetoric\/rhetorical-stance\/voice\/\">voice<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/rhetoric\/rhetorical-stance\/tone\/\">tone<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/rhetoric\/rhetorical-stance\/persona\/\">persona<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>an attribute of <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/rhetoric\/rhetorical-situation\/text-composition\/\">prose,<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/rhetoric\/rhetorical-situation\/text-composition\/\">a style of writing, <\/a>that is common among poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Types_of_Figurative_Language\"><\/span>Types of Figurative Language<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Idiom<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/style\/diction\/incorporating-figurative-language-into-your-paper\/metaphor\/\">Metaphor<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/style\/diction\/incorporating-figurative-language-into-your-paper\/personification\/\">Personification<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/style\/diction\/incorporating-figurative-language-into-your-paper\/simile\/\">Simile<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Related Concepts:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/style\/diction\/concrete-language-sensory-language\/\">Concrete, Sensory Writing<\/a>;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/rhetoric\/rhetorical-reasoning\/rhetorical-modes\/description\/\">Description<\/a>;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/style\/code-switching\/\">Code Switching<\/a>;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/style\/diction\/figurative-language\/\">Figurative Language<\/a>;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/organization\/organizational-schema\/given-to-new-information\/\">Given to New Contract<\/a>;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/style\/register\/\">Register<\/a>;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/collaboration\/coauthorship\/\">Vague Language<\/a>;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/style\/styles-of-writing\/writer-based-prose-style\/\">Writer-Based Prose Style<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Does_Figurative_Language_Matter\"><\/span><meta charset=\"utf-8\">What Does Figurative Language Matter?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cAll the world\u2019s a stage\u201d<\/em>\u2014have you ever wondered why people remember and quote lines from Shakespeare so much? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the reasons is because he used <em>figurative language<\/em> very effectively in his <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/rhetoric\/rhetorical-situation\/text-composition\/\">writings<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You may have heard the term <em>figurative language<\/em> before, and perhaps when you heard it you were in a class analyzing novels or poetry. But it&#8217;s<em> <\/em>not just used in literature: you can employ it in your <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/genre\/academic-writing\/\">academic<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/courses\/courses-overview\/workplace-writing\/\">workplace writing<\/a> to great effect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Figurative language adds color to your writing by taking your words and applying them to other, often unexpected, objects or concepts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/rhetoric\/rhetorical-situation\/writer-speaker-author-rhetor-sender\/\">Writers, speakers, knowledge workers . . .<\/a> use <em>figurative language<\/em> to make a <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/research\/research-methods\/textual-methods\/text\/\">text<\/a> more <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/style\/elements-of-style\/clarity\/\">clear<\/a>, engaging, interesting, evocative. Because <em>figurative language<\/em> is more dramatic and visual than <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/style\/diction\/concrete-language-sensory-language\/\">concrete, sensory language<\/a>, it enables you to better arrest your <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/rhetoric\/rhetorical-situation\/audience\/\">reader\u2019s attention<\/a> and perhaps cause him\/her\/they to pause and think more about your assertions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When interpreting texts, <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/style\/diction\/incorporating-figurative-language-into-your-paper\/metaphor\/\">metaphors<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/style\/diction\/incorporating-figurative-language-into-your-paper\/simile\/\">similes<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/style\/diction\/incorporating-figurative-language-into-your-paper\/personification\/\">personification<\/a> can help you better understand complex and abstract ideas because you are attaching these abstract ideas to an image or human role and in that way making it more concrete and understandable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Figurative language<\/em> can also just make your writing more pleasurable to read and consequently more likely to gain your reader\u2019s thoughtful consideration.&nbsp; We all like to be entertained, even in just little ways, and are more likely to pay attention to things that seek to interest us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-figurative-language-clarity-readability\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Figurative_Language_Clarity_Readability\"><\/span><meta charset=\"utf-8\">Figurative Language, <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/style\/clarity\/\">Clarity<\/a> &amp; Readability <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Engage in <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/research\/research-methods\/textual-methods\/rhetorical-analysis\/\">rhetorical analysis<\/a>. Practice <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/rhetoric\/rhetorical-reasoning\/\">rhetorical reasoning<\/a> to ensure that the use of figurative language is appropriate for your <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/rhetoric\/rhetorical-situation\/\">rhetorical context<\/a>. Some genres\u2014especially genres of poetry and fiction\u2014rely extensively whereas other genres reject the use of figurative language or call for sparase use figurative language. Thus, as always, you need to engage in rhetorical analysis in order to determine whether or not it&#8217;s appropriate to use figurative language.<br><\/li><li>Make your <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/style\/diction\/incorporating-figurative-language-into-your-paper\/metaphor\/\">metaphors<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/style\/diction\/incorporating-figurative-language-into-your-paper\/simile\/\">similes<\/a> understandable (you want to interest and intrigue your reader!)<br><\/li><li>Stay away from <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/style\/diction\/cliche\/\">clich\u00e9d comparisons<\/a> (what\u2019s the point of using figurative language if you\u2019re just going to recycle the same tired metaphors?)<br><\/li><li>Avoid using too much figurative language (a little goes a long way).<br><\/li><li>Figurative language can be used in any part of your <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/research\/research-methods\/textual-methods\/text\/\">text<\/a>.&nbsp; <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-recommended-resources\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Recommended_Resources\"><\/span>Recommended Resources<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.plainlanguage.gov\/resources\/articles\/beyond-a-movement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Plain Language: Beyond a Movement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":38805,"parent":2148,"menu_order":-1,"template":"","tags":[],"chapters":[1981,2370],"class_list":["post-259","section","type-section","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","chapters-diction","chapters-figurative-language"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/section\/259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/section"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/section"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/section\/259\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63239,"href":"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/section\/259\/revisions\/63239"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/section\/2148"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=259"},{"taxonomy":"chapters","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapters?post=259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}