Use figurative language to win over your audience

Figurative language can bring life to communications and help us engage our audience. But what is figurative language exactly? In this article, we'll look at a definition, explore 12 figurative language types, and provide some examples. 

What is figurative language?

Figurative language is a way of adding color to speech or writing through the use of non-literal wording. It's more creative than simply stating dry facts and can be used for effect to keep your audience listening or reading. As the words aren't meant to be taken literally, the reader needs to lean on their existing knowledge to understand the intended meaning. 

For example, compare: 

  • The classroom is an icebox

  • The classroom is cold

In the first example, we know that the classroom isn't literally an icebox, but we understand it is very cold. The second example is more accurate and literal, but it doesn't paint such a vivid picture in the reader's mind. 

Figurative language is common in novels, poetry, and political discourse but is rarely used in communications such as business reports, instructions, and resumes. It's important to understand when and where to use figurative language, if you're to use it to its best effect. 

Why use figurative language?

Figurative language is a way of making your speech or writing more engaging, interesting, and impactful. It helps build connections with the reader or listener by adding rhythm to the words, creating a picture in the mind's eye, or helping make complex ideas more accessible. 

As well as adding creativity to your communications, figurative language can add rhetorical meaning, enabling you to influence, persuade, and impress. 

12 types of figurative language

Below, we explore 12 different types of figurative language that you can experiment with to make your communications more interesting and we also provide some figurative language examples to illustrate each type. 

Simile

You probably remember this one from school. Similes compare something directly to something else – usually, something that isn't similar at all. You can usually spot similes as they use the words “like” or “as” to make the comparison.

Examples: 

  • Her lips are as red as roses

  • Life is like a box of chocolates

  • As busy as a bee

Metaphor

Taking the simile a step further, metaphors skip the comparative words and directly relate the qualities of one thing to another. Again, the things being compared aren't generally related in any way. 

Examples: 

  • He is the apple of my eye

  • I am an early bird

  • She has a heart of stone

Onomatopoeia 

Onomatopoeia is a fun figure of speech which involves naming something based on the sound it makes. The word accurately reflects the noise it describes. 

Examples: 

  • Crash, bang, clang

  • Moo, buzz, meow

  • Gulp, hiccup, rasp

Personification 

Personification is the attribution of human traits or physical qualities to something non-human. Giving inanimate objects human traits makes them more relatable and lifelike. 

Examples: 

  • She has been kissed by the sun

  • New York is the city that never sleeps

  • The biscuits called to me from the tin

Alliteration 

Alliteration refers to using the same sound at the beginning of words, repeatedly. It can provide a pulse and give rhythm to your words.

Examples: 

  • Bruce barked by the babbling brook

  • Dunking a delicious donut in your drink is disgusting

  • Kate cruelly kicked the kitten 

Assonance

Much like alliteration is the repetition of initial word sounds, assonance is the repetition of nearby vowel sounds. It can help create a sense of rhythm. 

Examples: 

  • Hopscotch

  • Bright city lights

  • The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain

Hyperbole 

Hyperbole is a particular type of exaggeration used for emphasis. It can help to reinforce a point with intense imagery. 

Example: 

  • I'm so hungry I could eat a horse

  • I have a million things to do this morning 

  • My mum will kill me for breaking the glass

Allusion 

If you're calling something to mind or implying something, without directly mentioning it, you're using allusion. It adds deeper meaning to your communication by using your audience's pre-existing knowledge. 

Examples: 

  • You don't need to be Einstein to understand algebra (alluding to genius)

  • Chocolate is my Achilles Heel (alluding to a weakness)

  • He's dressed like the Caped Crusader (alluding to Batman)

Oxymoron

An oxymoron uses phrases with pairs of words that are normally used as opposites. Using an oxymoron can be dramatic or thought-provoking. 

Examples:

Metonymy and synecdoche

These two are very closely related. Metonymy involves replacing a phrase with a related one, whereas synecdoche means substituting a particular attribute of something to represent the whole. 

Examples: 

  • Suit (to mean a business executive)

  • Wall Street (to mean the entire financial sector)

  • My ride is outside (to mean car)

Litotes

A litote uses an affirmative statement using a negative, in an example of ironic understatement. 

Examples: 

  • The singing wasn't exactly terrible

  • We're not as young as we used to be

  • I can't disagree

Tautology

Tautology is described as repeating something unnecessarily, using different words. Sometimes considered to be a fault, it can also be used deliberately to add emphasis. 

Examples: 

  • We live in close proximity 

  • Pick and choose 

  • The free review cost nothing 

Choose the right language for your audience

Clearly, figurative language can be used to enable understanding, add interest, and influence. It's not the right communication style for every situation though! Consider whether using figurative language will increase or decrease understanding before you begin scattering imagery at every opportunity. 

It's not wise to use it when there is a risk of it being misunderstood or misinterpreted. If ambiguity would cause problems, figurative language is best avoided. 

Spice up your communications with figurative language 

We've explained what figurative language is and looked at different types and examples. You're well-positioned to add some jazz to your next speech or story by using these figures of speech to create impactful images for your audience. Which of the techniques on our figurative language list will you try?

Another place you need to make an impact is in your resume, but figurative language won't cut it there. If you want to make sure you're presenting the facts and figures clearly and concisely, why not send your resume for a free resume review by the experts at TopResume? 

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