Figurative Language & Imagery

What is Figurative Language and why is it important? Figurative Language is the usage of words that go beyond their literal (actual) meaning and makes readers “figure” out what is being said rather than making it obvious. Figurative Language is important because it adds depth, color and makes any literary work a far more interesting read. It also provides a human element to storytelling while helping us understand ideas that are more abstract and complex.

What is Imagery and why is it important? Imagery is the language that creates pictures by invoking a mental image. It is considered to be of great significance because it brings a lifelike quality to literature through sensory language thereby boosting a reader’s experience. Sensory language improves a description by adding words to express how something felt, smelled, tasted, or heard.

Let’s look at some examples of Figurative Language:

1. Hyperbole – exaggeration for effect.
   • Example: I love you to the moon and back.
2. Idiom – phrases that mean something different than what they say.
   • Example: It is raining cats and dogs.
3. Metaphor – comparison of two things which are not alike but have some traits in common.
   • Example: Life is a highway.
4. Onomatopoeia – a word that sounds like the sound of an object or action is describes.
   • Example: The rustling leaves danced around in a circle.
5. Personification – suggesting that human traits apply to inanimate (lifeless) objects.
   • Example: The wind whispered softly.
6. Simile – comparisons of two things using like or as to create meaning.
   • Example: Cool as a cucumber.

Below is a selective list of sensory language relating to sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.

Sight	Sound	Touch	Taste	Smell
bleary	bellow	balmy	appetizing	acrid
blurred	blare	biting	bitter	ambrosial
brilliant	buzz	bristly	bland	aroma
colorless	cackle	bumpy	creamy	aromatic
dazzling	cheer	chilly	delectable	fetid
dim	clamor	coarse	delicious	foul-smelling
dingy	clang	cold	flavorful	fragrant
faded	crackle	cool	flavorless	malodorous
faint	creak	crawly	gingery	mephitic
flashy	grumble	creepy	luscious	moldy
gaudy	gurgle	cuddly	nauseating	musty
glance	hiss	dusty	palatable	odor
gleaming	howl	featherly	peppery	odorless
glimpse	hush	feverish	piquant	perfumed
glistening	jabber	fluffy	refreshing	pungent
glittering	mumble	furry	ripe	putrid
gloomy	murmur	fuzzy	rotten	rancid
glossy	rant	greasy	savory	redolent
grimy	rave	hot	scrumptious	rank
hazy	roar	icy	sour	reek
indistinct	rumble	lumpy	spicy	rich
misty	screech	moist	spoiled	scent
peer	shriek	oily	stale	smell
radiant	sizzle	prickly	sugary	spicy
shadowy	snarl	shivery	sweet	stench
shimmering	squawk	silky	tangy	stinky
shiny	squeal	slimy	tasteless	sweet
smudge	swish	slippery	tasty	smoky
sparkling	thud	squashy	unappetizing	sickly
streaked	thump	sticky	unripe	sour
striped	whimper	sweaty	yummy	whiff
tarnished	yelp	velvety	zesty	woody