Literal

&
Figurative
Language
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?

Figurative Language Literal Language

Uses similes, metaphors, It means exactly what it

hyperbole, and says.
personification to describe
something often through
comparison with something
different.
 Figurative Language

Figurative language is more elaborate than

literal language, and this type of writing
is commonly used in works of literature.
 Idiom “She drowned her sorrows in alcohol.”
(an expression that has a figurative
meaning unrelated to the literal
meaning of the phrase.)

“He is the apple of her eye.”

Metaphor
(a figure of speech used in
comparison)

“She felt that it was time for this

bittersweet relationship to end.”
Oxymoron
(two words having opposite
meanings are used together)
 “You scared me to death.”

Hyperbole
(exaggeration)

“Her eyes were like the

deep pools to her soul.”
Simile
(compares two things)

“The old man waited for Death

to come to him.”
Personification
(giving human characteristics to
a non-living thing)
 Here are some examples:
Literal Descriptions Figurative Descriptions
• Grass looks green. • The grass looks like spiky green
hair. (simile)

• Sand feels rough. • Sand is solid water. (metaphor)

• The flower smells • The flower has the sweetest

smelling petals in the world.
sweet. (hyperbole)

• Grasshoppers make a • Grasshoppers are fiddlers who

play their legs. (personification)
high pitched noise.
Hope you learn a lot!
 SOURCES

• http://pediaa.com/difference-between-literal-
and-figurative-language/
• http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resource
s/lesson-docs/LiteralFigurativeHandout.pdf