What Is Figurative Language?
What Is Figurative Language? And how do you analyse it when approaching a GCSE English exam question? Well, read on and all will be revealed in this week's Blog...
What is figurative language?
Figures of speech are used to convey ideas beyond the meaning of the original words.
When people use figurative language, they are trying to deepen the impact of their message by adding layers of sensory information to their wording.
This sensory information could include imagery, auditory information and emotive content.
In other words, figurative language adds sights, sounds, smells and feelings to the original meaning of the words.
This type of language helps readers to connect with a story more easily because they can see, and hear, and feel the world that the writer is creating, in addition to following the plot of the story.
How can you analyse figurative language?
When you are analysing language techniques, you must be able to:
1. Identify the figurative device that the writer has used using the correct terminology.
2. Analyse why the device is effective to evoke a particular image, sound or feeling.
3. Evaluate how the reader is meant to respond to that device.
So how did you do? Could you identify all of the figurative language elements in the example above?
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