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Language

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Assignment 2: Figurative Language versus Literal Language
The lack of exposure to non literal forms of language makes it difficult to engage in productive thinking. Having the capacity to understand figurative language increases our ability to communicate with each other. By increasing our word bank we expand our knowledge base and increase our thinking capacity. Below are a list of ten words with their meaning, definitions, examples and appropriate circumstances in which to use them.
1. Describe the meaning and function of each term.
1. Idiom is a language, dialect or speaking style peculiar to a people.
2. Analogy is a similarity between two like subjects on which a comparison can be based.
3. Metaphor is a figure of speech in …show more content…

A good example is from Wordsworth's "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud":
A host of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
He doesn’t say “many” or “a lot of” daffodils, he uses the word “host.” That means a huge number of daffodils. Later, he personifies the daffodils, and personification will be covered later on.
Another example is from “The Eagle” by Tennyson,
“He clasps the crag with crooked hands."
The hard consonant sounds add even more to the imagery here.
Simile
A simile compares two things using the words “like” and “as.” Examples include: * busy as a bee * clean as a whistle * brave as a lion * stand out like a sore thumb * as easy as shooting fish in a barrel * as dry as a bone * as funny as a barrel of monkeys * they fought like cats and dogs * like watching grass grow
Metaphor
When you use a metaphor, you make a statement that doesn’t make sense literally, like “time is a thief.” It only makes sense when the similarities between the two things become apparent or someone understands the connection.
Examples include: * the world is my oyster * you are a couch potato * time is money * he has a heart of stone * America is a melting pot * you are my sunshine
Alliteration
Alliteration is the easiest of the examples of figurative language to spot. It is a repetition of the first consonant sounds in several words. Some good examples

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