Figurative language interactive study guide
- 2. How to use this study guide • This guide will help you understand what figurative language is and how writers use it to create imagery • You’re in control – work through the guide at your own pace, wherever and whenever you want • Click the mouse or use the keyboard arrow keys to move between the slides • You can also pause, rewind and mute the videos by using the playback controls • You can pause the audio on the slides by using the controls in the bottom left of the screen • Take the quiz at the end and complete the extension tasks to further develop your understanding of figurative language
- 3. What is figurative language? • Literally means using the real or original meaning of a word or phrase • Figurative language is when we say or write anything that is not meant literally • Figurative language techniques, such as similes, metaphors, personification and symbols, are often referred to as imagery techniques • This is because we use them to create more vivid and interesting descriptions of things • Watch the video on the next slide to find out more
- 4. BBC Teach video: literal and figurative language
- 5. Video recap
- 6. Video recap
- 7. What is figurative language? • When we say literally, we often use it incorrectly and actually mean ‘figuratively’ because we’re using language such as similes, metaphors, personification and symbols • For example, you might describe yourself as literally dying from hunger when, in reality, you might be very hungry but you’re not actually close to death • And figurative language features such as similes, metaphors, personification and symbols are all around us – in fact, you probably use them every day without thinking
- 8. What is figurative language? The cells in our bodies react biologically in complex ways to infection: we can understand the process more easily through a metaphor of war, thinking of it in terms of fighting and invasion. So, a writer might describe how: ‘Scientists believe stress affects the development of T-cells, the white blood cells which help to fight off invading micro- organisms.’
- 9. What is figurative language? We also use a similar metaphor to describe a computer being attacked by a virus or some software not working because of a bug. Your computer hasn’t literally caught the flu and the software doesn’t really have a small insect crawling about inside, but the metaphors help us understand the complex digital processes that are going on.
- 10. How does figurative language work? Figurative language works because: • Words can reveal a theme, such as ‘black’, ‘darkness’ and ‘night’ are linked to death, or ‘red’, ‘heart’ and ‘light’ are linked to love • Specific words can create a particular mood, such as tension, or convey action, drama or make the reader feel a certain way • Language can do this because words have two sets of meanings: denotations and connotations • Denotation: the dictionary definition of a word (the actual meaning of a word) • Connotation: the ideas words and images link to (the meanings we associate with a word or image)
- 11. How does figurative language work? Here are some examples of denotations and connotations: • The word 'desk' literally denotes a table – a piece of furniture with legs and a flat top that provides a level surface – but it has connotations of work and study. They’ve become associated with each other because we often sit at a desk to work and study. • The word ‘sky’ literally denotes the sky – the area above the earth, in which clouds, the sun, moon, stars etc. can be seen – but it has connotations of heaven and freedom. They’ve become associated with each other because the sky is seen as endless and without restrictions and it’s the place we look up to when seeking heaven.
- 12. How does figurative language work? • Using a word pyramid like the one here allows you to break down the meanings of individual words and images • It will help you identify the connotations being conveyed and understand the ideas you or a writer is trying to express
- 13. Knowledge test
- 14. Knowledge test
- 15. Knowledge test
- 16. Knowledge test
- 17. Understanding figurative language •A good way of understanding figurative language is to look at songs •This is because songwriters – like all writers – use figurative language in their work •Take a look at the video on the next slide to see some examples
- 18. Video: figurative language in popular music
- 19. Video recap • Taylor Swift: uses similes to describe words as being as hurtful as weapons and how the person’s voice makes her flinch and cringe. • One Direction: kryptonite is the only thing that weakens Superman. Here, the boys are using a metaphor to say that the girl they’re singing about is kryptonite and therefore has the same effect on them as kryptonite does on Superman. • The all-singing, all-dancing plates: here, personification is used to give life to crockery, making these inanimate objects sing and dance so we see them in a different way to how we see them normally.
- 20. Understanding figurative language •Big Shaq •We all know this man’s not hot and he’s good at quick maths, but did you know he’s also pretty good at a quick metaphor or two? Man’s not hot
- 21. Man’s not hot • For example, in ‘Man’s Not Hot’, he says ‘I’m gonna spin his jaw’ • Of course, he’s not literally going to make this poor person’s jaw spin around – that would be impossible • No, he uses ‘spin’ as a metaphor to create a violent image that suggests the man will be punched extremely hard
- 22. Man’s still not hot • He also says that ‘If she ain’t on it, I ghost’ • Big Shaq isn’t literally going to leave this world and become a ghost and float through walls and spook people out • No, ‘ghost’ is used here as a metaphor to suggest that he’s likely to end the relationship by suddenly and without explanation stopping all communication
- 23. Quick recap
- 24. Quick recap
- 25. Why do I need to know all this stuff about figurative language? Aside from being able to understand how the world around you is represented by people using figurative language, you also need to know this stuff for your GCSE English exams: • Paper 1 Questions 2 and 4: you have to identify imagery techniques and explain their effects • Paper 2 Questions 3 and 4: you have to identify imagery techniques and explain their effects • You also need to be able to use figurative language in your creative writing (Question 5 on both exams)
- 26. Understanding figurative language • So, now it’s time to take a look at some examples of imagery techniques used in literature and non-fiction texts • On the next few slides, you’ll find examples of figurative language taken from a range of texts • These include a fictional novel, a non-fiction article and autobiography – the sort of texts you’re likely to see in the exams
- 27. Poetry: ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ Example Technique Connotations Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge… Similes These similes are used to compare the experience of soldiers in World War 1 with that of old beggars and haggard women. The soldiers are sick, exhausted, dirty and desperate – things we’d normally associate with vulnerable people living on the streets.
- 28. Poetry: ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ As you can see from the pictures, it’s a pretty fair comparison. The poet, Wilfred Owen, did this because he was determined to show people back home – by using imagery they could understand such as beggars – that war was not a glorious experience:
- 29. Play: ‘Romeo and Juliet’ Example Technique Connotations It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Rise up, beautiful sun, and kill the jealous moon, The moon is already sick and pale with grief… Metaphor and personification Here, Shakespeare uses metaphor and personification to describe how Romeo compares Juliet to the sun (metaphor), creating the image that she is so incredibly beautiful she brings light and life to the world. This is emphasised by the image of the moon becoming jealous and sick of her beauty (personification).
- 30. Play: ‘Romeo and Juliet’ Juliet’s beauty – bringing light to Romeo’s heart and the darkness of night, just like the rising sun brings light to the world:
- 31. Novel: ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ Example Technique Connotations In a fog, Jem and I watched our father take the gun and walk out into the middle of the street. He walked quickly, but I thought he moved like an underwater swimmer: time had slowed to a nauseating crawl. Simile and personification The writer, Harper Lee, uses a simile and personification to create the image of the narrator’s senses becoming overwhelmed. The narrator feels like time is slowing down and the people moving about appear to be moving in slow motion as something dramatic is happening in the story.
- 32. Play: ‘Romeo and Juliet’ Watching a dramatic life or death situation happening right in front of you can overwhelm your senses: • Everything slows down underwater and looks and sounds strange and blurry – and this is how the narrator in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ feels as she watches her father try and save their town from great danger
- 33. Non-fiction: Newspaper article Example Technique Connotations Need fire extinguishers to tick the safety box? Hire them in for the day. The lift is a death trap? Stick a sign on it to say it is out of use and the inspector will pass it by. The dark arts thrive in the inspection business. Metaphor Here, the writer is using a metaphor to compare illegal and immoral business practices to the ‘dark arts’ of evil, corrupt wizards and sorcerers who seek to use magic to cause harm and even death. And it’s pretty obvious that cutting corners when it comes to health and safety just to save money is likely to cause serious harm or even death.
- 34. Non-fiction: Newspaper article Making people work in dangerous conditions like this to make more money is no different to being an evil, corrupt sorcerer:
- 35. Non-fiction: Autobiography Example Technique Connotations I had fourth-degree frostbite, the worst form. My fingers were covered in deathly black blisters, my hands freezing to the bone. The pain when it thaws is colossal, at the top of the human tolerance scale, like a huge invisible parasite with a million fangs. Simile The writer describes how they suffered from frostbite during an Arctic expedition. To convey how extreme the pain was, he uses a simile to compare it to being constantly bitten by an invisible monster that’s got a million fangs in its mouth. The reader imagines how painful that would be and is then able to get an idea of how much agony the writer was in and how serious his situation was.
- 36. Non-fiction: Autobiography Frostbite – even more painful than being eaten by something like this:
- 37. Summary • Figurative language is when we say or write anything that is not meant literally • Figurative language techniques, such as similes, metaphors, personification and symbols, are often referred to as imagery techniques • Figurative language is used in everyday speech and in written texts to help us understand the world around us and to create vivid and interesting descriptions • We can understand figurative language because we understand the connotations – the ideas and images we associate with words
- 38. Quick quiz
- 39. Quick quiz
- 40. Quick quiz
- 41. Extension Activity 1 For the examples below, identify the imagery technique and explain the connotations linked to the language used. The first one has been done for you. • Tip: use the word pyramid from earlier in this study guide to help break down each example Example Technique Connotations ‘He was fast as lightning.’ Simile Lightning travels extremely fast, so the man is presented as quicker than any living thing, creating an image of somebody superhuman. ‘His home was his castle’ ‘She had a smile like the sunrise.’ ‘The wind screamed through the trees.’
- 42. Extension Activity 2 Develop your own similes, metaphors or personification to create vivid images for the following sentences: 1. The water crashed onto the beach. 2. We heard the tune of an ice-cream van. 3. There was a long queue. 4. We were holding giant ice creams.
- 43. Extension Activity 3 Write a vivid description of a trip you’ve been on. It could be to town, to a park, to a football match or something else. Aim to use at least one example of: • A metaphor • A simile • Personification
- 44. Extension Activity 4 Write the first paragraph of a horror story. Someone is trapped in a dark room and scared about what will happen next. Aim to use at least one example of: • A metaphor • A simile • Personification