Literal and Nonliteral Language

Front

What is Literal Language?

Back

Literal language means exactly what it says. For example, 'The sky is blue' means the sky is actually blue.

Front

What is Nonliteral Language?

Back

Nonliteral language means it does not mean exactly what it says. For example, 'It's raining cats and dogs' means it's raining heavily.

Front

What does 'I've told you a million times!' mean?

Back

It means the speaker has repeated something many times, not literally a million.

Front

What does 'It drove me up the wall' mean?

Back

It means something was very annoying, not that someone actually climbed a wall.

Front

What does 'If I live to be one thousand years old' mean?

Back

It means the speaker feels they will never understand the paintings, not that they will live for a thousand years.

Front

What does 'This room is an oven!' mean?

Back

It means the room is very hot, not that it is a real oven.

Front

What does 'I'm feeling blue' mean?

Back

It means the person is feeling sad, not that they are turning blue.

Front

What is an example of a literal statement?

Back

'The cat is on the mat' is a literal statement.

Front

What is an example of a nonliteral statement?

Back

'He has a heart of stone' means he is not kind, not that his heart is literally made of stone.

Front

Why do authors use nonliteral language?

Back

Authors use nonliteral language to create imagery or express emotions in a more vivid way.