Literal vs. Nonliteral Language

Front

What is Literal Language?

Back

Literal language means exactly what it says. For example, 'The cat is on the mat' means the cat is really on the mat.

Front

What is Nonliteral Language?

Back

Nonliteral language means it does not mean exactly what it says. It often uses figures of speech like metaphors or idioms.

Front

Example of Nonliteral Language: 'I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.' What does it mean?

Back

It means the person is very hungry, not that they will actually eat a horse.

Front

What does it mean when we say 'Her teeth are like stars because they come out at night'?

Back

This is nonliteral language. It means her teeth are not literally stars; it suggests they are bright or shiny.

Front

When someone says 'When she sings her voice is like velvet,' what type of language is this?

Back

This is nonliteral language. It compares her voice to velvet, suggesting it is smooth and pleasant.

Front

What does 'I’ve told you a million times to clean up your room' mean?

Back

This is nonliteral language. It means the speaker has told the person many times, not literally a million.

Front

What is a metaphor?

Back

A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two things without using 'like' or 'as'. For example, 'Time is a thief'.

Front

What is an idiom?

Back

An idiom is a phrase that means something different from its literal meaning. For example, 'It's raining cats and dogs' means it's raining heavily.

Front

Can you give an example of literal language?

Back

Sure! 'The dog is barking' is literal because it describes what is actually happening.

Front

Why do we use nonliteral language?

Back

We use nonliteral language to make our speech more colorful, interesting, and expressive.