Figurative Language

Definition: communicates ideas beyond the literal meaning of words. Figurative language does not mean exactly what it says, but instead forces the reader to make an imaginative leap in order to comprehend the author's point. It usually involves a comparison between two things that may not, at first, seem to relate to one another. Terms that fall under the topic of figurative language are simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole. Irony, understatement, allusion also count as figurative language, but I wouldn’t recommend writing about them under the guise of figurative language. If you’re writing about irony, write about irony.