Figurative Language versus Literal Language - Essay Example

Below are some of the most commonly used figurative expressions: Idioms, analogy, metaphor, simile, cliché, amphiboly, flame word, hyperbole, euphemism, and colloquialism. All are figurative expressions that may cause confusion and even misunderstanding to the ones that aren’t familiar with them. An idiom is a group of words or phrase that means something else differently from what it says literally. Idioms can actually be considered oral literature. They are passed down from generation to generation as part of culture.

Example is “kick the bucket”, as in Mr. Jones kicked the bucket just yesterday! It would be senseless if a man just kicked a bucket. But kicking the bucket, idiomatically, means to die. It should be avoided in formal correspondences to avoid misunderstanding as idioms are generally geographic in nature. Analogy is another figurative expression that can be confusing. Analogy can be confusing if you do not know the references that the speaker uses in a sentence, especially if the speaker uses pop culture references (I will be a Marshall to your Lily.

– in reference to the couple in the TV show How I Met Your Mother). But generally, it is quite useful in simplifying complicated ideas. For example, The CPU of the computer is like the brain; it is the commanding center. For students learning computer, it would be easy to remember: CPU = brain, but the elements used in idioms should be universally known to prevent misunderstandings. A metaphor, on the other hand, is similar to analogy but it does not compare two things directly. In a metaphor, the comparison is asserted to an otherwise unrelated object although one can argue that a metaphor is a type of analogy.

A famous metaphor by Shakespeare goes: All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances, from As You Like