I recently dove into studying how to write better descriptions and imagery in books, and I learned just how many different types of figurative language are available to us. It’s overwhelming! Today, I want to go over seven different types I’ve found to be helpful. Some will be very familiar to you, but others could broaden how you convey details in your stories.
What Is Figurative Language?
There are two types of language: literal and figurative. Literal language is when the meaning of the words used is exactly what you’d find in a dictionary. Figurative language is when the words transcend past their dictionary meanings and take on implied meanings. Typically, figurative language is using a comparison to bring new meaning.
For instance, the phrase “dying of boredom” is not literal. When people say it, they don’t mean that their bodies are literally shutting down and dying because they feel bored. It’s figurative language. They are comparing their boredom to things that do cause death like a disease. Boredom is slowly infecting them, taking away the good. It’s not pleasant. By using figurative language, the negative concept is portrayed without having to spend time explaining how they feel about boredom.
Logistics Of Comparisons
Today, I’m focusing on figures of speech that directly compare one thing to another. I.A. Richards developed a theory about metaphors that I believe applies to the seven types of figurative language below. Before we get into these types, let’s examine his theory to help us better understand comparisons.
There are two parts to every comparison: tenor and vehicle. Tenor is a thing, person, or idea that is the main subject. Vehicle is a concert image that projects its properties onto the main subject. Let’s look at the example: She deflated like a leaky balloon. The tenor is the female, and the vehicle is the balloon. Another example is: Shame shackled him with its cold metal cuffs. Shame is the tenor, and the cuffs are the vehicle. In some types of comparisons, both parts are not always explicitly stated, but they are always understood to be present.
7 Types of Figurative Language
As I noted above, there are numerous types of figurative language, but I pulled out seven types that seem the most helpful in writing novels. Let’s define each one and look at some examples.
1. Simile
A simile is a comparison of two different things using a connective word such as like, as, resembles, etc. Essentially, a simile calls attention to itself as being figurative language. Similes are written: tenor+connective word+vehicle.
Let’s look at some examples. The sun was like a chariot racing across the sky. Our formula is: sun+like+chariot. Her footsteps resembled the boom of a bass drum. Footsteps+resembled+drum’s boom. His beard hung as if stringy seaweed. Beard+as if+seaweed. Similes are super simple to write and can be very effective in getting an image across to readers without spending paragraphs on the description.
2. Metaphor
If each type was given a status, metaphor would be at the top of the figurative language hierarchy. Metaphors are when a new image is formed by implying a comparison between two things that are not alike. It isn’t just about comparing your subject to something else but stating it is the same. This approach makes metaphors usually more impactful than similes, but it can also confuse people who take everything literally.
Metaphors can be created from similes by just removing the connecting word. The sun was a chariot racing across the sky. Her footsteps were the boom of a bass drum. His beard was stringy seaweed hanging from his chin.
If you want to take it one step further, you can make them implied metaphors by not overtly stating the vehicle. Let’s take the example: The moon was a toddler refusing to go to bed. The tenor is moon, and the vehicle is toddler. The implied metaphor would be something like: The moon set stubbornly, stopping its little feet and taking the long way to its destination. By erasing the vehicle, we can create a stronger image because readers have to interpret the details and come to their own conclusions.
3. Hyperbole
Hyperbole is an overly exaggerated comparison. It explicitly states the tenor and vehicle, but often picks a vehicle that overstates the comparison. This is done to portray the intense feelings associated with the comparison, or it can be used to add comic effect.
An example of a comedic hyperbole is: Her voice rang out like the trumpet sound of a charging elephant. We know no human (tenor) sounds like an elephant (vehicle), but the idea she is mad and yelling comes across clearly. Another example is: His wife was more breathtaking than the most heavenly sunset. It’s easy to tell the man is infatuated with his wife by the exaggerated description of her beauty.
Not every hyperbole must be comical though. It’s just as effective when overstating the negative side of things. Such as: The man’s words hit with the devastation of a gunshot wound to the heart. Words is the tenor, and gunshot is the vehicle. Despite how hurt someone can become by words, it will never be as devastating and final as a gunshot to the heart. Still, writers can portray the depth of the emotion without going into too many details.
4. Symbols
A symbol is an object or action that represents something bigger than itself. Remember how metaphors always state the tenor but can leave out explicitly stating the vehicle? Well, symbols are the opposite. Writers don’t state the tenor when writing symbols, they only state the vehicle and let the readers discover the tenor little by little. The symbol should show up in the story as simply itself, but over the course of the book, it will take on a new and more abstract meaning.
The Hunger Games series is a good example of a story with a strong symbol. The mockingjay starts out as just a pin she wears as her tribute token. But, over time, it grows to symbolize hope and the fight against oppression. Another famous example is Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven. At first, the raven is just a bird, but it soon becomes the symbol of death. Symbols can be very powerful if done so they feel organic. If you plan to use symbols in your story, makes sure you reveal the connection to an abstract idea slowly so it doesn’t feel contrived to readers.
5. Analogy
When you compare two relationships, you are writing an analogy. This type of figurative language follows the formula: A is to B as C is to D. It requires a double tenor and a double vehicle, A and B being the tenors and C and D being the vehicles. Yet what’s really being compared isn’t the subjects themselves, but the relationships between them.
For instance, let’s look at the sentence: He stared at her like a predator assessing its prey. The male and female are the tenors, and the predator and prey are the vehicles. He is the predator, she is the prey. Yet the important part isn’t that they are identified in this way, but that their interactions with one another is characterized as if they were predator and prey.
Another example is: The tornado speed toward the town like a race car speeding toward the finish line. Tornado and the town are the tenors, and the race car and finish line are the vehicles. The tornado is the race car, and the town is the finish line. The tornado isn’t meant to be portrayed as a metal box on wheels, but as an object in motion that’s determined to get to its destination as soon as possible. It’s the relationship of the race car to the finish line that equates how the tornado is moving toward the town. Analogies can be great to show how things interact with one another, but they can get clunky so sparingly use them in your stories.
6. Personification
Personification is when an inanimate object or abstract idea is given human characteristics. This type of figurative language gives a fresh outlook on common objects or gives new understanding to concepts that are hard to grasp. Since readers are human, it’s easy for them to relate to things by how they perceive the world. It’s also easy on writers to portray meaning based on how we have experienced the world.
One example of personification is: The lazy grass slow-danced to the wind’s tune. Grass can’t be lazy nor does it dance, and the wind isn’t a musician. Yet the sentence clearly depicts a scene readers can visualize and maybe even hear. Let’s look at another example: Fear clamped its icy fingers around her neck. Fear is feeling. It’s not alive, and it definitely doesn’t have fingers. Yet we can relate to how fear feels in this moment. Giving objects and abstract ideas human characteristics allows readers to connect deeper to the description.
7. Animism
Animism is similar to personification except the object or idea is described as alive but not human. It can be liked to an animal, plant, or even monster. The point is to infuse the sense of energy into the description by using strong verbs that convey life.
A good example of animism is: This generations’ sense of entitlement burrows into their souls, devouring any nutrients it can steal along the way. An abstract idea is likened to a worm burrowing in the dirt. If we’re trying to describe an object, it could be: The light flickered, as if losing its certainty for a moment. Lights don’t have feelings, yet we gave it one to set the mood.
Another example is: Hope can seem a fragile thing waving its branches at the world, but not even the strongest winds can uproot it. Hope is described as a tree, and we conveyed the sense that there’s more to hope than meets the eye by comparing it to a tree’s root system below ground. Active voice is always more impactful in writing so it makes sense that adding the sense of energy and life to a description will also make it more impactful.
Final Thoughts
These seven types of figurative language are by no means the only types out there, but they seemed the most useful in writing descriptions for stories. When you feel like your story details are lackluster, try using one of these comparisons to draw a better image. Identify the tenor and vehicle, and try to create a fresh way of looking at the scene. Just be careful to not overdo it. Like all things, balance is key. A story full of figurative language will be hard to follow. Don’t sacrifice clarity for image. You can write the best metaphor in the world, but if no one can understand why it’s important, the writing will fall flat. So let figurative language flow organically from you, and make sure the image it creates is clear, unique, and stunning.
Thanks for reading!
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