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Welcome to the no frames page for Introduction.<p>
<IMG SRC="/wps/media/objects/786/805726/tbskils_small.gif" ALT=" tbskils_small.gif" ALIGN="left" ><p class="volume_hdr">Figurative Language: Similes and Metaphors</p>
<p>Consider the following well-known phrases: </p>
<blockquote>
<table width="250" border="0" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1">
<tr>
<td nowrap>sharp as a tack<br>
eats like a bird</td>
<td nowrap>an icy stare<br>
raining cats and dogs </td>
</tr>
</table>
</blockquote>
<p> Each one of these sayings creates a vivid word picture that deepens the reader’s
understanding of the author’s meaning. To understand how an author creates and
uses vivid word pictures, you need to know about literal and figurative language.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Literal language</strong> uses the exact meaning of a word or phrase.<br>
<strong>Figurative language</strong> uses a word or phrase to mean something
different from its literal definition; also known as “figures of speech.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Literal language</strong> expresses the exact meaning of a word or
phrase. For example, if you were out hiking with a friend and told him to “go
jump in a lake,” he could take your words <em>literally</em> and immerse
himself in a nearby body of water. However, if you were having an argument and
said, “Go jump in a lake,” your friend would understand that you
were using<strong> figurative language</strong> and were saying something like
“go away.” Hundreds of figures of speech exist, but understanding
two commonly used types will make you a more skilled reader. The two types are
<em>simile</em> and <em>metaphor</em>.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><br>
<strong>Simile</strong> is an indirect comparison between two ideas that uses<em>
like</em>, <em>as</em>, <em>as if</em>, or <em>as though</em>.<br>
<strong>Metaphor</strong> is a direct comparison between two ideas that does
not use <em>like</em>, <em>as</em>, <em>as if</em>, or <em>as though</em>.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><A HREF="/long_henry_sr_1/25/6499/1663769.cw/index.html" TARGET="_top" >Simile</A></p>
<p style="text-indent:40pt"><A HREF="/long_henry_sr_1/25/6499/1663781.cw/index.html" TARGET="_top" >Practice 1</A></p>
<p><A HREF="/long_henry_sr_1/25/6499/1663787.cw/index.html" TARGET="_top" >Metaphor</A></p>
<p style="text-indent:40pt"><A HREF="/long_henry_sr_1/25/6499/1663799.cw/index.html" TARGET="_top" >Practice 2</A></p>
<p><A HREF="/long_henry_sr_1/25/6499/1663805.cw/index.html" TARGET="_top" >Distinguishing Between Similes and Metaphors</A></p>
<p style="text-indent:40pt"><A HREF="/long_henry_sr_1/25/6499/1663817.cw/index.html" TARGET="_top" >Practice 3</A></p>
<p><A HREF="/long_henry_sr_1/25/6499/1663823.cw/index.html" TARGET="_top" >Review Test 1: Simile</A></p>
<p><A HREF="/long_henry_sr_1/25/6499/1663834.cw/index.html" TARGET="_top" >Review Test 2: Similes and Metaphors</A></p><br>
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