Language Arts Lesson 1
Word Analysis, Fluency and Vocabulary Development

Instruction 1-4

Word Origins | Context Clues | Multiple Meanings of Words | Figurative and Metaphorical Use of Words | Summary

Pre-Test
Q&A	Discovering Language Arts: Style, Structure, and Tone

Literal vs. Figurative Language

The literal meaning of a word is its standard meaning -- how it's defined in the dictionary. When people use figurative language, they use the word in a different way to achieve a dramatic or amusing effect. For example, "Don't give me any lip," is a livelier way to say "Don't talk back to me." And "Mr. Smith has a green thumb," is a more colorful way to say that Mr. Smith is a good gardener -- that the plants he grows turn green and thrive (remember thrive from our "context clues" Instruction?)

Have you ever heard the expression once in a blue moon? It means "not very often" -- as in the sentence, "I only eat out once in a blue moon." Where did this expression come from? Etymologists (the scientists who study words) say that it comes from the fact that when there's a second full moon in any calendar month it's called a "blue" moon. Since that only happens 7 times every 19 years, once in a blue moon is a great way to say "not very often."

We all use figurative language all the time. If somebody asks you to work harder, they say, "roll up your sleeves." If they think you're talking nonsense, they say, "cut the baloney." If they want you to look carefully at something, they ask you to "eye it up." And if something goes against you, you say that it was "the luck of the draw," even if you weren't playing cards.

Why do we use figurative language? Because it adds color and sparkle to our lives. Figurative language can be far more expressive than literal language. And it can save time -- one figurative word or phrase can often communicate more vividly than a whole paragraph or page of literal language.

Metaphors and Similes

One of the most common uses of figurative language is to compare one thing to another. And there are two main ways to do it -- metaphor and simile. What's the difference?

A simile compares one thing to another by saying that one thing is "like" another. Look for the words "like" or "as." A metaphor says that one thing is another -- no "like" or "as." A Scottish poet, Robert Burns, began a poem this way, "My love is like a red, red rose." That's a simile. If he had said, "My love is a red, red rose," that would have been a metaphor.

Here is a list of similes and metaphors:

And for more on the figurative and metaphorical use of words, click:

for Students, Parents and Teachers

Now let's do Practice Exercise 1-4 (top).

Summary

You have now completed Lesson 1 on Word Analysis, Fluency and Vocabulary Development and are ready to do the Problem and Test sections.

You may wish to review any or all of the topics before answering the questions that follow. You may also wish to obtain additional material from the links below before answering the questions.

Good luck!

Next Page:  Problems (top)