Literal vs Figurative Language
Distinguish literal from nonliteral (figurative) language in context and interpret common idioms and phrases
What a learner can do afterwards
- Identify whether 'It's raining cats and dogs' is literal or nonliteral and explain what it means
- Read a passage and circle three phrases used nonliterally, restating each in literal terms
- Explain the difference between 'She was on fire' (figurative, performing well) and 'The log was on fire' (literal)
1 · Read
Some words mean exactly what they say. If you say, 'I ate an apple,' you really ate a real apple. That's called literal language.
Other words paint a picture instead of stating a plain fact. If you say, 'I have a mountain of homework,' you don't own an actual mountain. You just mean you have a lot of homework. That's called figurative, or nonliteral, language.
The log was on fire. That's literal: real flames were burning it. Later, someone said, 'She was on fire during the game.' That's figurative: it means she played amazingly well, not that she was actually burning.
To spot figurative language, ask yourself: could this really happen? If a phrase sounds impossible, like cats and dogs falling from the sky, it's probably figurative. Then think about what it really means.
Literal words mean exactly what they say; figurative words paint a picture with a different, true meaning.
The rewritten readings were written for this dataset.
2 · Watch
En anglaisTake it off screen
Where it sits
Learn first
Optional connections
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.