Using and misusing figurative language may make it more difficult for others to engage in productive thinking. Listed below are ten (10) types of figurative language. (If you are unfamiliar with these...

The paper discusses different types of figurative languages, their definitions, functions,
and examples. It also reflects on the appropriate circumstances for using the example for each
term and when it might lead to misunderstanding.
Idiom
An idiom is formed with a group of words which when used to together convey a
meaning which is different from the literal meaning of the individual words. Every language has
numerous idioms. The idioms are non compositional in nature. They have a stable grammatical
form and rearrangement or change of positioning of the individual words can change the
complete meaning and essence of the idiom (Heidrich, 2004). An Idiom is used as a way of
expressing more complex ideas in a simple way. Some examples of idioms in the English
language are kick the bucket, for good, high and dry, etc. „Kick the bucket‟ literally means
actually kicking a physical bucket. But the idiom „Kick the bucket‟ means die. An appropriate
usage of the term is in the following sentence: Harry kicked the bucket at the age of 50. It means
that Harry died at the age of 50 years. Idioms may lead to misunderstanding when one interprets
the meanings of the words separately and literally.
Analogy
Analogy is the cognitive process which is used to draw a comparison between two things,
usually between two things based on their structure. The main function of an analogy to help in
better understanding and clarification of an idea with the help of an explanation to highlight
some similarity between the two different things or situations. Some examples of analogy are as
below. – She felt like a fish out of water. This analogy is used to convey the understanding that
she was not comfortable with her surroundings.
Metaphor
Metaphor is a figure of speech which has an implied comparison embedded in it. It is a
word or phrase...