Figurative language is language that a writer does not mean literally. If you are describing the weather to someone, you might use figurative language. “It’s raining cats and dogs” does not mean animals are dropping out of the sky. Your choice of figurative language to describe the weather would almost certainly indicate the tone of your comments.

In the middle of torrential rains that are causing flooding, no one thinks that rain is much of a laughing matter. Under these conditions, a person describing the rain would probably not use an expression like “raining cats and dogs.” “It’s raining cats and dogs” indicates a whimsical or fanciful attitude toward the rain, which would be far from the attitude of a person dealing with flood waters.

On the other hand, someone who is sitting on the front porch enjoying a heavy spring rain might comment to someone on the phone that it is “raining cats and dogs.”

Figurative language almost always carries an indication of tone. In the previous section, we sorted diction as formal, semiformal, or informal. We could do the same sorting of figurative language. However, it might be better to sort it as lighthearted or serious.

Figurative language with a lighthearted tone indicates that you would like a reader to imagine you smiling or even laughing at your own comparison.

Figurative language with a serious tone indicates that the comparison is not intended to entertain but rather to make very clear what is at stake in your statement.

In the exercise below, drag the descriptions of illness below into boxes indicating a “lighthearted” or “serious” tone.

It’s pretty clear which phrases in the sentences above are figurative (just think of which parts of the statements could not be literally true). Just for practice, however, let’s identify the figurative language by highlighting it.

The two serious passages are repeated below. Click on the phrases you think are examples of figurative language. If you are correct, the phrase will be highlighted.

The two lighthearted passages are repeated below. Click on the phrases you think are examples of figurative language. If you are correct, the phrase will be highlighted.

Now, try identifying the figurative language in the passage below. Click on words or phrases that you think are examples of figurative language. If you are correct, the word or phrase will be highlighted. The highlighting will be in turquoise for lighthearted figurative language and in grey for serious figurative language. You may disagree about whether the language is lighthearted or serious. This distinction is not crucial as long as the examples of figurative language fit in with the general tone of the essay. You should find a total of 11 instances of figurative language.

Here are some of the above sentences with the figurative language removed:

Here are the original sentences for comparison:

For another example, consider this revision of a sentence from the third paragraph.

Changed sentence:

Here is the original sentence for comparison.

In both the examples, we have revised the tone by eliminating the figurative language. Sometimes, however, the figurative language actually contributes to a formal tone. The reference to the Aegean Stables (one of the twelve labors of Hercules) would be appropriate in the text of a Supreme Court decision, but the reference to Hercules “throwing in the towel” would not.

People who have difficulty singing on key are sometimes referred to as “tone deaf.” There are some people whose e-mails are the same way. When you revise for tone, you need to “hear” the tone in your language. You cannot rely on a memorization of informal expressions and formal expressions. You need to cultivate your sensitivity to tone through practice and extensive reading of a variety of texts.