Figurative Language
Figurative language is a tool that an author employs (or "uses") to help the reader visualize (or "see") what is happening in a story or poem. Some common types of figurative language are: simile, metaphor, alliteration, onomatopoeia, idiom, puns, and sensory language.
Figurative language refers to any time words are used to convey a meaning that is different than their definitions; that is, figurative language refers to non-literal use of words. (ex: the saying, “Go fly a kite” usually means, “Go away; leave me alone.”)
This is the opposite of literal language – the use of words to mean exactly what their definition says (ex: if you said, “Go fly a kite,” and they took you literally, they would go outside and fly a kite.)
There are several different types of figurative language.