Literal and Nonliteral Language

NAME: DATE:

Key Terms

 literal language: words and phrases that reflect the dictionary definitions

of words and mean exactly what they say

 nonliteral language: words and phrases that mean one thing but are used

for effect to describe something else (i.e., idioms)

 context clues: words and phrases that help you figure out the meaning of

unknown language

Instruction

When you look up a word in the dictionary, you will find its literal meaning.

Literal language is language that means exactly what it says. It uses words by

their dictionary definitions. “I am going to the store” is literal language.

The opposite of literal language is nonliteral language. These are words and

phrases that do not mean exactly what they say. You probably hear these words

and phrases all the time. For example, say you are really angry at your friend.

He might tell you to “chill.” The dictionary meaning of

chill

is “to become cold.”

Your friend is not telling you to put yourself into your freezer. He is telling you

to relax. He is using

chill

as nonliteral language.

People use nonliteral words and phrases for many reasons. Nonliteral words

and phrases help express feelings. They help show how one thing is like

another. They also help create images in a reader’s mind. They can make a text

more fun to read.

This table shows some nonliteral phrases and the literal meaning of each. Think

about how the phrases have the same meaning but use different language.

Nonliteral Language

Literal Language

hit the hay

go to sleep

having butterflies in the stomach

feeling nervous

shake a leg

leave very fast

sell like hotcakes

sell quickly

rain cats and dogs

rain very hard

spill the beans

tell a secret

Using Context Clues to Understand Nonliteral Language

Sometimes you might not know what a nonliteral word or phrase means. As a

reader, you can find context clues in the sentence to help you. Look for other

important words and phrases in the sentence. They can help you understand

the meaning of the unknown word or phrase.

Read the two sentences below.

Sentence 1: The used car didn’t start, so Mom returned that lemon.

Sentence 2: Mom squeezed the juice of the lemon into her water.

Which sentence uses the word

lemon

literally, and which uses it nonliterally?

Look for context clues in the sentence. Then, apply your own knowledge of

words and phrases. This will help you figure out the meaning of

lemon

in each

sentence.

Sentence 1: “lemon”

Sentence 2: “lemon”

Context Clues

The car didn’t start.

Mom squeezed juice.

Your Knowledge

Things that don’t start

are bad.

Lemon juice comes from

an actual fruit.

What Does the Word

Mean?

A lemon is something

that is bad and doesn’t

work.

A lemon is a fruit that

can be squeezed into

liquid.

Literal or Nonliteral?

Nonliteral

Literal

The dictionary meaning of

lemon

is “a type of fruit,” so Sentence 2 is literal.

However, you might not know that a car that won’t start is often called a

“lemon.” Instead, you can use context clues to understand the nonliteral

language. Sentence 1 uses a nonliteral meaning of

lemon

.

Nonliteral language can be very powerful. Think about the image and taste in

your mouth when you hear the word

lemon

. The fruit is very sour. It doesn’t

taste very good on its own. A “lemon” is an entertaining way to describe a

machine that doesn’t work well.

Activity #1

Read the poem. Then answer the questions.

“The Rainbow” by Christina Rossetti

Boats sail on the rivers,

And ships sail on the seas;

But clouds that sail across the sky

Are prettier than these.

There are bridges on the rivers, 5

As pretty as you please;

But the bow that bridges heaven,

And overtops the trees,

And builds a road from earth to sky,

Is prettier far than these. 10

1. What is the meaning of the word

sail

in lines 1–2? Is it literal or nonliteral

language? How do you know?

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2. What is the meaning of the word

sail

in line 3? Is it literal or nonliteral

language? How do you know?

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Activity #2

Write a paragraph in which you use at least two examples of nonliteral

language. Underline the nonliteral words and phrases.

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