Figurative Language Essay

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The use of figurative languages could be considered a double edged sword when it comes to engaging in productive thinking. While the use of them may seem pertinent at the time, sometimes the meanings of the words are lost on those that are conducting a brainstorming session with you, and force the group to think harder as a whole to try and understand the reasoning behind the use of the word. Below are definitions and examples of figurative languages that could be misconstrued or misunderstood when engaging in productive thinking exercises. An idiom is an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its separate words but that has a separate meaning of its own. Idioms exist in every language. A few examples of an idiom would be that someone has “bought the farm”. This has nothing to do with purchasing real estate, but refers to a person’s expiration. Another example is “A chip on your shoulder” means that you think you know a lot. A good time to use idioms would be if you are trying to compare one thing to another and feel that the idiom would be an easier way of conveying your thought. A time that this could be a detriment would be if the person you are saying the idiom to does not know those turns of phrase. An analogy is a similarity in some respects between things that are otherwise dissimilar. It is also a comparison based on such a similarity. “Understanding the meaning of an analogy is key to the success of the analogy in communication. Some analogies will be understood by most people that speak the same language. Within small social groups of people, there are often shared analogies that bind the group together. Other analogies are only understood by people living in a certain region or country” (yourdictionary.com). Some common analogies are “the relationship between them began to thaw”. This means that the relationship was
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