Figurative language is any language which departs from literal language to create colorful, imaginative and effective meaning.
Notice how the use of figurative language changes the connotation-the implication beyond the literal meaning, as in the following examples:
1. John is very strong.
2. John is as strong as an ox.
3. Mary sings very sweetly.
4. Mary is a nightingale.
5. The sun is rising slowly over the horizon.
6. The sun is peeking over the horizon.
Here, sentences 1, 3, and 5 are literal. They contain word-by-word or usual meanings. But in sentences 2, 4, and 6 the comparisons are figurative: John’s strength is compared to that of an ox; Mary is compared to a nightingale; and the sun is given a human quality.
To achieve figurative language, the devices called figures of speech are used. Some of the most common figures of speech are simile, metaphor, and personification.