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Learn to tell when words mean exactly what they say — and when they mean something totally different!
Have you ever heard someone say, "It's raining cats and dogs!" and looked up at the sky? Of course, real cats and dogs are not falling from the clouds! The person just means it is raining very hard. People have been using fun, surprising phrases like this for a really long time. Let's look at how this started.
So here's the big question: How do we know when words mean exactly what they say, and when they mean something else? That's what this lesson is all about!
Before we go further, let's learn two important words. Literal means the words mean exactly what they say. Nonliteral (sometimes called figurative) means the words mean something different from what they seem to say. Both types are used all the time!
Let's look at the phrase "take steps" in two very different sentences. The picture below shows how the same words can mean two different things!
Look at how the same two words — "take steps" — paint completely different pictures depending on the sentence around them. On the left, someone is really climbing stairs. On the right, someone is making a plan. The context (the other words in the sentence) tells you which meaning to use!
So how do you become a great "word detective"? Here is a step-by-step way to figure out if words are literal or nonliteral. You can use these three questions every time you see a tricky phrase.
Let's try it with the phrase "She has a heart of gold."
There are many kinds of nonliteral language. Here are the most common ones you'll find in stories and conversations. Each type works a little differently, but they all have one thing in common: the words don't mean exactly what they seem to say.
| Type | What It Does | Example | What It Really Means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idiom | A phrase with a hidden meaning | "Break a leg!" | Good luck! |
| Simile | Compares using like or as | "Fast as a cheetah" | Very, very fast |
| Metaphor | Says something is something else | "Time is money" | Time is valuable |
| Hyperbole | A big exaggeration | "I've told you a million times!" | I've told you many times |
| Personification | Gives human traits to non-human things | "The wind whispered" | The wind blew softly |
Let's practice with a full example. Read the short passage below, then follow along as we figure out if the highlighted phrase is literal or nonliteral.
Let's look at some common phrases and see both their literal meaning (what the words actually say) and their nonliteral meaning (what the speaker really means). This will help you get really good at spotting the difference!
| Phrase | Literal Meaning | Nonliteral Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Hold your horses | Grab onto real horses | Wait! Be patient! |
| Under the weather | Standing below clouds and rain | Feeling sick |
| Costs an arm and a leg | You pay with your body parts 😱 | It's very expensive |
| Let the cat out of the bag | A real cat escapes from a bag | Tell a secret |
| Butterflies in my stomach | Insects flying inside you | Feeling nervous or excited |
| Hit the books | Punch your textbooks | Start studying |
Notice how the literal meanings sound funny or impossible? That's a great trick to use. If the exact meaning of the words sounds silly, impossible, or doesn't match what's happening in the story, the phrase is probably being used nonliterally!
Understanding literal and nonliteral language is a skill you'll use for the rest of your life! As you grow as a reader and writer, you'll learn even more ways that language can be creative. Here's a peek at what's ahead.
| What You Know Now | What You'll Learn Later |
|---|---|
| Spotting idioms in sentences | Understanding idioms from different countries and cultures |
| Similes using like and as | Using similes and metaphors in your own creative writing |
| Figuring out if a phrase is literal or nonliteral | Analyzing why an author chose nonliteral language to create a mood or feeling |
| Using context clues | Understanding sarcasm, irony, and other tricky language |
Writers and poets use nonliteral language to make their writing more interesting, funny, or emotional. When you read a book and a sentence makes you feel something strong — happy, sad, scared, excited — there's a good chance the author used some nonliteral language to create that feeling! The more you practice spotting it, the better reader and writer you'll become. 📚✨
Time to test your skills! Try each problem on your own, then click "Show Answer" to check. Remember to use the three questions: Picture it, Read around it, and Replace it.
Words and phrases can have two kinds of meanings. The literal meaning is the real, exact meaning — the words say exactly what is happening. The nonliteral meaning (also called figurative) is when the words mean something different from what they seem to say, like idioms, similes, metaphors, and hyperboles.
To figure out which meaning is being used, remember the three detective steps: Picture it (does it look silly or impossible?), Read around it (what do the other words and sentences tell you?), and Replace it (can you swap the phrase with a simpler word that makes sense?). The context — the words around the phrase — is always your best clue. The same phrase, like "cold feet" or "take steps," can be literal in one sentence and nonliteral in another. Keep reading, keep listening, and you'll become a nonliteral language expert in no time! ⭐