Definitions
Language that means what it says
Literal Language
I want to go home.
Literal
Her eyes are blue
Her eyes are an ocean
She didn't know if he liked her, until she saw the red rose in her locker.
Red Rose / Love
Language that implies deeper meaning
Figurative Language
He broke her heart.
Figurative.
School is awful.
School is a prison.
The war was over. Doves flew across the sky.
Doves / Peace
Words that paint a mental picture that we can see, hear, taste, touch, and/or smell
Imagery
She runs like a gazelle.
Figurative
I am happy.
I am sunshine on a rainy day.
She twisted the wedding ring on her finger, wondering when he would get home.
Wedding Ring / Spouse
A deeper meaning behind certain imagery
Symbolism
He stood there, silently.
Literal
I have bad memory.
I have the memory of a goldfish.
He didn't know if he was going to make rent. He looked at the dice in his hands and blew on them for good luck.
Dice / Chance, Risk
A figurative comparison
Metaphor
The sun rose lazily.
Figurative.
It's cold outside.
It's a frozen wasteland outside.
Laying in the hospital bed, all she could hear was ticking of the clock.
Clock, Time / Death