Can you please explain the difference between 'literal language' and 'figurative language' and can you give examples please?

Answer 1

Literal means adhering to the basic facts, or to the ordinary usage and standard meanings of words. It refers to what is actually or obviously true, with no exaggeration or embelishment. You probably won't find better examples than the user's manuals for the dozens of electronic items you have around the house. You may find them a challenge to follow (as I sometimes do), but it won't be because the writers put hidden meanings or poetic expressions into the language. Good manuals get right to the facts and stick with them, all the way through. Manuals may be written either for a "beginner" or for an "expert" audience, depending on the device and its use. Cook books are good examples-- at least the sections that deal with the actual preparation of the food, and not the author's occasional ecstatic descriptions of how you will react to it. A little more broadly, encyclopedia articles dealing with virtually anything will contain much more literal writing than anything else. The writing can be fact-based, and still be creative and engaging. Figurative writing seems almost too broad a category. This kind of writing may be more expressive of emotional content, or relative values, or esthetic quality. It is more focused on a metaphorical description of things rather than a literal one. [This brings up a problem that is beyond the scope of the question: All language is metaphorical in nature; words themselves are things that represent other things.] History and Historical Fiction may be areas where you will find a mixture of literal and figurative language. Well written history relates the facts (whatever that may mean) while striving to be as unbiased as possible. But writers are human, and some element of interpretation, or some bias concerning the value of an event is bound to come through. Poetry may be the best example of figurative language; it is surprising what a skilled poet can get across without actually "saying" it in a literal sense.

Answer 2

Literal language is straightforward and factual, conveying information in a direct manner without any exaggeration or embellishment. For example, saying "It is raining outside" is a literal statement that describes a real event.

Figurative language uses words in a non-literal sense to create a more imaginative or expressive effect. For example, saying "It's raining cats and dogs" is a figurative expression that means it is raining heavily.