HOW TO RECOGNIZE FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
Learn the patterns of types of figurative language so that when you encounter them, you recognize
them.
Be open to finding it: know that when a passage seems to be saying more than what appears on the
surface, there is probably figurative language at work. Learn to read under the surface or, as is often
said, “between the lines.”
Remember that poetry is almost a synonym for figurative language, meaning that there is a great deal
of it in poetry. Always be looking for it.
Read carefully and don’t settle for the most obvious interpretation.
