{"id":545,"date":"2019-01-07T17:04:00","date_gmt":"2019-01-07T22:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/?p=545"},"modified":"2020-05-18T10:25:16","modified_gmt":"2020-05-18T14:25:16","slug":"different-types-of-metaphors-and-how-to-use-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/different-types-of-metaphors-and-how-to-use-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Different Types Of Metaphors And How To Use Them"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A metaphor\nis an idea that seeks to explain something by using words that are not\nliterally connected to the topic being discussed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Metaphors\nare a wonderful part of language, both enabling better understanding of meaning\nand providing a poetical edge to the language that may otherwise not exist.\nLet\u2019s start with a few examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. My brother is an animal on the sports field.<\/em><\/li>
  2. The pressure of holding down a demanding job while raising a family weighed heavily on his shoulders.<\/em><\/li>
  3. When he looked into her eyes he realized his ship had sailed. The love that had once existed between them was gone, and now all the existed were the rocky waters of friendship between two people who had once been much more.<\/em><\/li>
  4. We are like ships in the night, living in the same house but never seeing each other<\/em><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    These four\nexamples seek to highlight the main types of metaphors which exist, although\nthere are others which will be examined later. Let us first consider these most\nimportant examples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1.Direct metaphors<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The first\nmetaphor is the easiest to use, particularly for new language speakers, and can\nbe described as a direct metaphor. In this case, my brother is being described\nas an animal, which of course he literally cannot be. However, if the qualities\nof an animal are considered, in this case wild and perhaps aggressive, then my\nbrother\u2019s behavior on the sports field can be understood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A direct\nmetaphor is more often than not a comparison which is obvious in context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Although\nthere are numerous common direct metaphors, almost anything can be used as an\nexample as long as the link can be directly made and understood easily. If not,\nthen it is an example of an unsuccessful direct metaphor, or could perhaps be categorized\nin the second group as follows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    More examples:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    He is a fish out of water in his new job.<\/p>

    My sister is a bit of a coach potato.<\/p>

    Tina is a whirlwind of ideas. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    2. Implied metaphors<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    In this\ncase, the metaphor is not a direct comparative, but is implied. Once again, the\nstatement cannot be taken literally, as no weight is actually being applied,\nbut it is a small jump to understand that we carry pressure around with us as\nwe would a heavy bag, which restricts us is some way. The implication of the\nsituation is clear by the language and context that we use, although no direct comparison\nis being made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Implied\nmetaphors are abundant in literature and song, and add a poetic quality to\nlanguage. That said, they are also a powerful communication tool that assists\nwith feelings of empathy and understanding, and are a favorite of the media in\nheadlines, used to make the story more powerful.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    More examples:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It wasn\u2019t long before she became infected by the greed of those she worked with. (Comparing greed to a type of disease)<\/p>

    The flowers danced in the wind. (Comparing the movement of the flowers to dancers)<\/p>

    The banana injected instant energy into his body, and his performance improved immediately. (Comparing the banana to a drug)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n

    3. Extended metaphors<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Another favorite\nin literature, extended metaphors are exactly as they sound \u2013 lengthened\nversions of a metaphor that has already been established. In the example above,\nthat metaphor is the sea and boats that sail upon it \u2013 in this case\nrepresenting the relationship between the two protagonists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Extended\nmetaphors can be wonderfully descriptive, but be careful not to overdo it and\ndescend into clich\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    4. Similes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Similes are\nincredibly similar to direct metaphors, but can be categorized as always\ncontaining the words like<\/em> or as<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    More examples:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Jane sleeps like a baby.<\/p>

    The metal gate felt as cold as ice.<\/p>

    John is like a bull in a china shop.<\/p><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    Other types of metaphors<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    There are\nother types of metaphors \u2013 in fact language experts often disagree as to how\nmany, but the four main types have already been mentioned and serve to produce\neffective usage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    However,\nhere are some examples of less-used and, in some cases, incorrect metaphors:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Dead metaphors<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Quite\nliterally, dead metaphors are language comparisons that, for one reason or\nanother, simply do not make any logical sense any more, or lack any sort of\nimpact in their visual imagery. Sometimes it may be that a metaphor has become\nso overused that it does not have the impact that it once had, and slips into\nthe murky waters of clich\u00e9 (another metaphor right there!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Examples:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It\u2019s raining cats and dogs. (It is very difficult to visualize or even understand the original meaning of this overused metaphor)<\/p>

    Time is running out. (This metaphor is logically linked to the hourglass, a device which is hardly ever seen or thought about in modern life)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    Mixed metaphors<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    A mixed\nmetaphor is very often the result of confusion on behalf of the speaker. Simply\nspeaking, it is when an attempt at one metaphor becomes a horrible,\nunintelligible mix of two, resulting only in laughter. Down the years, there\nhave been many famous and comedic examples, of which here are two:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cThey\u2019ve put all their eggs in one basket and it\u2019s misfired.\u201d (Chickens and guns are not usually associated)<\/p>

    \u201cFederal Judge Susan Webber Wright stepped up to the plate and called a foul.\u201d (A complete mix of sports and roles)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    It would be a mistake for any speaker \u2013 native, new or experienced \u2013 to be reluctant to use metaphors as they are such a colorful, poetic element of any language. As can be seen, although there is an extensive list of existing metaphors, new ones can be made at any times, as long as they can be easily understood and related to. And as also can be seen, even when they go wrong, they add an extra element of fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    A metaphor is an idea that seeks to explain something by using words that are not literally connected to the topic being discussed. Metaphors are a wonderful part of language, both enabling better understanding of meaning and providing a poetical edge to the language that may otherwise not exist. Let\u2019s start with a few examples: […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":546,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[11,9],"tags":[14,472,12],"class_list":["post-545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-style","category-writing","tag-how-to","tag-metaphors","tag-writing"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDifferent Types Of Metaphors And How To Use Them - Linguix Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/different-types-of-metaphors-and-how-to-use-them\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Different Types Of Metaphors And How To Use Them\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A metaphor is an idea that seeks to explain something by using words that are not literally connected to the topic being discussed. 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