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Figurative writing

Device
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Writing that employs metaphors, similes, and other figures of speech to suggest meanings beyond the literal

Detailed Definition
Figurative writing in poetry relies on imaginative language that departs from literal description to evoke mood, idea, or sensation through metaphor, symbol, and other tropes; by transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary, it enables poets to express abstract emotions, philosophical insights, or psychological states in ways that resonate more profoundly than direct statement.
Example
Example in poetry:
Figurative writing: "The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor" (Poe); "My love is a red, red rose" (Burns); "The world is too much with us; late and soon, / Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers" (Wordsworth, metaphor); "I wandered lonely as a cloud" (simile); "The fog comes / on little cat feet" (Sandburg); "All the world’s a stage" (Shakespeare).
Additional Notes
Figurative writing relies on imaginative transformation rather than direct statement; it’s the core of poetic expression—students should balance originality with clarity, ensuring figures are accessible; contrast with Nonliteral writing (12154), which is broader and includes symbolic and ambiguous modes.
Also Known As
figurative expression metaphorical writing symbolic prose-poetry non-literal composition abstract writing
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