What is Figurative Language

What is figurative and literal language? Definition: The various uses of language that depart from customary construction, order, or significance. Literally means "really" or "actually" or "in the strict sense of the word." Don't confuse it with figuratively, which means "in an analogous or metaphorical sense," not in the exact sense. "Very young children eat their books, literally devouring their contents. This is one reason for the scarcity of first editions of Alice in Wonderland and other favorites of the nursery."(A. S. W. Rosenbach) Practice: (a) Some students are getting swept out of the library, _____ speaking.(b) "When I say I'll murder my baby's mother, maybe I wanted to, but I didn't. Anybody who takes it _____ is ten times sicker than I am." (Eminem)