May 17, 2008 - The English language has always fascinated me. Originally when I went to college after high school I wanted to be an English teacher; upon returning to finish my degree as an adult I changed my major to communications.
Do you get certain literary terms confused?
I had to type out a list and keep it by the computer to distinguish the difference between a metaphor, a simile and an analogy.
I constantly confuse them. According to
Webster a metaphor is figurative language literally denoting one kind of object or idea in place of another to suggest a likeness -
such as "drowning in money" as compared to
the more mundane "she had a lot of money"
A simile, on the other hand. is a figure of speech comparing two unlike things, such as
"cheeks like roses" as compared to the less
interesting "her cheeks were red."
And finally, analogy - a resemblance in some
particulars between things otherwise not
the same, or similarity. Example: "Waves of
hair cascaded down her back," as opposed to
the everyday "her curly hair as as long as her back."
That's the teacher in me.
Now for an interesting quote we've all heard many times "A mind is a terrible thing to waste," - actually the catch phrase of the
United Negro College Fund. Author of said
quote - totally unknown!
English Language - Quirks, Quips, and Quotes
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