Metaphors.
- The literal term is what we are comparing to something else. It's what's real; it means what it is. For example, if we say, "The tree sighed sadly in the cold," we are using personification. the literal term in the metaphor "That test was a bear!" is "test." We are really talking about a test.
- The figurative term is what is being compared to the literal term. The figurative term means something other than itself, something nonliteral. The figurative term in the metaphor is "bear." The test not a bear, but it has some bear-like qualities that can help us understand just how hard the test was.