Literal Sense Example

The literal sense refers to the sense or meaning what have the words denotative or objective: the words mean exactly what your lexical content, the meaning that we could find in a dictionary. For example, the word heart In a literal or objective sense it refers to an organ of the body.

In a phrase or sentence that is expressed in a literal sense, the meaning of this will be the sum of the literal meanings of all the words that form it. Each word will be used to communicate, as is, what you want to say.

We don't always use the words literally; both in our everyday conversations and in more complex texts we use senses that can go beyond the literal; is what we call the figurative sense. The figurative sense is often used for example in jokes, sayings, figures of speech, etc.

This sense is connotative or subjective; For example, if we say “his departure broke my heart”, we are using a figurative sense that does not mean exactly what the sentence expresses; rather, it means that someone is distressed or sad about a departure. The figurative sense starts from the literal sense but goes further; gives words in the same sentence a similar but sometimes more intense or fantastic meaning.

Let's look at an example of the literal sense, compared to the figurative sense:

Sentence: "You're dead, friend."

• Literal meaning: it refers, objectively and directly, to the fact that a friend has passed away and is already out of his vital functions. The literal sense is valid only if it is spoken to the lifeless body. For example, a context in which this phrase would be used would be during a friend's funeral.
• Figurative sense: In a figurative sense, it can be used in a comical or threatening way to refer to the fact that the friend is in trouble, as a consequence of some situation.

10 Examples of sentences in literal and figurative sense (explained)

1. "You are crazier than a goat"

On literal meaning, this phrase means that a person has crazier behaviors than a goat (animal). In this sense, one would really be comparing the sanity of a person with that of an animal.

In its figurative sense, which is the one that is most often used, this phrase is used expressively to indicate that someone is very crazy or does crazy things.

1. "This room is a pigsty"

In its literal meaningThis sentence means that a room is intended for raising pigs and that it has the necessary conditions for it, such as dirt, mud, food and straw.

In its figurative sense, this sentence is used expressively to say that a person's room is messy and dirty. The figurative sense is created from an analogy with the pigsty.

1. "She came fuming"

On literal meaning, this sentence would mean that a woman presents herself emitting electrical sparks or flashes.

On figurative sense, the sentence is used expressively to say that a woman has arrived in an altered state of mind, in a bad mood or with anger. Sparks are used as an analogy to say that something is about to ignite or ignite.

1. "I'm dying to go"

In its literal meaning, this sentence would mean that a person is dying or dying due to the desire to go to a specific place.

In its figurative sense, this phrase does not imply a mortal meaning: the expression "I die" is used in a connotative sense to say that someone really wants to do something: the desire to go somewhere is very large.

1. "Your anger drives me crazy"

In its literal meaning, this sentence would express that the anger of a person causes a mental disorder in whom she says it.

On figurative senseOn the other hand, the sentence is used to say that a person's anger causes despair, impatience, or discomfort in someone.

1. "It cost me an arm and a leg"

In its literal meaning, the sentence would mean that to buy an item it was necessary to detach one eye to deliver it as payment.

On figurative sense, the eye it is used to refer to something that is very precious to the person. In this way, the sentence is used to say that a purchased item has been very expensive.

1. "I'm bursting with laughter!"

In its literal meaning, the sentence expresses that the person who laughs is at risk of exploding or is exploding. Of course, that in real life is impossible.

On figurative sense, this phrase is used to say that someone is laughing a lot and this implies an effort.

1. "I've been waiting for centuries"

On literal meaning, the sentence indicates that a person has waited hundreds of years for something to happen.

In its figurative sense, the sentence is used to say that the wait has been very long and desperate.

1. "She dropped her face in shame"

On literal meaning, this sentence would express that a person has been so ashamed that his face has fallen from his head, which is impossible, of course.

In its figurative sense, This sentence is used expressively to say that a person has felt such shame that he is not able to face reality and the people around him. Hence the analogy with the face: the person would like to hide the face out of shame.

1. "She was drowning in tears when I saw her"

In its literal meaning, the sentence means that a person was crying in such a way that he was drowning in his own tears.

In its figurative sense, the sentence is used to exaggerate and give more expressiveness to what was said: that a person has cried a lot and for a long time.

100 Examples of sentences in the literal sense

Here are 100 examples of sentences that are fully understood literally. These phrases do not imply meanings beyond what the words mean by themselves:

1. Each day a different meal will be offered on the restaurant menu.
2. Keyboards are input devices that send information to the computer.
3. The bitch's puppies were born yesterday morning under the stairs of the house.
4. The door will be painted a brown color that matches the color of the wood on the walls.
5. X-ray shows that there is a fracture in the patient's fibula. The foot will have to be immobilized in a cast for eight weeks.
6. Today the puppy ate two sachets of meat and vegetables.
7. In the cathedral the mass has been announced with the last bell. The faithful settle into the available seats.
8. Tomorrow they will put on sale the fruits and vegetables in the supermarket.
9. The men's bathrooms are on the right and the women's on the left.
10. That black shirt is stained from chlorine.
11. Overwork overwhelms many professionals today.
12. My aunt Florencia went to the beautician to have her fingernails fixed.
13. The guitarist is practicing because he wants to be the best musician in town.
14. The shortest route to enter the city is by road coming from the east.
15. Dogs are on a leash because they are aggressive towards strangers.
16. I threw the bones left over from the food to the dogs.
17. The front button of the cell phone is used to enter the main screen.
18. Turn up the music because that's my favorite song.
19. At two in the afternoon parents go to pick up their children from school.
20. In the market we find fresh ingredients to prepare today's food.
21. Examples of aquatic animals are dolphins, whales, fish, sharks, jellyfish, among others.
22. Today I met a former classmate from elementary school at school.
23. For there to be a chance of survival, you have to be immediately injected with an antidote to counteract the poison.
24. The night is dark and cold; so everyone is afraid to go out into the woods to explore.
25. These animals will do whatever it takes to protect their young from the weather and predators.
26. The workers arrived early to install the glassware for the house.
27. Carolina bought a pair of birds, a male and a female, to put in a cage in the backyard of her house.
28. The text must be a maximum of one page or two hundred and fifty words.
29. The word administration It is a sharp word of five syllables.
30. The recruits have to take their positions when the captain arrives.
31. The servers here make fifty percent of the profit each night in tips.
32. She had to work to pay for her expenses in college.
33. For the house we need a dining room for six people because the family is growing.
34. These pills reduce inflammation and remove muscle pain.
35. They ask us for two months of deposit to set aside the apartment that we want to rent.
36. The modem must be rebooted, turned off for ten seconds, and then turned on for the signal to return.
37. They were all attentive to what was happening at the football game.
38. The dressmaker will adjust the dress today so it is ready for Friday.
39. In the Christmas gift exchange that we organized in my house, I had to give a gift to my brother.
40. In canine aesthetics they bathed the dog, cut its hair and nails.
41. This food is high in protein and low in fat.
42. VThe course lasts six weeks. It will be on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
43. With this discount coupon you will get fifty percent less laser hair removal.
44. Administration is by district; each district has its own form of administration.
45. The window frame fell off because it was incorrectly positioned.
46. The alarm is set to sound in ninety minutes.
47. With this camera movement, greater tension is caused in the viewer.
48. The fall injured his heel tendon.
49. His family is wealthy and has many contacts in politics.
50. In the discussion, everyone spoke almost shouting and interrupted each other all the time.
51. The safest thing is that you will have a scar as the wound heals.
52. These raisins with chocolate and almonds are very tasty.
53. The plants began to dry out and turn yellow because no one was watering them.
54. The sun was hitting my face; I better put on some dark glasses.
55. If you want to attend the exhibition you have to buy your tickets in advance because there is a lot of demand.
56. The criminal's lawyer argued that his client was insane.
57. We have been fighting a lot lately over insignificant things.
58. We are going to the beach next weekend with some friends.
59. At the seaside, we sat on the sand to feel the warm water on our legs.
60. We save the leftovers of the food to give them later to the dogs.
61. There were only fashion magazines and shows on the shelf.
62. Take this survey and enter to win a prize.
63. For the realization of this video clip they rented a small factory.
64. In this supermarket they no longer give plastic bags because they pollute the environment.
65. We still don't know what to give our mother on Mother's Day.
66. This movie has exactly 42 scenes.
67. I exchanged $ 100 at the exchange to have cash for the trip.
68. The dentist removed the teeth that were badly damaged and could not be salvaged.
69. You must remove the safety of the weapon in order to shoot.
70. We took out the folding chairs so that our guests could sit.
71. We will eat together around the dining room table.
72. Today the wines and beers are at 4 for 3 in the supermarket.
73. Many people approach the fountain to flip a coin.
74. You must click on the settings button to modify your contact information.
75. It will be a long race, like forty kilometers.
76. If you eat every three hours you speed up your digestion and your metabolism.
77. I'll buy some oatmeal cookies because I'm already hungry.
78. We have very different interests but we still like each other.
79. The dog jumped into the pool to swim.
80. We tried all four keys, but none of them opened the bolt.
81. He better close his eyes so you don't see your surprise gift.
82. We made the appointment with the specialist for Thursday at four in the afternoon.
83. There was a lot of dirt accumulated under the nail.
84. They vacuumed the carpet to remove excess dust.
85. I did not listen to the cell phone because of the noises in the street.
86. To enter the page you have to enter your username and password.
87. Place the part shown in figure 2.3 over the part in figure 2.8
88. They will make some adjustments to the dress to better suit her figure.
89. We tried on the clothes that we were going to take from the store.
90. The mosquitoes were biting me all night.
91. Lend me your cell phone charger because I forgot mine at home.
92. She is already eight months pregnant; soon her baby will be born.
93. The exhibition presentation has ten slides.
94. Find the ten differences between these two images.
95. In this selection of the exam you must choose between one of the multiple options. There is only one correct answer per question.
96. We look up the meaning of words that we did not understand in the dictionary.
97. These items are half price because they are from last season.
98. We took the car to the car wash to get an interior cleaning done.
99. If I don't use glasses, I can't see objects clearly at a distance.
100. We opened the curtains to let more light into the room.