imaginative comparison
- noun
- /ɪˈmædʒɪnətɪv kəmˈpɛrɪsən/
- Literature
- Through imaginative comparison, the poem brings abstract emotions to vivid life.
Examples
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The author uses imaginative comparison to make ordinary events seem magical.
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Shakespeare often made imaginative comparisons in his plays.
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Teachers often encourage students to incorporate imaginative comparison in their writing.
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The author used an imaginative comparison to describe the sunset.
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Teachers often encourage students to incorporate imaginative comparison in their writing.
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The author uses imaginative comparison to make ordinary events seem magical.
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Through imaginative comparison, the poem brings abstract emotions to vivid life.
Synonyms
A comparison of two things that shows how they are similar to help explain something
Comparing two things to show how they are similar
How Figurative
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is transparently built from 'imaginative' (creative, inventive) modifying 'comparison' (a likening or evaluation), so a learner who knows both words can infer a creative or literary kind of comparison (e.g., simile or metaphor). The adjective+noun composition follows regular, cross-linguistically common patterns, making the overall sense predictable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Imaginative comparison comes from the idea of using one clear picture to show another in your mind. Imagine saying 'her smile was sunshine' — the picture of sunshine helps you feel the smile, so imaginative and comparison together mean 'a mental comparison' that makes writing more vivid.