Concrete advice on literally vs. figuratively

When writers misuse these two words, you have to wonder just what they’re getting at.

“Literal” means you’re saying exactly what happened. “Figurative” means you’re speaking metaphorically.

So, during a headache, one’s head “figuratively explodes” not “literally explodes.”

“Literally explodes” also is a cliche, but that actually is another matter.

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