Many vocabulary items that foreign language learners encounter involve figurative extensions of meaning. To understand figurative speech, learners often need to employ figurative thinking. This book examines figurative thinking, considers its contribution to language ability, and explores the implications for language teaching and learning.

'This ground-breaking book presents a lucid and persuasive argument for the centrality of figurative thinking in language learning and communicative competence. Contributing to both theory and practice, Jeannette Littlemore and Graham Low help shift language teaching and learning away from a dull emphasis on the transactional. The book is a major addition to a current paradigm shift in language teaching and applied linguistic theory, helping to bring the creative and playful centre stage, and making the task of language learning more fulfilling and rewarding in the process.' - Professor Guy Cook, The Open University, UK