Learners’ involvement in his/her linguistic progress using similes and metaphoric language.

Abstract

This research focuses on the use of strategies and activities based on metaphors to promote its application as an innovate resource in the teaching of the English language. The participants in this study were 57 seventh-grade students and a teacher of basic general education of a semi-private school in the city of Loja. This study was guided by the use of quantitative and qualitative methods. The observation sheet, the teacher's interview, the previous and subsequent tests were the instruments used to collect data and be able to carry out this study. One of the main findings of this study was to see that students felt interested and motivated when using metaphoric phrases, applying strategies and activities of interest to them. In addition, the present study finds that metaphors help students to increase their concentration when they want to know the real meaning of the metaphor. Also, this study reveals that most students have difficulty understanding and tend to confuse the literal meaning of figurative meaning. Metaphors help students to increase and organize the new vocabulary for learning.