Simile A figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more empathetic. “No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.” – “I Have a Dream” Martin Luther King Jr., August 28, 1963

Analogy Reasoning or explaining from parallel cases. "Harrison Ford is like one of those sports cars that advertise acceleration from 0 to 60 m.p.h. in three or four seconds. He can go from slightly broody inaction to ferocious reaction in approximately the same time span. And he handles the tight turns and corkscrew twists of a suspense story without losing his balance or leaving skid marks on the film. But maybe the best and most interesting thing about him is that he doesn't look particularly sleek, quick, or powerful; until something or somebody causes him to gun his engine, he projects the seemly aura of the family sedan.“ Richard Schickel, review of Patriot Games in Time magazine

Simile vs. Analogy A simile is an expressed analogy.

Imagery Vivid, descriptive language that appeals to one or more of the five senses, sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste. Auditory Imagery "At the next table a woman stuck her nose in a novel; a college kid pecked at a laptop. Overlaying all this, a soundtrack: choo-k-choo-k-choo-k-choo-k-choo-k--the metronomic rhythm of an Amtrak train rolling down the line to California, a sound that called to mind an old camera reel moving frames of images along a linear track, telling a story.“ Andy Isaacson, "Riding the Rails." The New York Times, March 8, 2009

Concrete Details Language that describes specific, observable things, people, or places, rather than ideas or qualities. “You’ll hear the determination in the voice of a young field organizer who’s working his way through college and wants to make sure every child has that same opportunity. You’ll hear the pride in the voice of a volunteer who’s going door to door because her brother was finally hired when the local auto plant added another shift. You’ll hear the deep patriotism in the voice of a military spouse who’s working the phones late at night to make sure that no one who fights for this country ever has to fight for a job or a roof over their head when they come home.” Barack Obama, November 7 th, Victory Speech