What does Literal and Figurative Terms mean?

Question

For example, there is a quote that says, "the elm was untenanted and rocked back and forth like an empty cradle," what is the Literal and Figurative Term in this quote?

Answer 1

"Like an empty cradle" is the figurative phrase.  "Rocked back and forth" is the literal phrase.

Literal means actual, or real.  Figurative means metaphoric, or represented by means of a figure or by something similar, but not real.