Figures of Speech Examples

Simile

1. She is sturdy and unfaltering like a kevlar.

2. My father is tall as an acacia tree.
3. Our parents are like ants who work day and night.

Metaphor

1. She is a coldhearted princess.

2. Tristan’s brain is a memory card.
3. Maria’s hand is a cotton.
4. My lecture is a disaster.

Hyperbole

1. He runs faster than a lightning strike.

2. My dog is older than an antique house.
3. I’m so tired, I cannot walk another inch.
4. I walked a thousand miles just to see you.

Personification

1. The computer groaned as it died.

2. Sadness is my closest friend.
3. The sun happy greeted me a “Good morning”.
4. The sun refuses to set.

Onomatopoeia

1. The “chirp” of the birds.

2. The “shhh” of the snake.
3. The “Zap!” of the thunder.

Apostrophe

1. Oh, pardon us earth because we destroy you on our own doings.

2. Oh! Grades don’t fail me now.
3. Oh life! What a tragedy you’ve become.
4. Hello pain, please leave me.

Metonymy

1. My aunt has a halo because of her good deeds, she’s really an angel in disguise.
2. Let me give you a hand. (hand=help)
3. She is my Queen, back off! (queen=girlfriend/my love)
4. You have all of my heart. (heart=love)
5. The team needs new blood to win next season. (new blood= new member)
Synecdoche

1. Girl! You have a nice set of threads.

2. The suits entered the conference room. (suits=men)
3. She has many mouths to feed. (mouths=people)
4. It is hard to earn a dollar these days. (dollar= money)

Oxymoron

1. There is a real love hate relationship developing between the two of them.
2. My lunch was awfully good.
3. The comedy movie we watched was seriously funny.
4. This day was a working holiday.

Paradox

1. The more you fail, the more likely you succeed.

2. The less you care about others, the less you care about yourself.
3. Vipers are gorgeous, but poisonous.
4. Beauty is invisible to the naked eye.

Irony

1. I named my black cat whitey because of her white teeth.

2. I’m Steven, I’m straight and I like boys.
3. Oh great! I’m failed in the exam.
4. Thank you for breaking up with me.

Alliteration

1. A big balloon burst big-time.

2. Sheep should sleep in a shed.
3. Brazilian billionaire Bryan Bruce bought a building.

Consonance

1. nails and tails

2. sent and went
3. far and jar
4. borrow and sorrow
5. important and irrelevant
6. intention and attention

Assonance

1. Beats headphones beats the best earphones.

2. A man yell like hell.
3. Promise yourself that you will succeed.
Allusion

1. She seems the Mother Theresa of the Philippines.

2. She reminded me of Mother Mary in her grace.
3. Don’t sacrifice yourself for her like Jack Dawson did, she’s not worthy of you.
4. Her backyard is a Garden of Eden.
5. You are the Abraham of the family.