Figures of speech

Alliteration- is the repeating of consonant sounds right next to each other, which creates a
memorable or melodic effect.

Example:

“My mind makes marvelous moves, masses / Marvel and move, many mock what I've
mastered,” Blackalicious -- Alphabet Aerobics

“Little old lady got mutilated late last night.” -- Warren Zevon - Werewolves of London

“Whisper words of wisdom …” -- The Beatles - Let It Be

“They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.” -- Joni Mitchell, Big Yellow Taxi

Antithesis- is a literary technique that places opposite things or ideas next to one another in
order to draw out their contrast.

Example:

Hope for the best; prepare for the worst.

Keep your mouth closed and your eyes open.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of
foolishness.” – Charles Dickens

“That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” – Neil Armstrong

“Better to reign in Hell, than to serve in Heaven.” – John Milton

Speech is silver, but silence is gold.

Apostrophe

Apostrophe as a figure of speech is when a character addresses someone or something that isn’t
present or cannot respond. The character might speak to someone deceased, an inanimate object,
or a concept.

Example:
“O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” —William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

“Death, be not proud, though some have called thee, Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;”

“O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done, The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize
we sought is won,”

“O happy dagger! This is thy sheath; there rust, and let me die.”

Circumlocution

Circumlocution is the use of a purposely wordy description. You can think of it as talking in
circles. It’s when you want to discuss something, but don’t want to make any direct reference to
it, so you create a way to get around the subject. Another word for “circumlocution” is
“periphrasis.”

Example:

In the Harry Potter series, most characters don’t say Lord Voldemort’s name; instead, they use
this circumlocution: “He Who Must Not Be Named.”
“The vehicle that I use to drive to work in the mornings” is a circumlocution for “my car.”
In many religious traditions, practitioners use other names to refer to God. So they come up with
circumlocutions such as “Our Father who art in Heaven.”

Epigram

An epigram is a clever and memorable statement. You will find epigrams in speeches, poetry,
and at the front of a book.

Example:

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” —Eleanor Roosevelt

There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked
about. – Oscar Wilde

“There are no gains without pains.” – Benjamin Franklin

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” – Oscar Wilde

“The Child is father of the Man.” – William Wordsworth

“Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.” – Oscar Wilde

Euphemism

A euphemism is a way to say something in an understated manner, often to avoid difficult topics
—like money, death, or sex.

Example:

Death can be an uncomfortable subject, so we’ve developed many euphemisms to avoid

confronting it head-on. Rather than telling a friend that a relative died, you might say they
“kicked the bucket,” “passed away,” or are “no longer with us.”

“Let go” instead of “fired”

“Make love” instead of “sex”

“Put down” instead of “euthanized”

Hyperbole

Hyperbole is a deliberate exaggeration that adds emphasis, urgency, or excitement to a statement.

Example:

They ran like greased lightning.

He's got tons of money.

Her brain is the size of a pea.

He is older than the hills.

I will die if she asks me to dance.

Irony

Irony is a situation that subverts a reader’s expectations. The use of irony shows the contrast or
incongruity between how things appear and how they are in reality. The remark “how ironic”
indicates a meaning that’s the opposite of its precise meaning.

Example:

A fire station burns down.

A marriage counselor files for divorce.

The police station gets robbed.

A post on Facebook complains about how useless Facebook is.

A traffic cop gets his license suspended because of unpaid parking tickets.

Litotes

Litotes use a double negative to create a positive. It is an understatement that is created by

utilizing a negative to affirm a positive. This is often achieved with a double negative. This
device allows you to emphasize meaning without using the direct language correlated to that
meaning. A simple litotes is the phrase, “This food is not bad.” By stating the food is “not bad,”
the phrase implies the food is the opposite of bad which is good. Litotes is a Greek word that
translates to “simple.” Litotes is a close cousin of irony, but is achieved in a more specific way.
It is commonly used in everyday conversations as well as literature and film.

Example:

Her cooking isn’t terrible, exactly.

Ireland is no ordinary country.

Geoffrey, this isn’t rocket science.

Your commentary on their relationship was less than smart.

In truth, I can’t argue with any of your assertions.

Metaphor

A metaphor is the direct comparison of dissimilar things to create more vivid imagery or
understanding.

Example:

He was an onion; to understand him, she had to peel back the layers.

“Exhaustion is a thin blanket tattered with bullet holes.” ― If Then, Matthew De Abaitua

“But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun!” —
Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare
Metonymy

Metonymy is a literary device in which a word or object stands in for a closely related word or
object. Metonymy gives a writer more variability with descriptions.

Example:

Referring to the President of the United States or their administration as “the White House” or
“the Oval Office”

Referring to the American film industry or celebrity culture as “Hollywood”

Referring to the New York Stock Exchange as “Wall Street”

Referring to a member of the British royal family as “the Crown”

Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia is a word that sounds like what it refers to. The combination of letter sounds in
the word imitate the natural sounds of that object or action.

Example:

The mouse went squeak as it ran across the room.

Suddenly, there was a loud thud at the door.

The waves crashed against the side of the boat.

The sausages are sizzling in the pan.

The corn went pop in the microwave.\

Oxymoron

An oxymoron is a figure of speech that places contradictory terms next to each other in a word or
phrase. As a literary device, it is used to make certain word combinations more thought-
provoking to stand out.

Example:

Almost exactly.

Awfully good.
Deafening silence.

Freezer Burn.

Living dead.

Paradox

A paradox has different definitions depending on where it’s being used—that’s where it starts
getting complicated. These definitions can be tricky, but we’ll try to simplify things for you. In
short, a paradox is a self-contradictory statement or argument. Sometimes, a paradox seems to
contradict itself but it can in fact be true. A paradox defies logic and runs counter to one’s
expectations. A paradox presents conflicting ideas and relates them in a way that forces you to
wonder if it’s true or not.

Example:

“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” —George Orwell, Animal
Farm

"All I know is that I know nothing."

"Everything I say is a lie."

"Is the answer to this question 'no'?"

Personification

Personification is a literary device that gives human characteristics to nonhuman things or

inanimate objects. The nonhuman things can be animals, objects, or even a concept. The human
characteristics given to these things can be emotions, behaviors, or actions that bring nonhuman
things to life. Personification is common throughout literature and everyday speech. It can add
life, energy, and animation to otherwise lifeless objects or subjects.

Example:

The floorboards groaned under the weight of each step.

The sun smiled down on us.

The story jumped off the page.

The light danced on the surface of the water.