23 Figure of Speech

CHAPTER

A figure of speech is a word or a phrase that is used to create an effect.

SL Words Meaning in English
1. Simile It compares two different thing using the words 'like' or 'as'.
Eg. 1. He ran as a Cheetah.
2. He looks like a lion among the hyenas.
3. He fought as a tiger.
2. Metaphor It directly refers to one thing by mentioning another.
Eg. 1. His help was a shower of rain on a hot summer
afternoon.
2. Laughter is the music of the soul.
3. Life is a journey.
3. Personification It is a figure of speech in which a non-living thing is described
to look like a person.
Eg. 1. The wind howled in the night and lightning danced
across the sky.
2. At 7 am my alarm clock yells at me and orders me to get
out of bed.
3. Fear gripped the world as the virus played havoc.
4. Love is blind.
5. Experience is the best teacher.
6. A lie has no leg.
4. Alliteration In it, two or more neighbouring words have the same
consonant sound.
Eg. 1. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
2. Black bug bit a big black bear.
3. Dancing daffodils.
5. Hyperbole In this figure of speech exaggeration is used for emphasis
or effect.
Eg. 1. I am so hungry that I can eat a horse
2. Pin drop silence.
3. Million dollar smile.
4. As thin as a toothpick

KD Publication 285 23. Figure of Speech

SL Words Meaning in English
6. Onomatopoeia In it, words are based on the actual sound the thing produces.
Eg. Splash, buzz, hiss, pop, boom.
7. Paradox In it, the statement appears to contradict itself.
Eg. 1. You earn money by spending it.
2. This is the beginning of the end.
3. Less is more.
4. The more I knew, the more I felt I didn't know.
8. Irony The use of words to convey a meaning opposite to what is
actually said.
Eg. 1. Water water everywhere but not a drop to drink.
2. The fool knows more than you.
3. The unsinkable Titanic sank on its first voyage.
9. Allusion It refers to a famous person, place or historical event either
directly or through implication.
Eg. 1. Her English is her Achilles heel.
2. She is the Argus of the gang.
3. We had an Einstein in our country.
4. He met his waterloo.
10. Pun It involves words with similar sound but with different meaning.
Eg. 1. Your heart is a grave where your old flame rests in peace.
2. A leopard cannot change its spots.
3. A picture tell a thousand words.
4. A bicycle cannot stand as it is two tired.
11. Euphemism It refers to mild or indirect term that often substitutes a harsh
or offensive term.
Eg. 1. He passed away (instead of 'He died')
2. It was a pre-owned car. (Instead of 'It was a second hand
car)
12. Oxymoron Two words with opposite meanings used together.
Eg. deafening silence.
13. Allegory A story, play or picture in which each character or event is a
symbol representing an idea or a quality such as truth, evil
etc.
Eg. Ramayana is an allegory of the triumph of good over evil.

KD Publication 286 23. Figure of Speech