Figure of Speech

A figure of speech is an expression used to make a greater effect on your reader or listener. It
includes making comparisons, contrasts, associations, exaggerations and constructions. It also
gives a much clearer picture of what you are trying to convey.

A simile is a figure of speech that is mainly used to compare two or more things that possess a
similar quality. It uses words such as ‘like’ or ‘as’ to make the comparison.

 Simile – Rachel is as bright as the sun.

A metaphor is a figure of speech that is used to make a comparison, but in a way different from
a simile. It makes the comparison as if it was literally true. In other words, it can be said that a
metaphor is an implied comparison.

 Metaphor – The whole world is a stage.

Personification is a figure of speech that is used to attribute human characteristics to something

that is not human. It can also be used to personify an abstract quality.

 Personification – The wind whispered in my ears.

A hyperbole is a rhetorical device that is mainly used to make something look and sound a lot
better than it actually is. In other words, it can be said to be a form of exaggeration.

 Hyperbole – I am so hungry I could eat a horse.