Figure of Speech Explanation Examples

Simile Comparison using "like" or "as." 1. Brave as a lion.

2. As busy as a bee.

Metaphor Direct comparison between unrelated things. 1. Time is a thief.

2. The world is a stage.
Giving human characteristics to non-human entities 1. The wind whispered through th
Personification or objects. trees.
2. The sun smiled down on the
beach.

Hyperbole Exaggeration for emphasis or effect. 1. I've told you a million times.

2. I'm so hungry I could eat a hor

1. Sally sells seashells by the
Alliteration Repetition of initial consonant sounds. seashore.
2. Peter Piper picked a peck of
pickled peppers.

Onomatopoeia Use of words that imitate sounds. 1. Buzzing bees.

2. The clock ticked loudly.

Irony Contrast between expectation and reality. 1. The fire station burned down.
2. The teacher failed the spelling
test.

Oxymoron Combination of contradictory words. 1. Deafening silence.

2. Living dead.