Figures of speech are devices used by writers in poetry and prose.

They are used to

enhance the meaning that the writers want to convey to the reader or listener. To
make a greater impact on the reader .They are used to make comparisons, to
contrast, to associate, thus creating a clearer picture. These devices brings ordinary
sentences to life. According to scholars there are over 200 figures of speech. The
most commonly used , better known ones’ about 20 or more.

Today let’s learn about a few of them. To name them:

simile,metaphor,hyperbole,personification,onomatopoeia,and irony

A simile It is one of the most common forms of a figure of speech . it is a figure of

speech that uses comparison. In a simile, we use two specific words “like” and “as”
or to compare two unlikely things, that actually have nothing in common. . It is one
of the most common forms of a figure of speech

• as tall as a mountain

• precious like an angel

It may sound absurd and illogical comparison, but it brings out the vivid imagery. The
literal sentence would have read “He is tall”, but using the simile makes it sound
much better.

metaphor and a simile are quite similar actually. A metaphor also uses compares to
things that are in no way similar. metaphor is a word or phrase used to show its
similarity to another thing. It helps to explain an idea, but if you take a metaphor at
its literal meaning it will sound absurd.
example of a metaphor- love is a battlefield,all the world’s a stage” How do you tell
the difference between metaphor and simile? In a simile, the comparison happens
with the help of the words “as” and “like”. A metaphor will not have either of those
two words.

personification. In this, we personify or represent a non-human entity as human. We

give an inanimate object or an intangible idea of some human qualities such as
emotions, or gestures or even speech. this is done to portray the object as alive and
helps the writer the paint a vivid picture in the readers mind. Again, if we take the
words at their literal meaning they will sound absurd.The wind howled as the storm
grew stronger”. Here we have taken an object, the wind, and personified it as a living
thing by claiming it howled.
the car died in the middle of the road” etc.

Hyperbole in the Greek language translates to ‘excess’. And that is what it does; it
exaggerates. We use hyperboles to emphasize something. This exaggeration or
hyperbole is used to create a strong and lasting impression.
Since he has been away from home he has gotten as thin as a toothpick“. Of'you and
I know that anyone as thin as a toothpick couldn't exist. Just trying to convey to your
listener how bad his situation is.
For the millionth time, tidy up your room”,
How sick and tired she is of saying it over and over

Onomatopoeia ono-mato-pia is a figure of speech where words or phrases indicate

sounds. authors use words to involve all five of our senses. Onomatopeia refers to
those words that imitate the sounds of an object or person.

For example “The bees buzzed around in the garden”. Here the word ‘buzzed’ is
indicating the sound coming from the bees.
“he closed the book with a thud” etc.

• The cat ran away like the wind

• imile. The cat (and its speed) speed is compared to the wind. And since the word
‘like’ is used, it is a simile

• Cause I am a champion, and you’re gonna hear me roar” (‘Roar’ – A song by Katy
Perry)
• Ding dong! the bells are gonna chime.” (‘Get Me to the Church on Time’ by Alan Jay
Lerner and Frederick Loewe)
• Onomato

• Variety is the spice of life .

• Metaphor. Here the two things are compared without the use of ‘as’ or ‘like’. The
sentence indicates that one of the things is similar to the other.

whenever a person says something or does something that is the opposite of what
we) expect them to say or do.
Oh no, I couldn’t possibly eat another piece of cake.” That’s what my aunt said as
she picked up another piece of cake and started eating it.

person finishes a huge meal only to have a friend show up with a pizza for the two of
them to share. The very full person says, “Wow, perfect timing.”

person works hard for decades, spending little to save money for retirement. The
week before retiring, the person unexpectedly has a massive heart attack and dies.

• The police station gets robbed.

Again, the expectation is that professional crime fighters would be able to help
themselves; in this case, by securing their own station.

• A child runs away from someone throwing a water balloon at him and falls into the
pool.
This is ironic because the child ends up wetter than he would have been, thwarting
his expectations of what would happen when he ran away from the water balloon.

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/contractions/

Apostrophes can be tricky. Sometimes they form possessives. Sometimes they

form contractions. contraction is a shortened form of a word or group of words that
omits certain letters or sounds. In a contraction, an apostrophe represents missing
letter.And, of course, in the American South, you will probably encounter y’all (you
all)

possessive nouns

The dog’s leash

The writer’s desk

The planet’s atmosphere

For most plural nouns, add only an apostrophe:

The dogs’ leashes

The writers’ desks
For plural nouns that do not end in s, add -’s:

The children’s toys

The men's shirts

No matter which style you use, add only the apostrophe

to plural proper nouns that end in s:

The Harrises’ house

The Smiths’ vacation