FIGURES OF SPEECH

What is a figure of speech?

-A figure of speech is a deliberate manipulation of ordinary language in order to create a literary effect.
-These are words or phrases used in a distinctive way to produce a rhetorical effect.
-To say it in very simple terms, it is a phrase whose actual meaning is different from its literal meaning.

1. Alliteration
Alliteration is the repeating of consonant sounds right next to each other, which creates a memorable or melodic
effect.
Example: She sells seashells by the seashore.
A good cook could cook as many cookies as a good cook who could cook cookies
All Adam ate in August was apples and almonds
Barry bought a book to bring to the backyard barbecue

2. Antithesis
Antithesis is a figure of speech that states strongly contrasting ideas placed in juxtaposition. They contain compound
sentences with the two independent clauses separated by a comma or a semicolon, in most cases. However, there are
also instances where the antithesis is a compound sentence with a conjunction. An antithesis is mainly used to portray
the stark difference between the two opposing ideas.
Example:
Hope for the best; prepare for the worst.
Keep your mouth closed and your eyes open.
“Better to reign in Hell, than to serve in Heaven.” – John Milton
Speech is silver, but silence is gold.
“Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.” – William Shakespeare

3. 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
Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are
Welcome, O life!
Alarm clock, please don’t fail me.
Seven, you are my lucky number!

4. Hyperbole
Hyperbole is a deliberate exaggeration that adds emphasis, urgency, or excitement to a statement.
Example: I have told you a million times to not touch my stuff!
She has got a pea-sized brain
I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.
She’s as old as the hills.I Example: If I don’t eat soon, I’m going to die of hunger.

5. Irony
Irony or sarcasm is a figure of speech in which the usage of words conveys the opposite of their literal meaning. These
are often used in a humorous manner. Example:
Your hands are as clean as mud
The dinner you served was as hot as ice
Coming home to a big mess and saying, “it’s great to be back”
Telling a rude customer to “have a nice day”
6. Litotes
Litotes use a double negative to create a positive.
They are phrases that express an affirmative by denying its opposite, usually through understatement.

Example:
It’s not bad. (It’s good.)
It’s not rocket science. (It’s easy.)
He’s not as young as he used to be. (He’s old.)
I wouldn’t say no. (You would say yes.)
Not my favorite. (I don’t like it.)

7. Metaphor
A metaphor is the direct comparison of dissimilar things to create more vivid imagery or understanding.
Example:
It is raining cats and dogs
He is the star of our class
Life is a highway.
Her eyes were diamonds.

8. 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: I thought his movies were better when they weren’t so Hollywood.
(Referring to the American film industry or celebrity culture as “Hollywood”)
I’m a Silicon Valley guy. I just think people from Silicon Valley can do anything.
(Referring to the American technology industry as “Silicon Valley”)

*Crown. (For the power of a king.)

The White House. (Referring to the American administration.)
Dish. (To refer an entire plate of food.)
The Pentagon. (For the Department of Defense and the offices of the U.S. Armed Forces.)
Pen. ...
Sword - (For military force.)

9. Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia is a word that sounds like what it means.
Example: “Sheesh!” That’s both a word to show exasperation and a sound that happens when you sigh loudly.
The buzzing bee flew over my head
The stone hit the water with a splash
The boulder hit the ground with a flump.
Leaves rustle in the wind and are whipped into the air.

10. Oxymoron
An oxymoron is a phrase that uses two contradictory words to create a new meaning.
Example: That strawberry cake was awfully good.
This is another fine mess you have got us into
Suddenly the room filled with a deafening silence
The comedian was seriously funny
You are clearly confused by the situation you have found yourself in
11. Paradox
A paradox is a statement that appears to contradict itself but contains some truth, theme, or humor. These figures of
speech, like ironies, emphasize something by discussing the exact opposite of it. A paradox, on the other hand, differs
from irony in that it does not make the contrast as evident.

Example: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” —George Orwell, Animal Farm
“Some of my biggest triumphs have also been failures,” (According to US actress Pearl Bailey)
“War is good. Slavery is freedom. “Ignorance is power,” (As said by English author George Orwell)
Save money by spending it
If I know one thing, it’s that I know nothing

12. Personification
Personification is assigning human attributes to nonhuman things. For example, we often use the phrases like the
howling wind, dancing leaves, time flies etc.
Example: The floorboards groaned under the weight of each step.
The opportunity knocked at his door
The plants in her house silently begged to be watered
Lightning danced across the sky
The wind howled in the night.

13. Simile
A simile compares two dissimilar things using “like” or “as.” The goal of simile is to give the reader a more vivid
understanding of something.
Example: It was the first real day of summer, and by the time she came back indoors, she was as red as a tomato.
He is as brave as a lion
Her expression was as cold as ice
Swim like a fish
As light as a feather

14. Synecdoche
Synecdoche is when a smaller unit is used to signify a larger unit or vice versa.
Example:
The phrase "hired hands" can be used to refer to workers. (The farmer needed to bring on some hired hands.)
The word "head" can refer to counting cattle or people. (What's the headcount for next week's party?)
The word "bread" can be used to represent food. (I'm looking forward to breaking bread with you.)
The word "wheels" refers to a vehicle. (Let's take my new wheels out for a spin.)
The word "boots" refers to soldiers. (We need to get boots on the ground to help with the recovery effort.)
Figures of speech examples in literature
Figures of speech are around us all the time (and that’s not hyperbole!), but it’s the deliberate deployment of them that
makes writing stand out (did you catch that alliteration?). Below are examples of figures of speech in literature and
poetry.
Metaphor in “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou
The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom
In her poem “Caged Bird,” Maya Angelou uses the extended metaphor of caged and free birds to display the
difference between Black and White Americans.
Antithesis in Beloved by Toni Morrison
“Sethe,” he says, “me and you, we got more yesterday than anybody. We need some kind of tomorrow.”
In this passage, Paul D. speaks to Sethe and insists she quit dwelling on her past. Morrison uses antithesis to contrast
yesterday and tomorrow, which is much more effective than simply saying Sethe should stop focusing on the past.
Personification in “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson
Because I could not stop for Death
He kindly stopped for me.
By writing that death “kindly stopped” for her, Emily Dickinson uses personification to make the concept of death
more vivid and tangible. The thought of death stopping by gives it an ominous but cordial tone, as if Dickinson treats
it as an acquaintance.