FIGURES OF SPEECH

A figure of speech is a word or

phrase using figurative
language—language that has
other meaning than its normal
definition.
In other words, figures of
speeches rely on implied or
suggested meaning, rather
than a dictionary definition
The Importance of Figures of Speech

The purpose of a figure of

speech is to lend texture and
color to your writing
For instance, metaphors allow you to add
key details that make the writing more lively
and relatable. Slang and verbal irony, on
the other hand, make the writing seem
much more informal and youthful (although
they can have the opposite effect when
misused!)
Finally, other figures of speech, like idioms
and proverbs, allows a writer to draw on a
rich cultural tradition and express complex
ideas in a short space.
TYPES OF FIGURES OF SPEECH
 Simile
A simile is a very common figure
of speech that uses the words
“like” and “as” to compare two
things that are not related by
definition.
Example

“he is as tall as a mountain”

The internet is like a window to
the world”
“The drumbeats sounded like
distant thunder.”
She falls like a tear
The boy is big as a pig.
Shake it like a Polaroid
picture
 Metaphor
Many common figures of speech
are metaphors. That is, they use
words in a manner other than their
literal meaning. However, metaphors
use figurative language to make
comparisons between unrelated
things or ideas.
 Example

“peak of her career”

Life is a roller coaster.
The boy is a pig.
You are my sunshine
Baby, you’re a firework
I am titanium
 Personification

Giving human qualities to an

inanimate object
 Examples

“The moon smiled down on the

lovers”
A MOON CAN’T
SMILE…
The bullet said to the heart, from
now on we shall never part.

Blind justice was not in his side.

 IDIOM
is a phrase or an expression that has
a figurative, or sometimes literal, meaning.

Idioms are different from other figures of

speech in that their figurative meanings
are mostly known within a particular
language, culture, or group of people
Example

This sentence uses an idiom to

make it more interesting:
There’s a supermarket and a
pharmacy in the mall, so if we go
there, we can kill two birds with
one stone.
Example

“it’s raining cats and dogs”

“break a leg”
“One step at a time”
“A penny for your thoughts”
“Make a long story short”
Apostrophe

 a speaker directly addresses

someone (or something) that is not
present or cannot respond in reality.
The entity being addressed can be
an absent, dead, or imaginary
person
Example

“Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.”
Hyperbole

from a Greek word meaning

"excess," is a figure of speech
that uses extreme
exaggeration to make a point
or show emphasis
Example

I could sleep for a year.

His new shoes were big they
look like boats
Irony

 Irony is when a word or phrase’s

literal meaning is the opposite of its
figurative meaning. Many times (but
not always), irony is expressed with
sarcasm.
Example

For example, maybe you eat a really

bad cookie, and then say “Wow, that
was the best cookie I ever had.”
 Types of Irony
1. Verbal irony is the contrast
between what is said and what
is meant: In other words,
sarcasm.
 e.g. *I work 40 hours a week to be
this poor.
*When someone does something
wrong – Very good, well done, nice!
2. Dramatic irony is the contrast
between what the character thinks
to be true and what we (the reader)
know to be true.

Ex.
3. Situational irony is the most
common in literature. It is the
contrast between what
happens and what was
expected (or what would
seem appropriate).
e.g. ‘A marriage counselor
filed for divorce’
Example:
1. A marriage counselor filed for divorce
2. The two identical twins were arguing.
One of them told the other: "You're
ugly“
3. The thieves robbed the police station

4. A teacher failed a test.

5. A hungry cook
Oxymoron
An oxymoron is when you use
two words together that have
contradictory meanings.
 Example
small crowd
definitely possible
old news
little giant
sound of silence
freezing in the sun
burning in the rain
 Understatement

 is a figure of speech that makes

a situation seem less important or
serious than it is.
 is the opposite of hyperbole,
which is deliberate exaggeration
 Example

"I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell.”

It isn’t very serious. I have this tiny little

tumor on the brain.
 Activity

Write a poem incorporating at

least 5 types of figures of
speech. Underline the figure of
speech and Identify the type. (
you can add illustration if you
want)
My love is like a flower
It blooms and it dies
I wish the sun would smile
to brighten my gloomy day
I wish the wind would whistle
And tell me you’ll be okay
I wish the rain would cry
and wash the pain goodbye
Oh, heaven I cried a river
for my love, I don’t want to remember.