FIGURE of SPEECH

DAFFODIL
I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
WILLIAM WORDSWORTH
Early leader of romanticism

– A movement that championed imagination &
emotions as more powerful than reason &
systematic thinking.
– Guiding forces: Intuition & nature
Greatest lyric poet
FIGURE of SPEECH
Karla Rosselle F. Baesa

FIGURE of SPEECH
“used whenever a speaker or center for the

sake of freshness or emphasis, departs from
the usual denotations of words”
– X.J. Kennedy
An expression that is designed to evoke

emotion or create deeper meaning
SIMILE
STATED comparison between two

fundamentally dissimilar things that have
certain qualities in common .
SIMILE examples
When he lifted me up in his arms. I felt I

had left all my troubles on the floor beneath
me like gigantic concrete shoes.
Life is like an onion: you peel it off one
layer at a time, and sometimes you weep.
My face looks like a wedding-cake left out
in the rain.
SIMILE examples
She dealt with moral problems as a clearer

deals with meat.
George felt as worn out as an old joke that
was never funny in the first place.
“cause she looks like a flower but she stings
like a bee.”
SIMILE examples
As brave as a ________
As cool as a _______
As cunning as a ______
Runs like a _______
Cries like a _______
METAPHOR
IMPLIED comparison that show how two

dissimilar things are similar in another
important way.
METAPHOR examples
The sofa is fertile soil for a couch potato.

But my heart is lonely hunter that hunts on
a lonely hill.
Life is a dream.
Variety is the spice of life.
He is a mere cog in the wheel.
She sat like patience on a monument.
METAPHOR examples
He is a chicken-hearted fellow.
I am a mere shadow of my former self.
PERSONIFICATION
Art of bringing to life an inanimate object,

trait or action by associating it with a
human quality.
PERSONIFICATION examples
Oreo: milk’s favorite cookie.

The wind stood up and gave a shout.
Fear knocked on the door. Faith answered.
There was no one there.
The picture in that magazine screamed for
attention.
The carved pumpkin smiled at me.
HYPERBOLE
A bold , deliberate overstatement not

intended to be taken literary.
Amplifies reality by carrying us beyond the
boundaries of rational thought.
HYPERBOLE examples
You can’t go. You have to stay. You see, if

you go, dad & I will kill each other.
Your mama’s hair is so short, she could
stand on her head & her hair wouldn’t touch
the ground.
You’re so low down you need an umbrella
to protect yourself from ant piss.
HYPERBOLE examples
Only last week, I murdered a rock, injured a

stone, hospitalized a brick! I’m so mean I
make medicine sick.
Your dog is so ugly, we had to pay the fleas
on him.
METONYMY
(“meta”- “change” ; “onoma” – “name”)

A word or a phrase is substituted for that of
another closely associated with it.
Describing something indirectly by
referring to things around it.
METONYMY uses
Breaks up awkwardness of repeating the

same phrase over and over.
Changes wording to make sentence more
interesting.
METONYMY examples
Fear gives wings.

The sputtering economy could make the
difference if you’re trying to get a deal on a
new set of wheels.
He writes a fine hand.
The editorial page has always believed that
______.
METONYMY examples
He bought a Ford. (producer)

The buses are on strike. (user)
The omelette left without paying.
(customer’s order)
He likes to read J.K. Rowling.
Mrs. Grundy frowns on blue jeans.
(wearing of blue jeans)
SYNECHDOCHE
A part is used to represent the whole or

whole for a part, the specific for the
general, the general for the specific, or the
material for the thing made from it.
Speaks for a part of a thing/subject,
indirectly implying the entire thing itself.
SYNECHDOCHE examples
ABC’s – alphabet
England won the world cup in 1966.
DNA – life
Test tube – experiment
SYNECHDOCHE examples
He has many mouths to feed.

We need a couple of strong bodies in our team.
I’ve got a new set of wheels.
We’ve got some new blood in the organisation.
Get your butt over here.
When I’m done with this article, I plan to hit
the bottle.
PARADOX
A statement that appears to contradict itself.

PARADOX examples
The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of

sleep.
We pick a bad year to have a good year.
O miserable abundance, oh beggarly riches!
We have to believe in free will. We have no
choice.
It happens to be true that health food makes
me sick.
PARADOX examples
The swiftest traveler is he that goes a foot.

If you love until it hurts, there can be no
more hurt, only love. (Mother Teresa)
If you wish to preserve your secret. Wrap it
in frankness.
War is peace.
Freedom is slavery.
PARADOX examples
We are fixed & certain only when we are in

movement.
Someday, you will be old enough to start
reading fairy tales again.
Deep down, you’re really shallow.
There is order in chaos.
APOSTROPHE
Breaking off discourse to address some

absent person or thing, some abstract
quality, inanimate object or a non-existent
character.
APOSTROPHE examples
"Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou

art." (John Keats)
"Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder
what you are. Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.” (Jane Taylor,
"The Star," 1806)
"Then come, sweet death, and rid me of this
grief.“ (Queen Isabella in Edward II by
Christopher Marlowe)
OXYMORON
Contradiction terms appearing side by side

OXYMORON examples
Accident on purpose.
Act naturally.
Random order.
Original copy.
Student teacher.
Pretty ugly.
Found missing.
OXYMORON examples
Alone together.
Criminal justice.
Old news.
Awfully good.
A little bit big.
Deafening silence.
Die young.
OXYMORON examples
Bittersweet.
Sweet sorrow.
Silent sound.
Log palace.
Short skyscraper.
Definite possibility.
Definitely maybe.
OXYMORON examples
Terribly pleased.
Ill-health.
Living dead.
Loose tights.
Clearly misunderstood.
Real phony.
Silent yell.
Loner’s club.
ALLITERATION
Repetition of an initial consonant sound.

ALLITERATION examples
Good men are gruff and grumpy, cranky,

crabbed and crossed.
Sarah’s seven sisters slept soundly in sand.
EUPHEMISM
Substitution of an inoffensive term for one

considered offensively explicit.
Unpleasant truths wearing diplomatic
cologne.
EUPHEMISM examples
Passed away – died

Let go – fired
Developing countries – 3rd world countries
Mentally-challenged – stupid
Mentally-deficient – crazy
I’m busy – get the hell out of here
Pre-owned – second-hand
EUPHEMISM examples
Enhanced interrogation – torture

Misspoke – lie
Vertically-challenged – short
Well-fed – fat
ONOMATOPOEIA
Use of words that imitate sounds associated

with the objects/actions they refer to.
ONOMATOPOEIA examples
Chug, chug, chug, puff, puff, ding-dong,

ding-dong. The little train rumbled over the
tracks.
Brrriiiiiing! An alarm clock clanged in the
dark and silent room.
I’m getting married in the morning! Ding
dong! The bells are gonna chime.
ADS SLOGAN /FAMOUS LINES
SIMILE
PERSONIFICATION
METAPHOR
PERSONIFICATION
ALLITERATION
METAPHOR
SIMILE
SYNECDOCHE
METAPHOR
ALLITERATION
EUPHEMISM
“O brawling love! O loving hate!...

O heavy lightness! Serious vanity!
Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms!
Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health!
Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is!
This love feel I, that feel no love in this.”
(William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet)
OXYMORON
ONOMATOPOEIA
EUPHEMISM
SIMILE
ALLITERATION
METONYMY
PARADOX
HYPERBOLE
APOSTROPHE

FIGURE of SPEECH

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FIGURE of SPEECH

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DAFFODIL

I wandered lonely as a cloud

Early leader of romanticism

Karla Rosselle F. Baesa

“used whenever a speaker or center for the

An expression that is designed to evoke

STATED comparison between two

When he lifted me up in his arms. I felt I

She dealt with moral problems as a clearer

IMPLIED comparison that show how two

The sofa is fertile soil for a couch potato.

Art of bringing to life an inanimate object,

Oreo: milk’s favorite cookie.

A bold , deliberate overstatement not

You can’t go. You have to stay. You see, if

Only last week, I murdered a rock, injured a

(“meta”- “change” ; “onoma” – “name”)

Breaks up awkwardness of repeating the

Fear gives wings.

He bought a Ford. (producer)

A part is used to represent the whole or

He has many mouths to feed.

A statement that appears to contradict itself.

The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of

The swiftest traveler is he that goes a foot.

We are fixed & certain only when we are in

Breaking off discourse to address some

"Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou

Contradiction terms appearing side by side

Repetition of an initial consonant sound.

Good men are gruff and grumpy, cranky,

Substitution of an inoffensive term for one

Passed away – died

Enhanced interrogation – torture

Use of words that imitate sounds associated

Chug, chug, chug, puff, puff, ding-dong,

“O brawling love! O loving hate!...

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