FIGURES

OF SPEECH
What is a synecdoche?

A synecdoche is a figure of speech in which

the one of the following (or its reverse) is
expressed: 
 A part stands for a whole
 An individual stands for a class
 A material stands for a thing
In short…
 Synecdoche is a figure of speech in which
a part is used for the whole or the whole
for a part, the special for the general or the
general for the special, as in ten sail for
ten ships
Examples
 Fifty head referring to 50 head of cattle
 Cat referring to a lion
 "Can I get your digits [phone number]?"
 Similarly, "mouths to feed" for hungry
people, "white hair" for an elderly person,
"The Press" for news media.
 "Could you pass me a Kleenex [facial
tissue]?"
 Similarly, "coke" for soda, "castle" for
home, "bread" for food, "Judas" for traitor
What is metonymy?
 is the use of a word for a concept with
which the original concept behind this
word is associated. Metonymy may be
instructively contrasted with metaphor.
 Both figures involve the substitution of one
term for another. While in metaphor this
substitution is based on similarity, in
metonymy the substitution is based on
contiguity.
In short…
 Metonymy is a figure of speech that
consists of the use of the name of one
object or concept for that of another to
which it is related, or of which it is a part,
as “scepter” for “sovereignty.”
 substitution of one word for another which
it suggests.
Examples
 The pen is mightier than the sword.
Pen and sword represent publishing and
military force, respectively.
"Lend me your ear“(because we use ears to
pay attention to someone's speech).
TAKE NOTE:
 Synecdoche is closely related to
metonymy (the figure of speech in which a
term denoting one thing is used to refer to
a related thing); indeed, synecdoche is
often considered a subclass of metonymy.
It is more distantly related to other figures
of speech, such as metaphor.
What is litotes?
 is a figure of speech in which a speaker,
rather than making a certain claim, denies
its opposite; for example, rather than call a
person attractive, one might say she's "not
too bad to look at".
 Litotes can be used to weaken a
statement — "It's bad, but it's O.K." can be
seen as self-contradictory, but one can
weaken the first part using litotes,
producing "It's not good, but it's O.K.",
which is a reasonable statement.
 Conversely, litotes can be used as a form
of understatement, strengthening or
emphasizing a statement, as in the first
example above. The interpretation of
litotes thus depends on context, including
cultural context.
In short…
 Litotes is a figure of speech consisting of
an understatement in which an affirmative
is expressed by negating its opposite.
Examples
 “…no ordinary city .” -a very impressive
city."
 "That does not surprise me." - "As is to be
expected."
 "The food was not bad." - "The food was
good."
 "That was no big deal." - "That was
nothing."
What is a paradox?
 A paradox is an apparently true statement
or group of statements that leads to a
contradiction or a situation which defies
intuition.
 The word paradox is often used
interchangeably with contradiction.
 Typically, either the statements in question
do not really imply the contradiction, the
puzzling result is not really a contradiction,
or the premises themselves are not all
really true or cannot all be true together.
In short…
 a statement or proposition that seems self-
contradictory or absurd but in reality
expresses a possible truth.
 Use of apparently contradictory ideas to
point out some underlying truth
Examples
 "If this sentence is true, the world will end
in a week."
 "If there is an exception to every rule, then
every rule must have at least one
exception, excepting this one" ...is there
an exception to the rule that states that
there is an exception to every rule?
 "Moderation in all things, including
moderation."

 Why is the night sky black if there is an

infinity of stars?
What is oxymoron?
 An oxymoron (plural oxymorons or,
more rarely, oxymora) is a figure of
speech that combines two normally
contradictory terms. Oxymoron is a
loanword from Greek oxy ("sharp") and
moros ("dull"). Thus the word oxymoron is
itself an oxymoron.
In addition…
 An oxymoron is used mainly to create
humour thus, for example leading an
audience watching a play, to think about
what's happening and give them a deeper
more meaningful understanding of the
text.
 Using two terms together, that normally
contradict each other
Take note
 Oxymorons are a proper subset of the
expressions called contradictions in terms.
 What distinguishes oxymorons from other
paradoxes and contradictions is that they
are used intentionally, for rhetorical effect,
and the contradiction is only apparent, as
the combination of terms provides a novel
expression of some concept, such as
"cruel to be kind".
Example
 "And faith unfaithful kept him falsely true"
 "With all deliberate speed" (i.e. "go quickly
slowly")
 Pretty ugly
 Alone together
 Deafening silence
 Same difference