FIGURES OF SPEECH

AND OTHER
LITERARY
TECHNIQUES
IDENTIFY THE FIGURES OF SPEECH AND OTHER
LITERARY TECHNIQUES AND DEVISE IN THE
TEXT
PRE – TEST

1. The clouds are soft

cottons in the sky.
a.Simile
b.Metaphor
c.Hyperbole
d.personification
PRE – TEST

2. I ask for your hand to

marry me.
a. Metonymy
b. hyperbole
c. synecdoche
d. simile
PRE – TEST

3. He is running faster than

the wind.
a. Oxymoron
b. Paradox
c. Onomatopoeia
d. Simile
PRE – TEST

4. Black bug bit in a big

black bear is an example of
a. Alliteration
b. hyperbole
c. Onomatopoeia
d. simile
PRE – TEST

5. My hair is like a satin.

a. Simile
b. metaphor
c. Hyperbole
d. personification
ANSWERS

1. B
2. A
3. C
4. D
5. A
SIMILE

Compares two unlike things

with a common quality (like,
as)
Ex.
My love is like a red rose.
(love is being compared to a
rose)
METAPHOR

A comparison that is done by

stating that one thing is another in
order to suggest their similarity or
shared qualities
Ex.
The clouds are soft cottons in the
sky.
(clouds are compared to soft
cottons.)
PERSONIFICATION

Gives human qualities to

objects and things
Ex.
The rain gently kissed my
cheeks.
(can rain kiss? Only person
kiss)
METONYMY

Refers to using a thing or idea that

is not referred to by its own name
but by different one, a name of
something with which it is closely
associated.
Ex.
“white house declared…”
(rather than “the president
declared”)
SYNECDOCHE

Uses a part of something to

represent the whole or the
whole to represent a part.
Ex.
Ask for a hand.
(refers to asking for a woman
to marry)
HYPERBOLE

Uses international
exaggeration to achieve
emphasis or produce a comic
effect.
Ex.
He’s running faster than the
wind.
OXYMORON

Is a word or a combination of
words with contradictory
meanings, as in bittersweet
and open secret.
Ex.
Durian is disgustingly
delicious.
PARADOX

Is a statement that appears

to hold contradictory ideas
but may actually be true.
Ex.
John is normally abnormal.
ALLITERATION

Refers to the use of closely

spaced words that have the
same initial sounds.
Ex.
Black bug bit a big black
bear.
ONOMATOPOEIA

Is the use of words that

imitate the sound of what
they are referring to.
Ex.
Machine noises:
honk, beep, vroom, clang,
zap, bang
LITERARY
TECHNIQUES
What are literary
techniques/devices

It refers to specific
methods writers employ in
their works to convey
messages.
Readers, on the other
hand, look for several
literary techniques
when examining or
analysing a text or
simply evaluating a
text’s artistic value.
LITERARY TECHNIQUES

1. Anaphora
(epanaphora), refers to
the repetition of word
or a phrase at the
beginning of a sentence
 To create an artistic
or heightened effect.
 it adds rhythm to a
particular line or
paragraph, making it
easier to memorize or
remember.
Used for
emphasis or to
stir emotions
among the
audience.
Anaphora examples:
You’re likely familiar with the
famous lyrics to Santa Clause
in comin’ to town.
You better watch out
You better not cry
You better not pout.
Anaphora examples:
Anaphora in speeches
In his “I have a dream”
speech, Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. repeated the words “I
have a dream” at the start of
five consecutive sentences.
Anaphora examples:
In his 1999 speech at the
White House, “The Perils of
Independence” Elie Wiesel
uses anaphora to emphasize
the meaning and effect of
indifference.
Indifference elicits no
response.
Indifference is not a
response.
Indifference is not a
beginning;
It is an end.
Anaphora examples:
1. “every day, every night, in
every way, I am getting
better and better.”
2. “My life is my purpose. My
life is my goal. My life is my
inspiration.”
LITERARY TECHNIQUES

2. Antihero is a fictional
character who does not
possess the traits, such
as pride and valor,
expected of a hero.
LITERARY TECHNIQUES
3. cliff-hanger is a
literary technique used
by the author to arouse
curiosity among readers
by ending a chapter or
story abruptly.
 The characters are
confronted with a
difficult or an
unsettling situation.
 Instead of providing a
resolution, the author
would end it.
 Writers utilized cliff-
hangers in their works
to keep the readers
focused and
interested as to what
will happen next.
 Serialized works.
LITERARY TECHNIQUES
4. Juxtaposition is a technique
authors use in their works to
compare two different things, or two
contrasting ideas to be able to
emphasize their differences, such as
good and evil, life and death, truth
and lies, among others. This
technique is also used to develop a
character, resolve a conflict, or
clarify various concepts.
LITERARY TECHNIQUES
5. Foreshadowing refers to
lines or dialogues in a story
which give the reader an
idea of what is about to
happen without spoiling or
explicitly stating the plot’s
entirety.
 When writers use this
technique, especially in
mystery or thriller
novels, they provide “red
herrings” (misleading or
false clues) to divert the
readers ‘ expectations.
 A prime example of
dialogue foreshadowing
occurs in Shakespeare’s
Romeo and Juliet, when
Romeo says, “My life were
better ended by their hate,
than death prorogued,
wanting of thy love.”
 This line
foreshadows
Romeo’s eventual
fate: committing
suicide over the
loss of Juliet.
LITERARY TECHNIQUES

6. Catharsis – derived from

the Greek word catharsis,
which means
“purifications” or
“purgation.”
 It refers to the emotional
release or cleansing of the
characters, or audience or
readers, from strong
emotions usually brought
by learning of the truth or
when confronted with
difficult situations.
Ex.

Romeo & Juliet by William

Shakespeare
• William Shakespeare is a
master of catharsis, as
you can see in many of his
great tragedies.
• in Romeo & Juliet, the two
star-crossed lovers eventually
commit suicide. The audience,
often in tears by this point,
experiences a feeling of
catharsis. As the play closes,
the two families in the story
make peace with one another,
offering a feeling of closure.
LITERARY
TECHNIQUES

7. Stream of
consciousness “referred
to as interior
monologue”
• Character’s thoughts, feelings,
and reactions are depicted in
a continuous flow
uninterrupted by objective
description or conventional
dialogue.
• A literary technique that is
usually associated with
modern writers.
STREAM OF CONCIOUSNESS

 The plot is developed based on the

character’s reminiscence or
recollection of events and thought
fragments.
 Readers are taken into the depths of
the character’s mind and witness how
these characters process their
thoughts when faced with a particular
situation or emotion.
LITERARY
TECHNIQUES

8. Hamartia or tragic
flaw-found in Greek
tragedies.
 The tragic hero’s error in judgement,
which lead to his or her downfall.
 This error is committed unknowingly,
such in the case of Oedipus when he
killed his father Laius and married his
mother Jocasta. Hamartia is used to
have the audience identify
themselves with the protagonist (that
he or she has weaknesses too) and to
provoke pity because of the
miserable turn of events he or she
went through.
Used to impart a moral
objective among readers
or audience to improve
or change for the better
so as to avoid the
tragedy that has
befallen the protagonist.
THANK
YOU!