The
Top 20 Figures of Speech
A figure of speech is
a rhetorical device that achieves a special effect by using words in a
distinctive way. Though there are hundreds of figures of speech, here
we'll focus on 20 top examples.
You'll probably remember many of these terms from your English
classes. Figurative language is
often associated with literature and with poetry in particular. Whether we're
conscious of it or not, we use figures of speech every day in our own writing
and conversations.
For example, common expressions such as "falling in
love," "racking our brains," and "climbing the ladder of
success" are all metaphors—the most
pervasive figure of all. Likewise, we rely on similes when making
explicit comparisons ("light as a feather") and hyperbole to
emphasize a point ("I'm starving!").
TOP 20 FIGURES OF SPEECH
Using original figures of speech in our writing is a way to
convey meanings in fresh, unexpected ways. Figures can help our readers
understand and stay interested in what we have to say.
1. Alliteration: The
repetition of an initial consonant sound. Example: She sells seashells by the
seashore.
2. Anaphora: The repetition
of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or
verses. Example: Unfortunately,
I was in the wrong place at the wrong time on the wrong day.
3. Antithesis: The juxtaposition of
contrasting ideas in balanced phrases. Example:As Abraham Lincoln said, "Folks
who have no vices have very few virtues."
4. Apostrophe: Directly
addressing a nonexistent person or an inanimate object as though it were a
living being. Example: "Oh,
you stupid car, you never work when I need you to," Bert sighed.
5. Assonance: Identity or
similarity in sound between internal vowels in neighboring words. Example: How now,
brown cow?
6. Chiasmus: A verbal
pattern in which the second half of an expression is balanced against the first
but with the parts reversed. Example: The
famous chef said people should live to eat, not eat to live.
7. Euphemism: The
substitution of an inoffensive term for one considered offensively explicit. Example: "We're
teaching our toddler how to go potty," Bob said.
8. Hyperbole: An extravagant
statement; the use of exaggerated terms for the purpose of emphasis or
heightened effect. Example: I
have a ton of things to do when I get home.
9. Irony: The use of words
to convey the opposite of their literal meaning. Also, a statement or
situation where the meaning is contradicted by the appearance or presentation
of the idea. Example: "Oh,
I love spending big bucks," said my dad, a notorious penny pincher.
10. Litotes: A figure of
speech consisting of an understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by
negating its opposite. Example: A
million dollars is no small chunk of change.
11. Metaphor: An implied
comparison between two dissimilar things that have something in common. Example: "All the
world's a stage."
12. Metonymy: A figure of
speech in a word or phrase is substituted for another with which it's closely
associated; also, the rhetorical strategy of describing something indirectly by
referring to things around it.
Example: "That stuffed suit with the briefcase
is a poor excuse for a salesman," the manager said angrily.
13. Onomatopoeia: The use of
words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer
to. Example: The
clap of thunder went bang and scared my poor dog.
14. Oxymoron: A figure of
speech in which incongruous or contradictory terms appear side by side. Example: I am as
graceful as a bull in a china shop when I dance.
15. Paradox: A statement that
appears to contradict itself. Example: "This
is the beginning of the end," said Eeyore, always the pessimist.
16. Personification: A figure
of speech in which an inanimate object or abstraction is endowed with human
qualities or abilities. Example: That
kitchen knife will take a bite out of your hand if you don't handle it safely.
17. Pun: A play on words,
sometimes on different senses of the same word and sometimes on the similar
sense or sound of different words. Example: Jessie
looked up from her breakfast and said, "A boiled egg every morning is hard
to beat."
18. Simile: A stated
comparison (usually formed with "like" or "as") between two
fundamentally dissimilar things that have certain qualities in common. Example:Roberto was white
as a sheet after he walked out of the horror movie.
19. Synecdoche: A figure of
speech in which a part is used to represent the whole. Example: Tina is
learning her ABC's in preschool.
20. Understatement: A figure
of speech in which a writer or speaker deliberately makes a situation seem less
important or serious than it is. Example: "You
could say Babe Ruth was a decent ballplayer," the reporter said with a
wink.
That's all about figurative language. hope it could help you to understand this material easily. :)
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