Figures of Speech in English : Figures of Speech in English "It's raining cats and dogs" "I'll give you a piece of my mind" "Break a leg" "Butterflies in your stomach" "You want a piece of me?" What is figures of speech? A figure of speech is a departure from ordinary expression or the ordinary
course of ideas in order to produce a greater effect
Classifications : Classifications 1. Based on resemblance Eg: Simile, Metaphor, Personification, and Apostrophe 2. Based on contrast Eg: Antithesis and Epigram 3. Based on association Eg: Metonymy and Synecdoche 4. Based on Construction Eg: Climax and Anticlimax
Simile : Simile In a Simile a comparison is made between two objects of different
Kinds which have however at least one point in common 1.The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the field 2. The righteous shall flourish as the palm tree The commonly used Similes of everyday life: As proud as peacock, as bold as brass, as tough as leather, as clear
As Crystal, as good as gold, as old as the hills, as cool as a cucumber
Metaphor : Metaphor A metaphor is an implied Simile. It does not, like the simile, states
That one thing is like another, but takes for granted and proceeds
As if the two things were one. 1. The camel is the ship in the desert 2. Life is a dream 3. The news was a dagger to his heart 4. Revenge is a kind of old justice
Personification : Personification In personification inanimate objects and abstract notions are
Spoken of as having life and intelligence 1. The stars danced playfully in the moonlit sky 2. She did not realize that opportunity was knocking at her door. 3. The snow swaddled the earth like a mother would her infant child 4. Time flew and before we knew it, it was time for me to go home.
Apostophe : Apostophe An apostrophe is a direct address to the dead, to the absent, or to
a personified object or idea. 1. O death ! Where is thy sting? O grave ! Where is your victory? 2. O ! Liberty, what crimes have been committed in your name? 3. "Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art“ (John Keats) 4. "Science! True daughter of Old Time thou art!" 5. (to a clock) why aren't you moving faster?
Hyperbole : Hyperbole In hyperbole a statement is made emphatic by overstatement 1. There are millions of other things to do 2. I could eat a horse 3. You're always doing that. 4. He is running faster than the speed of light. 5. You could be Miss Universe. 6. I've told you a million times don't exaggerate.
Euphemism : Euphemism Euphemism consists in the description of a disagreeable thing
by an agreeable name 1. He has fallen asleep 2. You are telling me a fairy tale passed away- died
its a small world- we are many small people in the big world
tears of joy- so happy your crying
restroom- bathroom
big boned- fat
working class- poor
disable- handicapped
on the streets- homeless
institute- school
supervisor- boss
custodian- janitor
Antithesis : Antithesis In antithesis a striking opposition or contrast of words or sentiments
Is made in the same sentence 1. Man proposes, God disposes 2. Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more 3. Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice 4. Speech is silver, but silence is golden 5. To err is human, but to forgive is divine 6. Many are called, but few are chosen
Oxymoron : Oxymoron Oxymoron is a special form of antithesis, whereby to contradictory
qualities are predicted at once of the same thing 1. So innocent arch, so cunningly simple 2. She accepted it as the kind cruelty of the surgeon‘s knife open secret, larger half, clearly confused,
alone together, Hell's Angels, found missing, liquid gas,
deafening silence, seriously funny, living dead, Advanced BASIC, tragic comedy, unbiased opinion, virtual reality, definite maybe, original copies, pretty ugly, same difference, plastic glasses, almost exactly, constant variable, even odds, minor crisis, extinct life, genuine imitation, exact estimate, only choice,
freezer burn, free love, working holiday, rolling stop
Epigram : Epigram An epigram is a brief pointed saying frequently introducing antithetical
Ideas which excite surprise and arrest attention 1. The child is the father of a man 2. A man can’t be too careful in the choice of his enemies 3. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread 4. In the midst of life we are in death 5. Art lies in concealing art 6.He makes no friend, who never made a foe 7. The fools thinks he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool
Irony : Irony Irony is a mode of speech in which the real meaning is exactly the
opposite of that which is literally conveyed 1. "Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; And Brutus is an honourable man" 2. "I'm aware of the irony of appearing on TV in order to decry it." 3. Water, water, every where, And all the boards did shrink ; Water, water, every where, Nor any drop to drink 4. a domestic violence prosecutor in the US has recently
been charged with domestic violence 5. poets, who know how to express so many beautiful things,
are some of the most miserable people on the plane 6. boxing is called a noble sport, yet the people
who do it are aggressive violent thugs
Pun : Pun A pun consists in the use of a word in such a way that it is capable of more
than one application, the object being to produce a ludicrous effect 1. John Hancock didn't retire, he just resigned. 2. The fish missed the call because he was stuck on the other line 3. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me. 4. A backward poet writes in-verse. 5. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion. 6. Santa’s helpers are subordinate Clauses. 7. A horse is a very stable animal 8. An elephant's opinion carries a lot of weight.
Metonymy : Metonymy In metonymy an object is designated by the name of something
which generally associated with it The bench, for the judge
The house for the members of Loksabha
The crown, for the king 1. You must address the chair 2. From cradle to grave 3. The whole city went out to see the victorious general 4. The pen is mightier than the sword 5. We are reading Milton 6. "We have always remained loyal to the crown." 7. "The White House did not want to comment on the situation." 8. The New Delhi denied the permission
synecdoche : synecdoche In synecdoche a part is used to designate the whole or whole
to describe a part 1. Give us this day our daily bread 2. Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown 3. A fleet of fifty sail left the harbor 4. All the best brains in Europe could not solve the problem 5. He has many mouths to feed 6. England won the first test mach against Australia 7. "Friends, Romans, countrymen: lend me your ears"
Transferred Epithet : Transferred Epithet In this figure an epithet is transferred from its proper word to
another that is closely associated with it in the sentence “Richard the Lion-Hearted” , Alexander the great, the great emancipator-
Abraham Lincoln 1. He passed a sleepless night 2. He made a foolish statement 3. She rubbed here sleepy eyes 4. He said a cruel joke 5. That was a silly question 6. Vincent has got a worried look 7. Santhosh and Latha had an unhappy marriage
Litotes : Litotes In litotes an affirmative is conveyed by the negation of the opposite, the
Effect being to suggest a strong expression by means of a weaker. It is
The opposite of hyperbole 1. I am a citizen of no mean city 2. The man is no fool 3. I am not little surprised 4. She's not the brightest girl in the class. 5. "Einstein is not a bad mathematician" 6. "That sword was not useless 7. "The grave's a fine a private place,But none, I think, do there embrace."(Andrew Marvell, "To His Coy Mistress")
Interrogation : Interrogation Interrogation is asking of a question, not for the sake of getting an
answer, but to put a point more effectively
Exclamation : Exclamation In this figure the exclamatory form is used to draw greater attention
To a point than a mere bald statement it could do 1. What a piece of work is man ! 2. How sweet the moonlight sweeps on the bank !
Climax : Climax Climax is the arrangement of a series of ideas in the order of
increasing importance 1. simple, erect, serve, austere, sublime 2. What a piece of work is man ! How noble is reason, how infinite in faculties !
In action, how like an angel ! In apprehension, like God 3. "Let a man acknowledge his obligations to himself,
his family, his country, and his God." 4. The soldiers, clutching their weapons, raced across the beaches,
then scaled the cliffs, and met the enemy, face to face. 5. "There are three things that will endure: faith, hope, and love.
But the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13 6. "I think we've reached a point of great decision, not just for our nation,
not only for all humanity, but for life upon the earth." 7. "...Lost, vaded, broken, dead within an hour.
William Shakespeare, The Passionate Pilgrim, XIII
Anticlimax : Anticlimax Anticlimax is the opposite of climax-a sudden descent from higher to lower "The holy passion of Friendship is of so sweet and steady and loyal
and enduring a nature that it will last through a whole lifetime,
if not asked to lend money." 2. "In moments of crisis I size up the situation in a flash,
set my teeth, contract my muscles, take a firm grip on myself and,
without a tremor, always do the wrong thing." 3. He bought a house, a car, and then t.v. 4. In Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis are buried
President Benjamin Harrison, 3 Vice-Presidents,
15 Senators and Governors, and John Dillinger.'