1. FIGURES OF SPEECH
ALLITERATION
Alliteration refers to the repetition of a consonant sound, at
least three times in a sentence. It is often used as a figure of
speech in poetry, and even advertisements use alliteration in
their tag lines to make the ads more memorable. Some
examples of alliteration are:
Don't delay dawns disarming display. Dusk demands
daylight.
- Paul Mccan
Sara's seven sisters slept soundly in sand.
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ANASTROPHE
Anastrophe the inversion of the normal order of speech in a
particular sentence. It can also be said that the language is
interrupted and speech takes a sudden turn. This is used for the
purpose of emphasis. Examples of anastrophe are:
Object there was none. Passion there was none. I
loved the old man.
- Edgar Allan Poe, The Tell-Tale Heart
Why should their liberty than ours be more?
- Adriana, Comedy of Errors, William Shakespeare
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ANAPHORA
Anaphora refers to a repetition of one particular word
purposely, at the start of consecutive sentences or paragraphs.
This is again in order to emphasize a point. Examples of
anaphora are:
I'm not afraid to die. I'm not afraid to live. I'm not
afraid to fail. I'm not afraid to succeed. I'm not
afraid to fall in love. I'm not afraid to be alone. I'm
just afraid I might have to stop talking about myself
for five minutes.
- Kinky Friedman, When the Cat's Away
Water, water, every where,
And all the boards did shrink ;
Water, water, every where,
Nor any drop to drink.
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Rime of the Ancient
Mariner
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ANTITHESIS
Antithesis is defined as an opposition or contradiction between
two concepts in a statement. For example:
It rained all night the day I left, the weather it was
dry, The sun so hot, I froze to death...
- Oh Susanna (Song)
You're easy on the eyes, hard on the heart...
- Terri Clark (Song)
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ANTONOMASIA
Antonomasia refers to the substitution of a proper name with a
phrase, which then becomes a way of recognition for the
person in question. This can be explained with the help of the
following examples:
The King of Pop - Michael Jackson
The Bard - William Shakespeare
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EUPHEMISM
A euphemism is the use of neutral language to remark
something that may be offensive to the receiver. Euphemism
is often used by people who are diplomatic, and who wish to
be politically correct. Some examples of this figure of speech
are:
We have to let you go. Read: You're fired.
You're well fed. Read: You're fat.
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HYPERBOLE
A hyperbole is a figure of speech used for the purpose of
exaggeration. It mainly forms the basis of several jokes, is
used as a way of insults, or could simply be used to dramatize
a situation, where in reality, the situation may not be that bad.
This can be understood with the help of these hyperbole
examples:
I'm so busy trying to accomplish ten million things
at once.
Your dog is so ugly, we had to pay the fleas to live
on him.
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IDIOM
An idiom is a figure of speech that is used to help express a
situation with ease, but by using expressions that are usually
completely unrelated to the situation in question. These
examples will help you understand idioms:
It's no good crying over spilt milk.
- This is an idiom that simply means there is no use
regretting about unfortunate events that have passed
and cannot be changed.
It takes two to tango.
- This idiom simply means that it takes more than one
person to mess up a situation, i.e. it is not only
always one person's fault.
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IRONY
Irony refers to the use of certain words that actually intend to
convey the opposite. Irony forms the basis of sarcasm, and of
humor. It is also a way of expressing the ugly truth in a
slightly gentle manner. Some examples are:
Bill Gates winning a computer.
- Situational Irony (He is the owner of the world's
largest software company.)
Having a fight with your best friend just before your
birthday, and commenting -"Great, this is just what I
needed".
- Verbal Irony (It is probably the worst thing that
could happen before your birthday.)
In Romeo and Juliet, when Juliet is drugged, Romeo
assumes her to be dead, and kills himself. Upon
waking up Juliet finds him dead, and kills herself.
- Dramatic Irony (Mainly based on
miscommunication and misunderstanding.)
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2. LITOTES
This figure of speech refers to the use of understatement, to
affirm a particular situation or event with the use of a negative
opposite. Examples include:
He was not unfamiliar with the work of
Shakespeare.
Einstein is not a bad mathematician.
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METAPHOR
Used for the purpose of comparison, a metaphor is a figure of
speech that implies the meaning of an object with its reference
to another completely unrelated object. For instance:
The sofa is fertile soil for a couch potato.
But my heart is a lonely hunter that hunts on a
lonely hill.
- William Sharp, The Lonely Hunter
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METONYMY
Metonymy refers to the use of a phrase regarding an
associated concept, in order to describe the actual concept.
Some metonymy examples are:
The editorial page has always believed...
- This refers to the belief of the editors who write the
editorial page.
He writes a fine hand.
- It means he has good handwriting.
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OXYMORON
An oxymoron uses a contradictory adjective to define an
object, situation or event. Oxymoron examples are:
Loners' club
A stripper's dressing room
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PARADOX
While an oxymoron is a contradictory phrase, a paradox is a
contradictory statement which may appear false, but is in fact
true. For example:
War is peace.
Freedom is slavery.
Ignorance is strength.
- George Orwell, 1984
Deep down, you're really shallow.
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ONOMATOPOEIA
Such words imitate the sounds made by certain objects or
actions. Some examples of onomatopoeia are:
The clatter of utensils.
The flutter of birds.
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PARALIPSIS
This figure of speech is used by people who do not wish to
speak on a subject, but still manage to disclose it. Some
examples are:
It would be unseemly for me to dwell on Senator
Kennedy's drinking problem, and too many have
already sensationalized his womanizing...
I will not dwell on the senator's shady history with
the criminal underworld, or on her alcoholic son...
such issues should not be brought up in a reasoned
debate.
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PERSONIFICATION
This refers to the art of bringing to life an inanimate object,
trait, or action, by associating it with a human quality.
Examples of personification are:
The picture in that magazine screamed for
attention.
The carved pumpkin smiled at me.
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PUN
Puns refer to the deliberate substitution of similar sounding
words to create a humorous effect. For example:
I bet the butcher the other day that he couldn't reach
the meat that was on the top shelf. He refused to take
the bet, saying that the steaks were too high.
Santa's helpers are subordinate Clauses.
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SIMILE
A simile is similar to a metaphor. However, here, a reference
between two concepts is made by using the terms 'like' or 'as'.
Some simile examples are:
Cause she looks like a flower but she stings like a
bee
Like every girl in history.
- Ricky Martin (She Bangs)
George felt as worn out as an old joke that was
never very funny in the first place.
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ZEUGMA
This figure of speech refers to the use of only one word to
describe two actions or events. The word however, logically
applies only to one of the actions. For instance:
She opened the door and her heart to the orphan.
She lowered her standards by raising her glass,
her courage, her eyes and his hopes.