figure of speech

• Figurative speech


  A word or phrase that possesses a separate meaning from its literal definition
• 10 different types of figures of speech

  • Metaphor
  • Simile
  • Personification
  • Hyperbole
  • Alliteration
  • Onomatopoeia
  • Symbolism
  • Imagery
  • Paradox
  • Oxymoron
• Metaphor


  An implicit, implied, or hidden comparison between two things that are unrelated, but which share some common characteristics. Without "like or as"
• Metaphor


  • My brother was boiling mad
  • The assignment was a breeze
  • It is going to be clear skies from now on
• Simile


  Makes a comparison, showing similarities between two different things and uses "like" or "as" to compare things
• Simile


  • That guy is as nutty as a fruitcake
  • Don't just sit there like a bump on a log
  • You were as brave as a lion
• Personification


  Non living objects are described to seem like people. A thing, an idea, plants, inanimate things or an animal is given human attributes
• Personification


  • The flowers danced in the gentle breeze
  • The fire swallowed the entire forest
  • Look at my car. She is a beauty, isn't she
• Hyperbole


  An overstatement that exaggerates a particular condition for emphasis. "Deliberate exaggeration"
• Hyperbole


  • I'm dying of laughter
  • This package weighs a ton
  • I haven't seen Jamien in ages
• Alliteration


  A series of words begin with the same consonant sound. Alliteration is meant to be more than a tongue twister
• Alliteration


  • Becky's beagle barked and bayed, becoming bothersome for Billy
  • Can you keep the cat from clawing the couch? It's creating chaos
  • Dan's dog dove deep in the dam, drinking dirty water as he dove
• Onomatopoeia


  A word that phonetically mimics or resembles the sound of the thing it describes. Uses a word whose sound suggests the meaning or tone
• Onomatopoeia


  • Machine noises—honk, beep, vroom, clang, zap, boing
  • Animal names—cuckoo, whip-poor-will, whooping crane, chickadee
  • Impact sounds—boom, crash, whack, thump, bang
  • Sounds of the voice—shush, giggle, growl, whine, murmur, blurt, whisper, hiss
  • Nature sounds—splash, drip, spray, whoosh, buzz, rustle
• Symbolism


  The use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities, by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense
• Symbolism


  • The dove is a symbol of peace
  • A red rose, or the color red, stands for love or romance
  • Black is a symbol that represents evil or death
  • A ladder may stand as a symbol for a connection between heaven and earth
  • A broken mirror may symbolize separation
• Imagery


  Descriptive language that can function as a way for the reader to better imagine the world of the piece of literature and also add symbolism to the work. Imagery draws on the five senses: taste, touch, sight, smell, and sound. It can also pertain to details about movement or a sense of a body in motion (kinesthetic imagery) or the emotions or sensations of a person, such as fear or hunger (organic imagery or subjective imagery)
• Imagery


  • Taste: The familiar tang of his grandmother's cranberry sauce reminded him of his youth
  • Sound: The concert was so loud that her ears rang for days afterward
  • Sight: The sunset was the most gorgeous they'd ever seen; the clouds were edged with pink and gold
  • Smell: After eating the curry, his breath reeked of garlic
  • Touch: The tree bark was rough against her skin
• Paradox


  A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or silly, but which may include a latent truth. It is also used to illustrate an opinion or statement contrary to accepted traditional ideas
• Paradox

  • Your enemy's friend is your enemy
  • I am nobody
  • "What a pity that youth must be wasted on the young." – George Bernard Shaw
  • Wise fool
  • Truth is honey, which is bitter
  • "I can resist anything but temptation." – Oscar Wilde
• Oxymoron


  Two seemingly opposing and contradictory elements are juxtaposed. In literature, oxymora, also known as oxymorons, often reveal a paradox
• The word oxymoron is in itself an oxymoron. It comes from the Ancient Greek word oxumoron, a compound of the words oxus, meaning "sharp" or "keen" and moros, meaning "dull" or "stupid"
• Oxymora are often pairs of words, such as the adjective-noun combinations of a "new classic" or a "big sip," or a noun-verb combination such as "the silence whistles." Oxymora can also be found in phrases or sentences that have a juxtaposition of contradictory concepts
• Synecdoche (synecdote)


  A part of something represents the whole
• Synecdoche


  • "One does not live by bread alone"
• Irony


  Expresses an idea opposite to what is meant
• Irony


  • It was a very nice of you to open my private letter. Thank you very much.
• The difference between oxymoron and paradox is that a paradox often is used in literature to give unexpected insights, whereas an oxymoron does not necessarily lead to any insights
• Some other figures of speech

  • Irony
  • Litotes
  • Antonomasia
  • Understatement
  • Allusion