figure of speech rhyming words

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Figure of Speech Definition and Full List of Examples

Often, I find myself addressing my computer directly, begging it to cooperate with me. “My computer hates me,” is a common phrase I mention to people nearby. I also tend to complain about the ton of socks that need folding and the millions of things I have to do. Basically, I complain a lot, using figure of speech devices like apostrophe, personification and hyperbole .

Describing events in a literal way can be dry and uninteresting. Using figures of speech communicates deeper meaning to deliver more expressive imagery to the listener or reader. In this way, writers and speakers can suggest visuals, create rhetorical effects or produce vivid ideas.

What Is a Figure of Speech?

A figure of speech involves using language in a unique way to paint a distinct picture for the reader. This literary device can be in the form of a phrase or a single word. The intended meaning differs from its ordinary meaning to create an enhanced experience.

Figure of Speech Definition

figure of speech  (noun):  a word or phrase that intentionally deviates from its literal meaning to produce a rhetorical effect, emphasize or embellish language or create a striking impression.

Why Do Writers Use Figures of Speech?

A skilled writer will use a figure of speech to develop a more memorable description, create an unforgettable impression or convey a specific atmosphere or feeling.

Figures of speech communicate information in a more lively and colorful way. These figurative language tools effectively bring words to life, taking readers on a journey through the writer’s intent.

A figure of speech can:

• Add richness to descriptions or events
• Enhance understanding through the use of comparisons
• Develop striking imagery
• Communicate abstract or complex ideas
• Elicit emotion
• Connect ideas that do not have an apparent relationship
• Create memorable sections of prose
• Make the content more relatable and enjoyable

Figure of Speech Examples

Conversational.

People often use figures of speech in everyday conversation .

Hyperbole:  Exaggerating to highlight a feature or quality

• My backpack weighs a ton.
• I’ll die if I can’t go to the concert.
• That guy is older than dirt.

Oxymoron:  Connecting two opposing ideas

• small crowd
• controlled chaos
• original copy
• deafening silence
• clearly confused

Pun:  Using words that have similar sounds or applications to create a double meaning

• This vacuum sucks.
• Make like a tree and leave.
• Some bunny loves you.
• Crabs don’t share because they are shellfish.

Understatement:  Expressing less emotion than expected to create an effect or show irony

• A person who gets 100% on an exam saying, “I think I did OK.”
• Someone who crashes a car stating, “I put a few scratches on it.”
• Describing below zero weather as “a little chilly.”

Verbal paradox:  Using contradictory statements to reveal a truth

• All I know is I know nothing.
• Less is more.
• You make money by spending it.
• The only constant is change.

Euphemism:  Replacing harsh phrases with more pleasant words

• Our organization is going to have to let you go.
• My grandpa is over the hill.
• I need to powder my nose.

Writers employ figures of speech in their work for many reasons.

Simile:  Connecting two things with comparison words

• busy as a bee
• cute as a kitten
• run like the wind
• grows like a weed

Metaphor:  Comparing things without comparison words

• drowning in a sea of paperwork
• rollercoaster of emotions
• time is a thief

Personification:  Attributing human characteristics to an object

• The sunlight danced across the lake.
• That piece of pizza is calling my name.
• The flowers nodded in the breeze.

Some figure of speech examples found in works of literature include the following:

Personification

William Wordsworth, “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”

“A host, of golden daffodils ; / Beside the lake, beneath the trees, / Fluttering and  dancing in the breeze.”

Alliteration

Toni Morrison, “Sula “

“It was a fine cry – loud and long – but it had no bottom, and it had no top, just circles and circles of sorrow.”

William Shakespeare, “Julius Caesar “

“Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once.”

Understatement

J.D. Salinger, “The Catcher in the Rye “

“It isn’t very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain.”

F. Scott Fitzgerald, “The Great Gatsby “

“In his blue gardens, men and girls came and went like moths …”

Common Figures of Speech List

What Are the Types of Figures of Speech?

There are numerous kinds of figurative language that are figures of speech. Scholars divide the many forms into two primary categories: tropes and schemes.

A literary trope utilizes figurative language to create an artistic image. It originates from the Greek word “trepein,” which means “to turn, to alter, to change.” Tropes change the usual meaning of words to convey a vivid picture or description. Below is the full list of literary tropes.

Schemes change word order, patterns, syntax, sounds or letters instead of altering the meanings of words or phrases. Below is the full list of literary schemes.

Use Figure of Speech To Create Dynamic Prose

With so many figure of speech examples, you are sure to find a way to craft engaging works that leap off the page and hook the reader with the penetrating power of carefully chosen prose.

Leave a comment and tell us which figure of speech techniques you use in your writing or everyday life. We are all ears!

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Definition and Examples in Rhyme in Prose and Poetry

Glossary of Grammatical and Rhetorical Terms

• An Introduction to Punctuation
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

The term rhyme refers to the identity or close similarity of sound between accented syllables . 

Words with similar but not identical sounds (such as mystery and mastery , or  seek and beat ) are called slant rhymes, near rhymes, or imperfect rhymes .  A verse or  prose  passage in which all the lines contain the same rhyme is called a  monorhyme .

When rhyme occurs in prose , it usually serves to emphasize words in a sentence .

Alternate Spellings: rime

Rhymes in Poetry, Stories, and Literature

Poetry, literature, and even children's stories make an excellent vehicle for using rhymes, as the following examples show.

• "Yes, the zebra is fine. But I think it's a shame , Such a marvelous beast With a cart that's so tame . The story would really be better to hear If the driver I saw were a charioteer . A gold and blue chariot's something to meet , Rumbling like thunder down Mulberry Street !" ( And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street , 1937)

Robert Frost

• "Whose woods these are I think I know , His house is in the village though . He will not see me stopping here, To watch his woods fill up with snow ." ("Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening")

S.J. Perelman

- "A veritable fusillade of smells, compounded of the pungent odors of deep fat, shark's fin, sandalwood, and open drains, now bombarded our nostrils and we found ourselves in the thriving hamlet of Chinwangtao. Every sort of object imaginable was being offered by street hawkers--basketwork, noodles, poodles, hardware, leeches, breeches, peaches, watermelon seeds, roots, boots, flutes, coats, shoats, stoats, even early vintage phonograph records." ( Westward Ha! 1948)

Thomas Campion

• "The popularitie of Rime creates as many Poets as a hot summer flies." (1602)

Willard R. Espy

- The only poet who completely solved the "orange" problem was Arthur Guiterman, who wrote in  Gaily the Troubador :

• In sparkhill buried lies that man of mark Who brought the Obelisk to Central Park, Redoubtable Commander H.H. Gorringe, Whose name supplies the long-sought rhyme for "orange." Below is a list of words difficult to rhyme. See what you can do with them . . .. Orange and lemon

( The Game of Words . Grosset & Dunlap, 1972)

Rhymes in Academics

Linguists and academicians have explained how rhymes work in a variety of formats, as these selections demonstrate.

• "The most common rap rhymes are end rhymes, those rhymes that fall on the last beat of the musical measure, signaling the end of the poetic line. Two lines in succession with end rhymes comprise a couplet, the most common rhyme scheme in old-school rap. . . . "Rhyme is the reason we can begin to hear a rhythm just by reading these lines from 50 Cent's 2007 hit 'I Get Money': 'Get a tan? I'm already Black. Rich? I'm already that / Gangsta, get a gat, hit a head in a hat / Call that a riddle rap. . . .' The first line establishes a pattern of stressed syllables in successive phrases ('al rea dy Black ,' 'al rea dy that ') that he carries over into the next two lines (' get a gat, hit a head, in a hat , r i ddle rap '). Three of these four phrases end in rhymes, one a perfect rhyme ('gat' and 'hat') and the third a slant rhyme ('rap'). The overall effect of the performance rewards our anticipation by balancing expectation and surprise in its sounds." (Adam Bradley, Book of Rhymes: The Poetics of Hip Hop . BasicCivitas, 2009)

Paula LaRocque

"Deliberate rhyme in prose is amusing if the subject matter is light-hearted. Accidental rhyme seems careless, the product of a writer with a tin ear. In serious or grave material, rhyming word play in general seems inappropriate and at least undignified, if not repellant. "Rewriting a passage that appears elsewhere in this book . . ., I tried, 'Technology may have freed us from conventional war, which in the past consumed the whole nation and annihilated an entire generation.' You'll see immediately what's wrong with that sentence: the unwitting rhyme of nation and generation . Deliberate rhyme for special effects can be pleasant; unwitting rhyme almost never is. Here the rhyme sets up an unintended poetic cadence--either nation or generation had to go. Nation was easier, and the rewrite finally read, 'Technology may have freed us from conventional war, which in the past consumed the whole country and annihilated an entire generation.'" ( The Book on Writing . Marion Street, 2003)

• "Test with children have found a correlation between reading difficulties and insensitivity to rhyme . The finding indicates the importance of rhyme in enabling young readers to trace analogies between written forms in English (LIGHT and FIGHT). Evidence from identical twins suggests that insensitivity to rhyme may be an inherited phonological deficit." ( Psycholinguistics: The Key Concepts . Routledge, 2004)

G.K. Chesterton

• "The romance of rhyme does not consist merely in the pleasure of a jingle, though this is a pleasure of which no man should be ashamed. Certainly most men take pleasure in it, whether or not they are ashamed of it. We see it in the older fashion of prolonging the chorus of a song with syllables like 'runty tunty' or 'tooral looral.' We see it in the similar but later fashion of discussing whether a truth is objective or subjective, or whether a reform is constructive or destructive, or whether an argument is deductive or inductive: all bearing witness to a very natural love for those nursery rhyme recurrences which make a sort of song without words, or at least without any kind of intellectual significance." ("The Romance of Rhyme," 1920)

M.H. Abrams and Geoffrey Galt Harpham

• "If the correspondence of the rhymed sounds is exact, it is called perfect rhyme , or else 'full' or 'true rhyme.' . . . Many modern poets . . . deliberately supplement perfect rhyme with imperfect rhyme (also known as 'partial rhyme,' or else as 'near rhyme,' 'slant rhyme,' or 'pararhyme'). . . . In his poem 'The Force That Through the Green Fuse Drives the Flower' (1933), Dylan Thomas uses, very effectively, such distantly approximate rhymes as (with masculine endings) trees-rose, rocks-wax, tomb-worm, and (with feminine endings) flower-destroyer-fever." ( A Glossary of Literary Terms , 9th ed. Wadsworth, 2009)

Rhymes in Modern Culture

Television programs and films provide a clever showcase for the use of rhymes, including these two selections from film and one from a popular TV show demonstrate.

Mandy Patinkin, Wallace Shawn, and André the Giant

Inigo Montoya: That Vizzini, he can fuss. Fezzik: Fuss, fuss. I think he likes to scream at us. Inigo Montoya: Probably he means no harm. Fezzik: He's really very short on charm. Inigo Montoya:  You have a great gift for rhyme. Fezzik: Yes, yes, some of the time. Vizzini: Enough of that. Inigo Montoya: Fezzik, are there rocks ahead? Fezzik: If there are, we all be dead. Vizzini: No more rhymes now, I mean it. Fezzik: Anybody want a peanut? Vizzini: Dyeeaahhhh! ( The Princess Bride , 1987)

Bart Simpson

• "I am not a lean mean spitting machine ." ( The Simpsons )

Adam Sandler

• "Hey, why don't I just go eat some hay , make things out of clay, lay by the bay ? I just may ! What do ya say ?" ( Happy Gilmore , 1996)
• Figure of Sound in Prose and Poetry
• What Is Alliteration in English?
• What Is Prose?
• Figures of Speech: The Apostrophe as a Literary Device
• Homoioteleuton (Figure of sound)
• Oral and Verbal
• Genres in Literature
• Overview of Baroque Style in English Prose and Poetry
• What are Consonant Clusters in English Grammar?
• What Is Euphony in Prose?
• What Does the Word "Epithet" Mean?
• periphrasis (prose style)
• A Definition of the Literary Term, Cacophony
• Definition and Examples of Formal Essays
• Rhetorical Move

• Literary Terms
• Figures of Speech
• Definition & Examples
• When & How to Use Figures of Speech

I. What are Figures of Speech?

A figure of speech is a word or phrase using figurative language—language that has other meaning than its normal definition. In other words, figures of speeches rely on implied or suggested meaning, rather than a dictionary definition.  We express and develop them through hundreds of different rhetorical techniques, from specific types like metaphors and similes , to more general forms like sarcasm and slang.

Figures of speech make up a huge portion of the English language, making it more creative, more expressive, and just more interesting! Many have been around for hundreds of years—some even thousands—and more are added to our language essentially every day. This article will focus on a few key forms of figures of speech, but remember, the types are nearly endless!

III. Types of Figure of Speech

There are countless figures of speech in every language, and they fall into hundreds of categories. Here, though, is a short list of some of the most common types of figure of speech:

A. Metaphor

Many common figures of speech are metaphors. That is, they use words in a manner other than their literal meaning. However, metaphors use figurative language to make comparisons between unrelated things or ideas. The “peak of her career,” for example, is a metaphor, since a career is not a literal mountain with a peak , but the metaphor represents the idea of arriving at the highest point of one’s career.

An idiom is a common phrase with a figurative meaning. Idioms are different from other figures of speech in that their figurative meanings are mostly known within a particular language, culture, or group of people. In fact, the English language alone has about 25,000 idioms. Some examples include “it’s raining cats and dogs” when it is raining hard, or “break a leg” when wishing someone good luck.

This sentence uses an idiom to make it more interesting:

There’s a supermarket and a pharmacy in the mall, so if we go there, we can kill two birds with one stone.

The idiom is a common way of saying that two tasks can be completed in the same amount of time or same place.

A proverb is a short, commonplace saying that is universally understood in today’s language and used to express general truths. “Don’t cry over spilt milk” is a popular example. Most proverbs employ metaphors (e.g. the proverb about milk isn’t  literally  about milk).

This example uses a proverb to emphasize the situation:

I know you think you’re going to sell all of those cookies, but don’t count your chickens before they hatch!

Here, “don’t count your chickens before they hatch” means that you shouldn’t act like something has happened before it actually does.

A simile is a very common figure of speech that uses the words “like” and “as” to compare two things that are not related by definition. For example, “he is as tall as a mountain,” doesn’t mean he was actually 1,000 feet tall, it just means he was really tall.

This example uses a simile for comparison:

The internet is like a window to the world —you can learn about everything online!

The common phrase “window to the world” refers to a hypothetical window that lets you see the whole world from it. So, saying the internet is like a window to the world implies that it lets you see anything and everything.

E. Oxymoron

An oxymoron is when you use two words together that have contradictory meanings. Some common examples include s mall crowd, definitely possible, old news, little giant , and so on.

A metonym is a word or phrase that is used to represent something related to bigger meaning. For example, fleets are sometimes described as being “thirty sails strong,” meaning thirty (curiously, this metonym survives in some places, even when the ships in question are not sail-powered!) Similarly, the crew on board those ships may be described as “hands” rather than people.

Irony is when a word or phrase’s literal meaning is the opposite of its figurative meaning. Many times (but not always), irony is expressed with sarcasm (see Related Terms). For example, maybe you eat a really bad cookie, and then say “Wow, that was the best cookie I ever had”—of course, what you really mean is that it’s the worst cookie you ever had, but being ironic actually emphasizes just how bad it was!

IV. The Importance of Figures of Speech

In general, the purpose of a figure of speech is to lend texture and color to your writing. (This is itself a figure of speech, since figures of speech don’t actually change the colors or textures on the page!) For instance, metaphors allow you to add key details that make the writing more lively and relatable. Slang and verbal irony, on the other hand, make the writing seem much more informal and youthful (although they can have the opposite effect when misused!) Finally, other figures of speech, like idioms and proverbs, allows a writer to draw on a rich cultural tradition and express complex ideas in a short space.

V. Examples of Figures of Speech in Literature

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts.” (William Shakespeare, As You Like It)

This is one of the most famous metaphors ever crafted in the English language. Shakespeare uses his extended metaphor to persuade the audience of the similarities between the stage and real life. But rather than making his play seem more like life, he suggests that life is more like a play. His metaphor calls attention to the performative, creative, and fictional aspects of human life.

“Our words are b ut crumbs that fall down from the feast o f the mind.” (Khalil Gibran, Sand & Foam )

Gibran’s timeless metaphor succeeds for a number of reasons. For one thing, it is not a cliché – had Gibran said “words are just the tip of the iceberg ,” he would have been making roughly the same point, but in a much more clichéd way. But the feast of the mind is a highly original metaphor. In addition, it’s a successful double metaphor. The crumbs and the feast are two parts of the same image, but they work together rather than being “mixed” (see How to Use Figures of Speech ).

“If you chase two rabbits, you will lose them both.” (Russian Proverb)

Like many proverbs, this one draws on a simple metaphor of chasing rabbits. The rabbits can stand in for all sorts of objectives, from jobs to relationships, but the coded message is quite clear – focus your energy on a single objective, or you will likely fail. This literal statement, though, is quite dry and not terribly memorable, which shows the power of figures of speech.

VI. Examples of Figures of Speech in Pop Culture

The chorus to Sean Kingston’s Fire Burning contains a couple of figures of speech. First of all, there’s the word “shorty” used as a slang term (see Related Terms ) for a young woman. She may or may not be literally short, but the figure of speech applies either way (though it could easily be taken as belittling and derogatory). Second, Kingston sings the metaphor: “she’s fire, burning on the dance floor.” Hopefully this is a figure of speech and not a literal statement; otherwise, Kingston and everyone else in the club are in mortal danger!

“Oh, thanks! This is much better!” (Townspeople, South Park )

This is an example of irony. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, South Park satirized the government’s response to the disaster by writing about a similar disaster in South Park. In a bumbling effort to rescue people from the floods, the authorities accidentally spill oil on the flood waters and set it on fire, making the situation far more dangerous. In response, they ironically “thank” the people responsible—their meaning is obviously the opposite of their words!

Years of talks between Washington and Havana resulted in Obama’s historic visit to Cuba on March 21st. (Patreon 2016)

This is a common form of metonym in foreign policy and news media. The capital city of a country is used as a metonym for the national government. The talks, of course, are not literally between these two cities, but between the leaders and government officials of the two countries (US and Cuba).

VII. Related Terms

Literal and figurative language.

Language is generally divided into two categories: literal, and figurative. Literal language relies on the real definition of words and phrases, or their literal meanings. Figurative language, on the other hand, relies on implied meanings, which can be understood differently depending on the location or who is using it. For example, “the sky is blue” relies on the literal definition of the word “blue,” while “I am feeling blue” relies on the figurative definition. All figures of speech rely on the use of figurative language for their meaning.

Sarcasm is mocking or bitter language that we use to express different meaning than what we say; often the exact opposite. When your intended meaning is the opposite of the literal meaning, that’s irony (another type of figure of speech), which includes common phrases like “Oh, great…” when you really mean something is bad.

Slang is language that uses atypical words and phrases to express specific meanings. It varies greatly by region, demographic, and language—for example, you would find different slang in the U.S. and in the U.K. even though they are both English speaking countries. Likewise, teenagers and the elderly will use different slang terms, as would Spanish and English. Many slang terms are figures of speech. For example, “bro” could be used to describe a friend rather than an actual brother; this would be using the word as a figure of speech.

List of Terms

• Alliteration
• Amplification
• Anachronism
• Anthropomorphism
• Antonomasia
• APA Citation
• Aposiopesis
• Autobiography
• Bildungsroman
• Characterization
• Circumlocution
• Cliffhanger
• Comic Relief
• Connotation
• Deus ex machina
• Deuteragonist
• Doppelganger
• Double Entendre
• Dramatic irony
• Equivocation
• Extended Metaphor
• Flash-forward
• Foreshadowing
• Intertextuality
• Juxtaposition
• Literary Device
• Malapropism
• Onomatopoeia
• Parallelism
• Pathetic Fallacy
• Personification
• Point of View
• Polysyndeton
• Protagonist
• Red Herring
• Rhetorical Device
• Rhetorical Question
• Science Fiction
• Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
• Synesthesia
• Turning Point
• Understatement
• Urban Legend
• Verisimilitude
• Essay Guide
• Cite This Website

Figurative Language

Figurative language definition, types of figurative language, short examples of figurative language, examples of figurative language from literature, example #1: the base stealer (by robert francis).

Poised between going on and back, pulled Both ways taut like a tight-rope walker, Now bouncing tiptoe like a dropped ball, Or a kid skipping rope, come on, come on! … Taunts them, hovers like an ecstatic bird, He’s only flirting, crowd him, crowd him,

Example #2: I Know Why the Cage Bird Sings (By Maya Angelou)

But a BIRD that stalks down his narrow cage Can seldom see through his bars of rage His wings are clipped and his feet are tied The caged bird sings with a fearful trill … And his tune is heard on the distant hill for The caged bird sings of freedom.

The entire poem is rich with metaphor as a bird in a cage represents a group of people who are oppressed and cannot get freedom. The cage represents physical barriers, fear, addiction, or society; while the song of the bird represents true self yearning for something greater in life.

Example #3: She Sweeps with Many-Colored Brooms (By Emily Dickinson)

Personification.

She sweeps with many-colored Brooms And leaves the Shreds behind Oh Housewife in the Evening West Come back, and dust the Pond!

Dickinson uses personification of a housewife to describe the sunset in the very first line of this poem. She is using a sweeping housewife who does her daily work, likewise the rays of the setting sun sweep away beneath the horizon.

Example #4: The Raven (By Edgar Allen Poe)

Alliteration.

O nce upon a midnight dreary w hile I pondered w eak and w eary ; r are and r adiant maiden; And the s ilken s ad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain … D eep into that d arkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, D oubting, d reaming d reams no mortal ever d ared to d ream before.

Poe uses alliteration by repeating the /w/ sound to emphasize the weariness of the narrator , and then /r/ and /s/ sounds in the second and third lines respectively. In the last two lines, the /d/ sound highlights the narrator’s hopelessness.

Example #5: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (By Samuel Taylor Coleridge)

Ah ! well a-day ! what evil looks Had I from old and young ! Instead of the cross , the Albatross About my neck was hung.

In these lines, the albatross symbolizes a big mistake, or a burden of sin, just like the cross on which Christ was crucified. Therefore, all people on the ship agreed to slay that bird.

Example #6: The Bluest Eyes (By Toni Morrison)

Personification, consonance, and simile.

She ran down the street, the green knee socks making her legs look like wild dandelion of stems that had somehow lost their heads. The weight of her remark stunned us.

Example #7: The Week of Diana (By Maya Angelou)

Metaphor, consonance, personification.

“The dark lantern of world sadness has cast its shadow upon the land. We stumble into our misery on leaden feet.”

in just these two lines, Maya Angelou has used a metaphor of the dark lantern, consonance of the /s/ sounds, and personification of misery.

Example #8: The Negro Speaks of River (By Langston Hughes)

Consonance, simile.

“I’ve known rivers: I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins. My soul has grown deep like the rivers.”

Example #9: Musée des Beaux Arts (By W. H. Auden)

Personification, consonance.

That even the dreadful martyrdom must run its course Anyhow in a corner, some untidy spot Where the dogs go on with their doggy W. H. Auden life and the torturer’s horse Scratches its innocent behind on a tree.

Function of Figurative Language

Related posts:, post navigation.

• Reading Comprehension Worksheets
• Inferences Worksheets
• Context Clues Worksheets
• Theme Worksheets
• Main Idea Worksheets
• Reading Games
• Summary Worksheets
• Online Tests
• Figurative Language Worksheets
• Short Stories with Questions
• Nonfiction Passages
• Genre Worksheets

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• Figurative Language Poems with Questions

Poetry is a rich source of figurative language. Though there are examples of figurative language to be found in all genres of literature, perhaps none more than in poetry. Good poets pack worlds of meaning into tiny little lines. These lines evoke emotions, thoughts, and at times social change. One of the ways that poets perform these linguistic miracles is with the use of figurative language. This page contains a selection of poems that I find to be rich with figurative language .

Each poem also includes a sampling of comprehension, inference, review, and discussion questions, so that they are ready for classroom use. Learn more about how I study figurative language in the classroom with my figurative language lesson and unit plans .

Figurative Language Common Core State Standards

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What Are Figures of Speech? Definition & 100+ Examples

Have you ever pondered how our words can paint vivid pictures, evoke intense emotions, or transport us to magical realms? Welcome to the enchanting world of figures of speech! As the spices of language, these expressive tools bring flavor to our conversations and help us articulate our thoughts with creativity and flair.

Join us as we embark on this exciting linguistic adventure, and unlock the secrets to using figures of speech effectively. Whether you’re a writer, a speaker, or simply someone who loves the art of language, this exploration promises to enlighten and inspire.

So grab your metaphorical paintbrush, and get ready to turn your words into a masterpiece!

Table of Contents

Figures of Speech: Definition

Figures of speech are expressive language devices used to add color, depth, and creativity to our communication. They go beyond the literal meaning of words and phrases, employing stylistic and imaginative techniques to convey ideas more vividly and engagingly.

By intentionally manipulating words and phrases, figures of speech create richer and more impactful expressions, giving language its poetic, persuasive, and emotive qualities.

Figures of speech breathe life into our language, making it more engaging and memorable. They enable us to paint vivid images, evoke emotions, and convey complex ideas with clarity and impact.

Types of Figures of Speech

There are numerous figures of speech, each serving a unique purpose in enhancing the beauty and expressiveness of language. Here are some of the types:

A metaphor is a powerful figure of speech that allows us to make connections between two dissimilar things by asserting that one thing is another. By drawing attention to a shared characteristic, metaphors create vivid images, enhance understanding, and enrich language. Unlike similes, metaphors don’t use comparative words such as “like” or “as.”

Here are some examples of metaphors and their meanings:

A simile is a figure of speech that compares two distinct things by using the words “like” or “as” to establish a connection. By highlighting a shared quality or characteristic, similes create vivid images and enhance the reader’s or listener’s understanding of the subject.

While metaphors make direct comparisons without using comparative words, similes explicitly use “like” or “as” to draw attention to the similarity between the two things being compared.

Here are some examples of similes and their meanings:

Hyperbole is a figure of speech that employs intentional exaggeration to create emphasis, drama, or humor. By magnifying a particular quality or characteristic, hyperboles draw attention to the subject and evoke strong emotions.

Although not meant to be taken literally, hyperboles effectively convey the intensity or extremity of a situation or feeling, enriching language and engaging the reader or listener.

Here are some examples of hyperboles and their meanings:

Alliteration

Alliteration is a figure of speech that features the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. Often used in poetry, prose, and tongue twisters, alliteration adds a rhythmic and musical quality to language, making it more memorable and engaging.

Here are some examples of alliteration:

An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines two seemingly contradictory or opposing terms to create a new concept or expression. By juxtaposing these contrasting words, oxymorons emphasize contrast, create paradoxes, and evoke curiosity or surprise in the reader.

They can also add depth, complexity, or humor to language, highlighting the nuances and contradictions in human experience.

Here are some examples of oxymorons:

Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia refers to words that imitate or sound like the action they describe. This figure of speech is commonly used in poetry and helps to convey a more vivid image to the reader.

Here are some examples of onomatopoeia:

Personification

Personification is a figure of speech that attributes human qualities, emotions, or actions to non-human objects, animals, or abstract concepts.

By giving human characteristics to inanimate objects or intangible ideas, personification helps to create vivid imagery, evoke emotions, and make abstract concepts more relatable and engaging for the reader or listener.

It is frequently used in poetry, prose, and other forms of creative expression to enhance the impact and appeal of language.

Here are some examples of personification:

A pun is a form of wordplay that exploits the multiple meanings or similar sounds of words to create humor, irony, or rhetorical impact. Puns often rely on homophones (words that sound alike but have different meanings) or homonyms (words that have the same spelling and pronunciation but different meanings).

They can be used to create jokes, add levity, or bring attention to a particular idea or concept. Puns are a popular form of humor in literature, advertising, and everyday conversation.

Here are some examples of puns:

Synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent the whole, or conversely, the whole is used to represent a part. This literary device allows writers and speakers to create emphasis or simplification by using a representative term, making their language more concise, vivid, and engaging.

Synecdoche is commonly used in poetry, prose, and everyday speech to create impactful imagery and evoke emotions.

Here are some examples of synecdoche:

Irony is a figure of speech that uses words to convey a meaning that is opposite to or different from their literal or usual meaning, often to create humor, critique, or emphasize a point.

Irony highlights the discrepancy between what is said or expected and what actually occurs or is meant. It is commonly used in literature, conversation, and other forms of communication to engage the audience and provoke thought.

There are several types of irony, including verbal, situational, and dramatic irony.

Here are some examples of irony:

Litotes is a figure of speech that employs understatement or a double negative to emphasize a point or convey a positive meaning. By presenting a statement in a weaker or more modest form, litotes highlights the intended meaning through contrast or irony.

This rhetorical device is frequently used in literature, speeches, and everyday language to create emphasis, evoke humor, or express modesty and politeness.

Here are some examples of litotes:

Metonymy is a figure of speech in which a closely associated but non-literal term is substituted for the word it is intended to represent. This rhetorical device allows writers and speakers to create emphasis or simplification by using a representative term or symbol, making their language more concise, vivid, and engaging.

Metonymy is commonly used in poetry, prose, and everyday speech to create impactful imagery and evoke emotions.

Here are some examples of metonymy:

A euphemism is a figure of speech in which a mild or indirect expression is substituted for a harsh, blunt, or offensive one. This rhetorical device allows writers and speakers to convey sensitive or potentially uncomfortable information in a more delicate or polite manner.

Euphemisms are often used to address taboo subjects, unpleasant situations, or impolite language, helping to maintain a sense of decorum and respect in communication.

Here are some examples of euphemisms:

Antithesis is a figure of speech that places two opposing or contrasting ideas side by side to create a clear, contrasting relationship or an intense effect. This rhetorical device emphasizes the differences between the ideas and enhances the impact of both concepts by using their contrast to create a striking and memorable image or statement.

Antithesis is often used in literature, speeches, and other forms of communication to engage the audience, provoke thought, and highlight the complexity or depth of an idea.

Here are some examples of antithesis:

Apostrophe is a figure of speech in which a speaker directly addresses an absent or imaginary person, an abstract concept, or a personified object. This rhetorical device allows writers and speakers to create a more emotional, intimate, or dramatic effect in their work, engaging the audience and evoking strong feelings.

Apostrophe is often used in literature, particularly poetry and drama, to convey deep emotions, personal reflections, or powerful messages.

Here are some examples of apostrophe:

Understatement

Understatement is a figure of speech that deliberately minimizes the importance or impact of something, often for humorous or ironic effect. This rhetorical device allows writers and speakers to convey their message in a subtle, indirect manner, emphasizing their point by downplaying its significance.

Understatement is often used in literature, speeches, and everyday conversations to create humor, irony, or to heighten the impact of a situation by contrasting it with its mild description.

Here are some examples of understatement:

A paradox is a figure of speech that presents a statement or situation that seems contradictory or illogical but can hold a deeper meaning or truth. This rhetorical device challenges the reader or listener to think beyond the surface and find a more profound understanding or insight.

Paradoxes are often used in literature, philosophy, and everyday language to create intrigue, provoke thought, and reveal the complexity of ideas or situations.

Here are some examples of paradox:

Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in non-rhyming words, often used to create internal rhymes and enhance the rhythm in poetry or prose. This figure of speech contributes to the musicality, mood, and overall atmosphere of a piece, making it more engaging and memorable for the reader or listener.

Assonance can also be employed for emphasis, to draw attention to certain words or ideas, and to create a sense of cohesion within a text.

Here are some examples of assonance:

Anaphora is a figure of speech involving the repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of consecutive clauses or sentences to emphasize an idea, create a sense of rhythm, and reinforce a particular point.

This rhetorical device is commonly used in poetry, speeches, and prose to establish a pattern, evoke emotion, and make a message more memorable and powerful.

Here are some examples of anaphora:

Chiasmus is a figure of speech where the order of words in one phrase is reversed in the following phrase, creating a mirrored or inverted structure. This rhetorical device is used to create emphasis, balance, and contrast, making a message more memorable and impactful.

Chiasmus is often found in literature, speeches, and everyday language to convey a sense of symmetry, harmony, or irony.

Here are some examples of chiasmus:

Figurative Language in Literature and Writing

Figurative language is a crucial aspect of literature and writing, serving to create vivid images and engaging scenes for readers.

It is commonly used in poetry, prose, and other forms of writing to enhance the narrative and provide deeper meaning. By employing various literary devices and wordplay, writers can evoke emotions, provoke thought, and create memorable experiences for their readers.

One of the primary purposes of figurative language is to convey abstract ideas and concepts through concrete images. Writers often use metaphors, similes, and personification to create connections between seemingly unrelated subjects.

Another common technique employed in literature and writing is the use of symbolism, where objects, characters, or events represent abstract ideas or concepts.

This can contribute to the development of themes, the exploration of human experiences, and the layering of meaning throughout a narrative. For example, a recurring motif of birds may symbolize freedom, while a shattered mirror may represent broken relationships.

Wordplay, such as puns, alliteration, and onomatopoeia, also enriches literary works and adds an element of sophistication to writing. These devices showcase the writer’s mastery of language and provide additional layers of interpretation for readers.

Using Figures of Speech in Writing: Strategies

Figures of speech are essential tools that writers use to refine their craft and convey meaning effectively. They can enrich writing by providing additional layers of meaning and enlivening prose by introducing distinctive language patterns.

One strategy for using figures of speech is to incorporate various literary devices such as similes, metaphors, and personification in text. These tropes allow writers to make comparisons that evoke strong mental images, enhancing the reader’s understanding of the content.

Another effective approach is to incorporate elements of grammar and structure, such as alliteration, anaphora, or chiasmus, to create memorable and captivating patterns in writing.

Incorporating irony, sarcasm, or understatement in text can also help writers convey meaning in a subtle, witty, or humorous manner. These figures of speech add another dimension to the narrative by contrasting what is said with what is meant or what is expected.

Lastly, it is crucial for writers to understand their audience and consider the context in which the writing will be read. Tropes that work well for one audience might not resonate with another, and overusing figures of speech may hinder understanding or distract from the message being conveyed.

Related Terms and Concepts

In the realm of figures of speech, several related terms and concepts can be found. These terms help clarify the various devices and techniques that contribute to a more evocative and effective use of language.

Circumlocution is a figure of speech in which a speaker or writer uses more words than necessary to express an idea, often with the purpose of avoiding a direct statement. Examples of circumlocution can be found in politics, science, and everyday conversation. It can be a useful tool in crafting an evasive response, obscuring a truth or maintaining diplomatic neutrality.

Pleonasm refers to the use of redundant words or phrases in a sentence. This figure of speech may seem superfluous, but it can be used intentionally to emphasize a point or create a specific effect. In some cases, pleonasm can add lyrical or rhythmic qualities to a phrase, as in poetry.

Epigram is a brief, witty, and often satirical statement that conveys a thought or observation in a concise and memorable way. Epigrams are often used in literature and social commentary to offer insight or provoke thought. Examples of epigrams can be found across diverse literary works, from ancient Greek and Roman texts to the modern-day writings of prominent authors.

Schemes refer to the arrangement of words and phrases in a sentence or paragraph, focusing on syntax and structure. These rhetorical devices can elevate language by creating patterns, contrasts, or emphasis.

Some common examples of schemes include parallelism, chiasmus, and antithesis. Schemes can be powerful tools in crafting engaging and meaningful writing across numerous fields, from science to poetry.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a figure of speech and a literary device.

A figure of speech is a type of literary device that uses words or expressions in a non-literal or metaphorical way to create a particular effect, such as imagery, emphasis, or emotional impact.

Literary devices, on the other hand, are a broader category that encompasses various techniques and tools used by writers to enhance their work, create meaning, and engage readers.

Figures of speech are a subset of literary devices, which also include elements like symbolism, irony, foreshadowing, and alliteration.

Can using too many figures of speech be detrimental to communication?

While figures of speech can enrich language and make it more engaging, using too many of them can be detrimental to communication.

Overuse of figures of speech can make a text overly complicated, obscure the intended meaning, and even confuse or alienate readers who are unfamiliar with the expressions being used.

It’s essential to strike a balance between using figures of speech for stylistic effect and maintaining clarity and accessibility in communication.

Can understanding figures of speech improve critical thinking skills?

Yes, understanding figures of speech can contribute to the development of critical thinking skills.

By learning to identify and analyze various rhetorical devices in language, you become more adept at recognizing the underlying ideas, assumptions, and emotions that inform a message.

This heightened awareness can help you evaluate the validity and persuasiveness of arguments, identify potential biases or manipulative language, and make more informed decisions based on the information you encounter.

Can the use of figures of speech affect the tone of a piece of writing?

Yes, the use of figures of speech can significantly affect the tone of a piece of writing. Depending on the specific figure of speech used and the context, it can evoke various emotions, create a sense of humor, or convey a sense of seriousness or formality.

For instance, using a hyperbole can create a sense of exaggeration or humor, while employing a metaphor can add depth or poignancy to a description.

The choice and frequency of figures of speech can help establish the overall tone and style of a piece of writing, shaping the reader’s perception and experience of the text.

Figures of speech are versatile and powerful tools that breathe life into language, enabling writers and speakers to create vivid imagery, evoke emotions, and engage their audience.

By using various rhetorical devices such as metaphor, simile, personification, irony, and litotes, communicators can express ideas in creative, memorable, and impactful ways.

The artful application of figures of speech not only enriches language but also helps to forge connections between the communicator and their audience, ultimately elevating the quality and resonance of any form of communication.

Embrace the world of figures of speech, and watch your language take flight!

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• Introduction

Common figures of speech and their use

• The five major categories
• Figures of speech in non-Western languages

figure of speech

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• Academia - Figures of Speech
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• Table Of Contents

figure of speech , any intentional deviation from literal statement or common usage that emphasizes, clarifies, or embellishes both written and spoken language . Forming an integral part of language, figures of speech are found in oral literatures as well as in polished poetry and prose and in everyday speech. Greeting-card rhymes, advertising slogans, newspaper headlines, the captions of cartoons, and the mottoes of families and institutions often use figures of speech, generally for humorous, mnemonic , or eye-catching purposes. The argots of sports , jazz , journalism, business, politics, or any specialized groups abound in figurative language.

Most figures in everyday speech are formed by extending the vocabulary of what is already familiar and better known to what is less well known. Thus metaphors (implied resemblances) derived from human physiology are commonly extended to nature or inanimate objects as in the expressions “the mouth of a river,” “the snout of a glacier,” “the bowels of the earth,” or “the eye of a needle.” Conversely, resemblances to natural phenomena are frequently applied to other areas, as in the expressions “a wave of enthusiasm,” “a ripple of excitement,” or “a storm of abuse.” Use of simile (a comparison, usually indicated by “like” or “as”) is exemplified in “We were packed in the room like sardines” or “He is as slow as molasses.” Personification (speaking of an abstract quality or inanimate object as if it were a person) is exemplified in “Money talks”; metonymy (using the name of one thing for another closely related to it), in “The power of the crown was mortally weakened,” where “crown” means “king” or “queen”); synecdoche (use of a part to imply the whole), in expressions such as “brass” for high-ranking military officers or “hard hats” for construction workers.

Other common forms of figurative speech are hyperbole (deliberate exaggeration for the sake of effect), as in “I’m so mad I could chew nails”; the rhetorical question (asked for effect, with no answer expected), as in “How can I express my thanks to you?”; litotes (conscious understatement in which emphasis is achieved by negation), as in “It’s no fun to be sick”; and onomatopoeia (imitation of natural sounds by words), in such words as “crunch,” “gurgle,” “plunk,” and “splash.”

Almost all the figures of speech that appear in everyday speech may also be found in literature . In serious poetry and prose, however, their use is more fully conscious, more artistic, and much more subtle; it thus has a stronger intellectual and emotional impact, is more memorable, and sometimes contributes a range and depth of association and suggestion far beyond the scope of the casual colloquial use of imagery. The Old and New Testaments of the Bible—an example of a work rich in simile , metaphor , personification, and parallelism (which is often used in Hebrew poetry)—is an important literary influence.

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• The Figure of Speech in English Grammar

The Figure of Speech with Examples

In this article, learn the figures of speech in English grammar . You'll learn what is a figure of speech, their definitions, and types of figures of speech. Our goal is to help you learn these fundamental building blocks of English, making your writing and speaking more cohesive and effective.

Understand the figure of speech with examples. This guide offers valuable insights and examples to enhance your understanding and usage of the figure of speech in English.

What is a Figure of Speech?

Understanding figures of speech.

A figure of speech is a departure from the ordinary use of language to enhance its impact. Also referred to as a rhetorical figure, it alters a statement from its literal meaning or common usage to create a specific effect. This technique often emphasizes, decorates, or clarifies language in both written and spoken forms. Figures of speech are prevalent in literature, advertisements, slogans, newspapers, magazines, cartoons, and more.

Figures of speech capture attention and highlight their purpose, often making comparisons and adding dramatic elements to writing or speaking. These figurative expressions may involve a single word or phrase and include devices such as similes, metaphors, or personifications that convey meanings beyond their literal interpretation. They are usually categorized into different schemes, which are patterns of word arrangement. The four primary operations to achieve the desired effect include:

Addition : Also known as repetition, expansion, or superabundance.

Omission : Also known as subtraction , abridgement, or lack.

Transposition : Also known as transfer.

Permutation : Also known as switching, interchange, substitution, or transmutation .

Figures of speech are diverse and serve to use language in a way that creates a specific impact. Examples include expressions like "the mouth of a river," "round and round," "the eye of a needle," "a stream of abuse," "money talks," "butterflies in the stomach ," and "painful pride." These can be found across literature, poetry, movies, and speeches.

Importance of Figures of Speech

Figures of speech enhance the beauty of writing by adding depth and leaving readers with a sense of wonder. They bring vibrancy to the language, reflecting the writer's intent and purpose. By adding flavour to the text, they make reading more engaging and enjoyable.

Figures of speech can be classified into five major categories:

Figures of Resemblance : Also known as figures of relationship, including similes, metaphors, and kennings.

Figures of Emphasis : Also known as figures of understatement, such as hyperboles.

Figures of Sound : Utilizing alliteration.

Verbal Games : Also known as gymnastics, including puns.

Errors : Created by malapropisms, often resulting from blunders.

These categories illustrate the various ways figures of speech can be employed to achieve different rhetorical effects.

There are five major categories of figures of speech, as below:

Figures of resemblance : It is also known as the figure of relationship. It is made up of simile, metaphor, or kenning.

Figures of emphasis : It is also known as a figure of an understatement. It is made up of hyperbole.

Figures of sound : It uses alliteration.

Verbal games : It is also known as gymnastics. It includes puns.

Errors : It is created by malapropism and is usually generated because of a blunder.

Types of Figures of Speech

Below are the various Types of Figures of Speech for your easy reference:

1. Simile - In a simile, two things that are completely unlocked are compared with each other. A simile is introduced by words such as like, so, as, etc.

The flower is as pretty as a picture.

He is as sober as a judge.

The floor was as slippery as an eel.

They looked like peas in a pod.

He eats like a pig .

2. Metaphor - When you compare two unlike or different things or ideas, it is known as a metaphor. It is an informal or implied simile in which the words ‘like’ ‘as’ are avoided. For example, He is like a Giant - Simile and He is a Giant - Metaphor.

You are the apple of my eye.

Ocean’s sound is music to my ear.

Heart of gold .

He is a night owl .

Time is money .

3. Personification - In personification, non-living objects, abstract concepts, or qualities are attributed human or living characteristics.

The angry clouds enveloped the island.

The earth yearned for rain .

The flowers conversed with them in the garden.

The wind howled throughout the night.

The snowflakes danced in the moonlight.

4. Apostrophe - In this figure of speech, the writer mentions the absent or inanimate objects as alive and writes about them.

“O, Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?”

“Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are”

“Walter, remember when the world was young and all the girls knew Walter's name? Walter, isn't it a shame the way our little world has changed.”

5. Oxymoron - An Oxymoron is when two words are used together in a sentence but they seem to be in contrast with each other.

An oxymoron is a figure of speech that deliberately combines two contrasting ideas. This juxtaposition creates a paradoxical image in the reader's or listener's mind, leading to a new or nuanced meaning.

Life is bittersweet.

They could sense the joyful sadness upon his arrival.

Sweet sorrow.

Peaceful force.

Jumbo shrimp .

6. Hyperbole - Hyperbole is when you use words to exaggerate what you mean or emphasise a point . It is used to make something seem bigger or more important than it is.

It has been ages since I have had a proper meal.

Usain Bolt runs faster than the wind.

I could do this forever.

She’s older than this world.

Everybody knows me.

7. Pun - A pun is generally used in plays where one word has two different meanings. It is used to create humour. Humorous use of words of different meanings or words of the same sound but different meanings is known as Pun.

A bicycle can’t stand on its own because it is two-tired.

Where do you find giant snails? On the ends of the giants' fingers.

8. Alliteration - It is a series of words, which commence with the same letter. Alliteration consists of the repetition of a sound or of a letter at the beginning of two or more words.

Dirty dolphins dove across the ocean.

Purple pandas painted portraits.

She sells seashells.

Nick needed new notebooks.

Fred fried frogs’ legs on Friday.

9. Onomatopoeia - It is the figure of speech where the word is used to describe a sound. When we explain any action by putting the sounds into language, it is known as onomatopoeia. It is generally used in fiction or in nursery rhymes, for eg- Old Macdonald had a farm E-I-E-I-O. Words like whoosh, splat, buzz, oink, click, etc., are used to create this effect.

I could hear the leaves rustling and the wind howling.

Bam! He hit the truck at a speed of 80 mph.

10. Anaphora - When many phrases or verses start with the same word, it is known as anaphora.

I came, I saw, I conquered.

We shall not stop. We shall go on and on. We shall move forward.

11. Assonance - When we use repetition of vowel sounds, it is known as assonance.

12. Euphemism - It is known as a euphemism when we replace blunt, offensive, or harsh terms with soft, mild, vague, or indirect terms.

Saying "letting you go" instead of "firing."

Describing someone as "a little thin on top" rather than "bald."

Referring to someone as having "passed away" instead of "died" or "killed."

Using the phrase "stick to the truth" instead of directly calling someone a "liar."

13. Irony - If you use terms that contrast with what you say and what you do, it is known as irony. It’s like a difference between what is said and what is meant.

14. Synecdoche - If a part is represented by a whole or a whole is represented by a part, it is known as synecdoche.

Colgate – any toothpaste

Wheels – a car

Employed people – workers

The traffic – many vehicles

15. Understatement - When you try to say or show something of no importance or less importance.

Referring to a big wound as just a scratch

Saying it a little dry instead of dessert

Referring to big destruction as just an accident

Classification of Figures of Speech

Figures of speech can be categorised based on their functions within sentences. The main classifications are:

1. Showing a Relationship or Resemblance

This category includes figures of speech that create comparisons to illustrate relationships or similarities. Examples are similes, metaphors, personification, euphemism, metonymy, and synecdoche.

2. Showing Phonetic Resemblances and Representing Sounds

Figures of speech in this category include alliteration, assonance, and onomatopoeia. Alliteration and assonance use similar-sounding words or repeating consonant and vowel sounds to create effects, while onomatopoeia uses words that mimic actual sounds.

3. Showing Emphasis or Unimportance

These figures of speech are used to highlight or downplay the significance of something. Examples include hyperbole, antithesis, oxymoron, irony, and litotes. Each of these figures serves to emphasise or diminish the importance of a concept.

The Figure of Speech Chart

Here’s the figure of speech chart, summarising various figures of speech, their definitions, and examples for your easy reference:

Tips for Using The Figure of Speech In English Grammar

Know the Purpose: Understand exactly what is a figure of speech, the type and purpose of each figure of speech to use them effectively.

Enhance Descriptions: Use the figure of speech with examples, to create vivid imagery and enhance descriptions in your writing.

Consider Your Audience: Ensure your figures of speech are appropriate and understandable for your intended audience.

Avoid Overuse: Use the figure of speech with examples, to maintain their impact and avoid confusing your readers.

Balance and Revise: Balance figurative language with literal content and revise your work to ensure clarity and relevance.

Test Your Knowledge: Figures of Speech

Fill in the blanks with the correct figure of speech from the options provided. Check your answers at the end.

"The world's a stage." This sentence is an example of a: a. Metaphor b. Simile c. Personification

"Her smile was as bright as the sun." This sentence is an example of a: a. Hyperbole b. Simile c. Irony

"The wind whispered through the trees." This sentence is an example of: a. Onomatopoeia b. Personification c. Metonymy

"He is the king of the classroom." This sentence uses: a. Euphemism b. Synecdoche c. Metaphor

"She was crying rivers of tears." This sentence is an example of: a. Hyperbole b. Oxymoron c. Assonance

Test Your Knowledge: Correct Answers

a. Metaphor

b. Personification

c. Metaphor

a. Hyperbole

Takeaways from this Article

Understanding Figures of Speech: Figures of speech are literary devices that enhance language by creating vivid imagery, emphasising ideas, or adding stylistic flair. They include metaphors, similes, personification, and more.

Categorisation of Figures of Speech: Figures of speech can be categorised based on their functions, such as showing relationships (e.g., similes and metaphors), representing sounds (e.g., alliteration and onomatopoeia), or emphasising importance (e.g., hyperbole and irony).

Practical Applications: Using figures of speech effectively can make writing more engaging and expressive.

Balance and Clarity: Overuse or misuse can lead to confusion or diminish their impact. Strive for clarity and relevance in your application.

Examples and Practise: Familiarising yourself with examples of figures of speech and practising their use in different contexts will enhance your ability to apply them effectively in both writing and speaking.

FAQs on The Figure of Speech in English Grammar

1. Does the figure of speech make writing interesting?

Yes. The figure of speech adds expression, emphasises the writing, and adds clarity to it. Well-researched and detailed content on the figures of speech can be found on the website of Vedantu.

2. Name the five most used figures of speech.

Some of the most common figures of speech are:

Personification

You can access good articles on this topic from the website of Vedantu and its mobile application.

3. Why are figures of speech important?

Figures of speech enrich language by adding depth, emotion, and vivid imagery. They make writing and speech more engaging and memorable by creating connections and evoking responses from the audience.

4. What are some common types of figures of speech?

Common types include:

Simile: A comparison using "like" or "as" (e.g., "as brave as a lion").

Metaphor: A direct comparison without "like" or "as" (e.g., "time is a thief").

Personification: Giving human traits to nonhuman things (e.g., "the sun smiled down").

Hyperbole: Exaggeration for effect (e.g., "I’m so hungry I could eat a horse").\

5. How can I use figures of speech in my writing?

Use figures of speech to enhance descriptions, create vivid imagery, and emphasise points. Ensure they fit the context and contribute to the overall message of your writing without overwhelming the reader.

6. Can figures of speech be used in formal writing?

Yes, figures of speech can be used in formal writing, but they should be employed carefully and appropriately. They can add depth and nuance but should not detract from clarity or professionalism.

7. What is the difference between a metaphor and a simile?

A metaphor makes a direct comparison between two unrelated things by stating one thing is another (e.g., "The world's a stage"). A simile uses "like" or "as" to make a comparison (e.g., "Her smile was like sunshine").

8. What is personification, and how is it used?

Personification gives human characteristics to nonhuman entities or abstract ideas (e.g., "The wind whispered through the trees"). It is used to create vivid imagery and make abstract concepts more relatable.

9. What is hyperbole, and when should it be used?

Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement used for emphasis or effect (e.g., "I’ve told you a million times"). It should be used to highlight a point dramatically, but it should be clear that it is not meant to be taken literally.

10. How can I avoid overusing figures of speech?

To avoid overuse, use figures of speech strategically and ensure they add value to your writing. Balance them with straightforward language, and review your work to ensure they enhance rather than clutter your message.

11. Can figures of speech be used in everyday conversation?

Yes, figures of speech are commonly used in everyday conversation to express ideas more vividly or creatively. They can make communication more engaging and relatable when used appropriately.

An A-Z of Figures of Speech – A: Alliteration, Assonance, Anaphora, Antithesis

The English language is full of figures of speech – where words are used in special ways to achieve a special effect. Figurative language – where figures of speech are used a lot – is often associated with novels and literature, and poetry in particular. But the truth is, we all use figures of speech every day, in our everyday conversations, texts, and emails – much of the time without even realizing it.

This guide will take you through all of the most common types of figures of speech in English. They all give you wonderful ways to play with words, phrases and sounds – so don’t be afraid to try them out in your own writing and conversations to really experience their effects. Your language skills will grow – and your love of the English language will too!

Alliteration

Here’s a figure of speech that really does get used in poetry a lot. Alliteration is the term given to the repetition of the same sound or letter at the beginning of words in a phrase. For example:

“Peter picked a peck of pickled peppers” repeats the letter p

Alliteration isn’t just restricted to repeating the first letter, for example, in James Thomson’s poem:

“Come…dragging the lazy languid line along”

And Edgar Allan Poe’s famous verse, The Raven, is heavily alliterative, with sounds and not specifically letters being repeated:

“And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain”

All kinds of effects can be achieved by using alliteration. The key to understanding the effect is simply to listen – how do the sounds make you feel?

Poets can call attention to certain words in a line of poetry by using alliteration, and they can use it to create a pleasant, rhythmic effect.

It can also be used to add to the mood of a poem, or to create more drama or danger. Repeat soft, melodious sounds and you can achieve a calm or somber mood. Want to create a short, sharp, shocking effect? Try repeating harsh sounds like -ck or -ot, and the mood can become tense, excited, or more dramatic. Switch to smooth sounds like s, l, and f, and you can create a hushed and peaceful feeling, like E.E. Cummings does beautifully here in his poem All in Green Went My Love Riding:

“Softer be they than slippered sleep the lean lithe deer the fleet flown deer”

This figure of speech is similar to alliteration, because it also involves repetition of sounds. But this time it’s vowel sounds that are being repeated. Assonance creates internal rhyming within phrases or sentences by repeating vowel sounds that are the same. Here’s E.E. Cummings again with an example:

“On a proud round cloud in white high night”

With its power to create rhymes within words, it’s not surprising to find that assonance is used far more often in poetry than in prose. In fact, together with alliteration and consonance, assonance forms the building blocks of poetry. But it can pop up anywhere an artist wants to create a powerful rhyming effect – in music lyrics especially. The next time you’re listening to hip hop listen out for it, because rap relies on it. Here’s a great example from Eminem this time:

“Fire at the private eye hired to pry in my business”

Not just letters and sounds but whole words can be repeated in the English language to create different effects. Anaphora is the deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive verses, clauses, or paragraphs. Again, it is used a lot in poetry, but also in speeches, to stir up emotions. Winston Churchill’s famous speech:

“We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills”

is just one example. Martin Luther King also used anaphora in his iconic I Have a Dream speech.

Antithesis comes from the Latin and Greek anti- meaning against and –tithenai meaning to set. So antithesis means setting opposite, or contrast. As a figure of speech it’s used when two opposites are introduced in the same sentence, for contrasting effect. For example:

“Many are called but few are chosen”

It’s another figure of speech that’s used in rhetoric and speeches a lot, as it can be used to strengthen an argument by using either exact opposites or contrasting ideas. It also makes a sentence more memorable for the reader or listener, for example, in John F. Kennedy’s famous line:

“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”

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Figure of Speech

Figures of Speech

Meaning | Definition

A figure of speech is a phrase or word used in a non-literal sense for rhetorical or rich effect. It is an expression that is different from its literal meaning.

A figure of speech is a way of describing something or someone interestingly and vividly. The words or phrases may not mean exactly what they suggest, but they paint a clear picture in the mind of the reader or listener. A figure of speech can be in the form of a phrase or a single word. The figures of speech are also known as rhetorical figures.

Figure of speech is easier to understand than an idiom as you do not have to be familiar with the language to decipher it. Every language has its figures of speech and idioms that are own to that language. They are used to make writing more interesting.

There are many types of figures of speech in the English language, but we are going to learn the most common types.

All Types of Figure of Speech List

Alliteration, personification, onomatopoeia, rhetorical questions, three part list (rule of three), circumlocution (or periphrasis), irony – (sarcasm), parentheses, exclamation, interrogation, transferred epithets.

Alliteration is a figure of speech in which two usually consecutive words begin with the same consonant sound but not always the same latter.

The word doesn’t always have to be right next to each other, but when you say or read them, the sound is repeated.

For example, four fabulous fish and go and gather the flowers on the grass .

Alliteration helps us to make what we say or write more interesting to listen to or read. Writers and poets use alliteration to make their writing memorable and fun to read. Read the list of alliterative phrases below.

Alliteration Examples

• cold coffee
• happy Harry
• Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers
• She sells sea shells on the sea shore
• Becky’s beagle barked and bayed, which bothered Billy
• Donald Duck
• Jackrabbits jump and jiggle jauntily

There are many, many more you will see – and many new ones you can make up – as you do the practice.

We use metaphors all the time. Suppose when your Mummy says, “This house is a zoo!” she doesn’t mean that it is the place where animal lives. She just means that everyone in the house is as noisy as a bunch of animals would be.

She’s using the zoo as a metaphor for the house, she’s describing the house as if were a zoo, to make the comparison clear.

It’s great fun to use metaphors because they make what we say more colourful and people can understand what we are trying to tell them better.

Metaphors Examples

Look at this list of metaphors and what they mean. It will get you started.

• dirty pig – very filthy
• having two left feet – very bad dancer
• to get cold feet – to become nervous
• to be an early bird – to reach first or earliest
• pearls of wisdom – wise words

Personification is giving human qualities to something that may not be human, or even alive.

For example, when you say: “The flowers nodded their head cheerfully.”

What you mean here is that the flowers moved about in the wind looking as if they were cheerful and happy. You’re imagining that  the flowers have human emotions.

Personification Examples

• laughing flowers
• howling wind
• smiling sun
• opportunity knocking at the door

This is a big word that just means words that imitate sounds. Pitter-patter is an example of onomatopoeia. It mimics the sound of rain or maybe little feet.

The word tinkle is also onomatopoeia. It mimics the sound of a bell or falling water.

We use onomatopoeia all the time in our everyday speech. Poets and writers use this figure of speech to make their writing more expressive too.

Onomatopoeia Examples

A simile is a figure of speech in which two things are directly compared. We use the word like or as to make the comparison.

• as dark as the night
• as cool as a cucumber
• fought like cats and dogs
• eat like a horse

The four phrases above are all similes. The beauty of a simile is that it helps us imagine clearly what the writer is trying to say. Poets and writers use similes to make their writing come alive.

Similes Examples

• as blind as a bat
• as bold as brass
• as bright as a button
• as black as coal
• as clear as crystal
• as cold as ice

An oxymoron brings two conflicting ideas together. We use them to draw attention from the reader/listener. Two words with apparently contradictory meanings are combined to form a new word that is more in conjunction.

Oxymoron Examples

• alone together
• deafening silence
• bittersweet
• living dead

Hyperbole means using exaggerated statements for effect . The media and politicians often use hyperbole to make their articles or speeches more attention grabbing or seem more important bigger, better and more interesting.

Hyperbole Examples

• I have told you a million times not to get your shoes dirty.
• Jake’s mum always cooks enough food to feed an army.
• What have you got in this suitcase; it weighs a ton?
• I am so hungry I could eat a horse.

This is when a phrase is overused and loses impact and lacks original thought. Using a cliche can be seen as old fashioned or even a sign of poor writing as they are expressions that have been used too often and are no longer relevant or interesting.

Cliché Examples

• A women’s place is in the kitchen.
• And they all lived happily ever after.
• All that glitters is not gold .
• All is fair in love and war .

Repetition is when a word or phrase is repeated for effect or emphasis . Teachers often teach things like times tables by repetition and musicians repeat choruses in songs. A good example is Martin Luther King’s – ‘I have a dream’ speech.

Repetition Examples

• I’m telling you I won’t do it; I simply won’t do it.
• Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.
• He told me about it, years and years and years ago.
• Home sweet home.

This type of question doesn’t require an answer as it has been phrased in a way that assumes the reader or listener knows the answer. Public speakers and politicians use rhetorical questions for dramatic effect or to get a point across and not because they expect an answer. The answer is usually obvious, or they think it is.

Rhetorical Question Examples

• Can pigs fly ?
• Is the Pope a Catholic?
• Is this supposed to be some kind of joke?
• We don’t need any more failure, do we?

These are commonly used in advertising and speeches to grab attention and give emphasis . Three parts seems more comprehensive and knowledgeable than two it seems.

Three Part List Examples

• Snap, crackle and pop.
• I came, I saw, I conquered. (Veni, vidi, vici – Julius Caesar)
• I put my blood, sweat and tears into that project.
• Hear all, see all, say nowt (nothing).

This is when words have a similar ending sound . It is usually seen most often in poetry and song lyrics but is also in advertising and public speeches. The rhyming words stand out.

Rhyme Examples

• Try before you buy.
• Birds of a feather, stick together.
• Kids and grown-ups love it so, the happy world of Haribo.

A euphemism is an indirect or innocuous word or phrase used instead of something considered unpleasant, harsh or sensitive, or embarrassing. It is often intended to amuse or downplay something that the speaker deems offensive or upsetting somehow. They may be used to cover profanity or sensitive subjects such as gender, disability, and death in a polite manner.

Euphemism Examples

• Friendly fire (attack from allied forces)
• He is telling us a tall story (a lie)
• Senior citizen (old person)
• Staff restructure (making people redundant)

Litotes is an understatement , usually involving a hint of irony. Instead of saying something simple or obvious, a phrase contrary to the truth is used.

Litotes Examples

• It’s hardly rocket science is it? (often said when a task is very simple)
• The weather isn’t so good today. (Said during a thunder-storm)
• She’s no spring chicken. (meaning someone is not young)
• He’s not exactly a beggar. (He’s financially solvent)

Circumlocution (also called circumduction, circumvolution, periphrasis, kenning or ambage) is the unnecessary use of many words , when fewer would be more appropriate. An idea or subject is circled, talked around, or avoided altogether instead of directly referencing it.

Circumlocution Examples

• I work 9am to 2pm on Mondays and Wednesdays. (I work part time)
• He resides in a refurbished Victorian establishment on the edge of town. (He lives in a terraced house)
• Our Lord in heaven, the holy father. (God)
• The vehicle that I own is a fabulous shade of metallic dark turquoise. (My car is blue)

It is saying the same thing twice using different words. It is a way of adding emphasis or clarity but can come across as being unnecessarily wordy.

Tautology Examples

• Sally told everyone with pride that she had made the handmade sweater herself .
• The kids always take turns to answer the questions one after the other .
• She’s in the middle of reading Michelle Obama’s autobiography about her life story .
• They climbed up to the top of Kilimanjaro all the way to the summit.

Pun is a play on words as it is usually a jokey way of exploiting the fact that some words sound alike or have more than one meaning or spelling. They rely heavily on homophones and homonyms to work.

Pun Examples

• The chicken farmers favourite car is a coupe.
• He’s been to see his dentist so many times now that he knows the drill.
• I’ve forgotten where my wife said we were going, don’t worry, Alaska.
• The cyclist was two tired to win the race.

An epigram is a clever, witty, or satirical phrase or line of poetry. It is usually expressing an ingenious, paradoxical, memorable, or amusing idea.

Epigram Examples

• I can resist everything but temptation – Oscar Wilde
• There is only one thing worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.
• Winners never quit, and quitters never win.
• For most of history, Anonymous was a woman – Virginia Woolf

This is from the Greek word klimax, meaning staircase or ladder. In narrative the words or clauses are arranged to build tension or drama to a peak (main part of the story) and get the undivided attention of the audience. The reader is mentally preparing for the climax of the story as the conflict or tension rises and finally reaches resolution.

Most films, books, plays or anecdotes have conflict/drama which reaches a climax and then is resolved by the end of the narrative.

Climax Examples

• Titanic – Think of the rising tension as the ship hits the ice-burg and starts to sink. The water everywhere and people screaming, running trying to save themselves or find family members. The intrigue builds until finally the ship slips below the surface and there is shock and disbelief at the sad a sorry, survivors left floating above.
• Martin Luther King – His ‘I have a dream speech’ builds in tension and reaches this climax:- A promise that all men, yes black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the “unalienable Rights” of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
• Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet has many plot twists and rising tension in the form of family conflicts, love, murder, and finally death.

A subtle form of humour involving words opposing to what is actually meant. Irony can fall into three categories.

Verbal irony – Saying one thing and meaning something else, usually the opposite of what is said. Example :  Saying that you couldn’t possibly eat another thing, then reaching for some more cake.

Dramatic irony – This is when the audience is more aware of the plotline than the characters. Example : In Shakespeare’s Macbeth – While Duncan thinks Macbeth is faithful to him, Macbeth is actually plotting to murder him. The audience knows this, but Duncan doesn’t.

Situational irony – This is when something happens that is completely contrary to what is expected. Often with an element of shock or surprise. Example : winning the lottery and dying the day after. (Listen to Ironic by Alanis Morrisette for many more examples)

This is the exact opposite of something or when two things contrast greatly.

Antithesis Examples

• One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind – Neil Armstrong 1969
• Many are called, but few are chosen. Matthew 22:14
• It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. – Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.

Assonance is the repetition of the same vowel sounds in a phrase or sentence.

Assonance Examples

• W e rec ei ved thr ee e mails ea ch w ee k.
• The r ai n in Sp ai n, st a ys m ai nly on the pl ai n. (From the musical ‘My Fair Lady’)
• Hear the m e llow w e dding b e lls. (The Bells – Edgar Allen Poe)

Consonance is the repetition of the same consonant sound in a phrase or sentence.

Consonance Examples

• The rain pitter pattered in the puddle.
• The cook cooked the cutest cupcakes.
• Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

Anastrophe is a deliberate change of normal word order for emphasis.

Anastrophe Examples

• The greatest teacher, failure is. – Yoda (Star Wars)
• Into the lake the jeep drove.
• One swallow a summer does not make.

A logosglyph is a word that looks like what it represents .

Logosglyph Examples

• She had eyes like pools . (The word eye looks like a pair of eyes with a ‘y’ for a nose and the double ‘oo’ in pools actually looks round like eyes and pools)
• The word bed actually looks like a bed.

A way of comparing things based on ways they are similar. This is to show the similarity without explaining.

Analogy Examples

• Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get. (From Forrest Gump)
• He is strong as an ox.
• She’s as quiet as a mouse.

Paradox is a statement containing two opposing facts that seems impossible, contradictory or absurd but might turn out to be true.

Paradox Examples

• I must be cruel, only to be kind—Hamlet by Shakespeare.
• Nobody goes to the seaside at the weekend, because it’s too crowded.
• Youth is wasted on the young.

Something that is added to a statement to provide extra information or an explanation. This is often separated from the main clause by brackets, commas, or dashes.

Parentheses Examples

• His older brother, the one with six kids, will be visiting next week.
• Sean Mullins (last year’s winner) is the current favourite to win.
• The singer – and her backing band – arrived two hours late.

A statement punctuated with an exclamation mark is conveying strong emotion or excitement.

Exclamation Examples

• Ouch! That really hurt!
• You just made me jump out of my skin!
• It’s a girl!

This is a sentence that asks a direct question and is punctuated with a question mark.

Interrogation Examples

• What is the capital of Canada?
• Shall we invite the neighbours around for a barbeque tomorrow?
• Where are my car keys?

This is when a part of something is used instead of the whole.

Synecdoche Examples

• He took us for a spin in his new wheels. (Wheels = car)
• There are hundreds of boots on the ground searching for the fugitives. (Boots = soldiers or police)
• There was no comment from The White House . (The White House = The President)

Metonymy replaces a word or phrase with something related or associated to it.

Metonymy Examples

• Have you seen the latest Hollywood blockbuster? (Hollywood = the whole of the film industry)
• The crown is not able to take political a side. (crown = the queen or royal family)
• The press is going to have a field day. (press = all news organizations)

Dialect is the way people talk in a particular region. In literature, this involves representing speech in the way it actually sounds with phonetic spelling, missing words, and unusual grammar.

Dialect Examples

• I told ‘er she wer wrong, innit?  (I told her she was wrong, didn’t I?)
• Howdy Y’all!  (Hello everybody!)
• Am gonna nae do that. (I’m not going to do that)

It is when we combine an incongruous adverb or adjective with an incongruous noun .

Transferred Epithets Examples

• They got divorced after years in an unhappy marriage .
• I balanced a thoughtful lump of sugar on the teaspoon. – P. G. Woodhouse.
• The farmer plodded along the weary lane .

Allusion is a figure of speech that makes a brief and indirect reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art, either directly or indirectly, to create a deeper understanding or context. It relies on the reader’s familiarity with the subject being referenced, allowing for a more concise and enriched expression by invoking associated ideas and emotions. For example, saying someone has a “Cinderella-like rise to fame” evokes the well-known fairy tale of Cinderella, implying a dramatic and positive transformation.

Allusion Examples

• He’s a real Romeo with the ladies.
• She had a Cinderella-like rise to fame.
• His backyard was a Garden of Eden.
• This place is like a Garden of Eden.
• She felt like she had a golden ticket.

An epitaph is a brief statement written in memory of a deceased person, often inscribed on a tombstone. It typically summarizes the person’s life, accomplishments, and virtues in a concise and poignant manner. Epitaphs can be poetic, reflective, or simply factual, serving as a lasting tribute to the deceased. For example, an epitaph might read, “In Loving Memory, A Beloved Father and Friend,” capturing the essence of the individual’s relationships and character.

Epitaph Examples

• In Loving Memory, A Beloved Father and Friend.
• Here Lies a Hero, Brave and True.
• Gone But Not Forgotten.
• Forever in Our Hearts.
• Rest in Peace, A Life Well Lived.

Chiasmus is a rhetorical figure of speech in which two or more clauses are presented to the audience, then repeated in reverse order. The structure follows an ABBA or criss-cross pattern, often creating a contrasting or parallel relationship between the elements.

Key Characteristics

• Inversion of Structure : The second half of the expression mirrors the first half, but in reverse order.
• Contrast or Parallelism : Often used to highlight contrasts or to create a balanced, poetic effect.

Chiasmus Examples

• “Never let a fool kiss you or a kiss fool you.”
• “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

Literature, speeches, and everyday conversation all use chiasmus to highlight a point or make a memorable statement. It can also add a rhythmic quality to the text. This figure of speech can be distinguished from other forms of wordplay, like antimetabole, which also involves reversing the structure but focuses more on the repetition of words than the overall meaning.

Origin of Figure of Speech

Every figure of speech has a different origin. It is not clear where the phrase “figure of speech” comes from. The earliest use of figures of speech is found in the Bible, so it is clear that they have been around for hundreds of years. The most commonly used ones in the Bible are similes. This means that one thing is used in place of another. For example, ‘God is light.’

Share your opinions 9 Opinions

What figure of speech is “flowers dose their eyes”

‒ Anonymous June 8, 2022

Also need to add: 1. malapropism – the usually unintentionally humorous misuse or distortion of a word or phrase 2. palindrome – A word, phrase or sentence that is the same both backwards and forwards is called a palindrome.

‒ Stacey May 31, 2022

Which figure of speech is, “Yes, we have no bananas!”

‒ Terry Johns March 23, 2022

The thoughts on the site stole my night, and I didn’t mind, for it’s fun reminiscing those wonderful figures of speech.

‒ Williams Godwin June 4, 2021

Does anyone have the etymology behind sarcasm?

‒ Eric Robert Klüg April 27, 2021

I love the site but my problem is verbal communication in English.

‒ Olubajo Olukorede January 3, 2021

Oh so sorry forgot to mention thanks for the memory of learning the word onomatopoeia, I don’t remember much just the being taught how to say it & write it.That was a long time ago & I have to say its never come up in my life since until now but great memory thank-you. 😊

‒ Luba Svekolkin November 28, 2020

I definitely like this idea and very helpful. I didn’t expect to read through the entire site but I did. Also I enjoyed coming back to the word “Onomatopoeia” I learned in middle school.

‒ Kayla Kruel October 19, 2020

This is a good site! I am poet Timmy

‒ Bard Taoheed Mohammed September 9, 2020

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Assonance Definition

What is assonance? Here's a quick and simple definition:

Assonance is a figure of speech in which the same vowel sound repeats within a group of words. An example of assonance is: "Wh o gave N ew t and Sc oo ter the bl ue t u na? It was t oo s oo n!"

Some additional key details about assonance:

• Assonance occurs when sounds , not letters, repeat. In the example above, the "oo" sound is what matters, not the different letters used to produce that sound.
• Assonance does not require that words with the same vowel sounds be directly next to each other. Assonance occurs so long as identical vowel-sounds are relatively close together.
• Assonant vowel sounds can occur anywhere (at the beginning or end, on stressed or unstressed syllables) within any of the words in the group.

How to Pronounce Assonance

Here's how to pronounce assonance: ass -uh-nuhnce

Assonance vs. Consonance

Assonance is identical to another figure of speech called consonance , with one critical difference: assonance has to do with repeated vowel sounds, whereas consonance has to do with repeated consonant sounds.

• Assonance is repetition of vowel sounds: "I m i ght l i ke to take a fl i ght to an i sland in the sk y ."
• Consonance is repetition of consonant sounds: "A du ck that c lu ck ed drove a tru ck into an a q uedu c t.

Assonance vs. Alliteration

Alliteration is another figure of speech that involves the repetition of sounds and is related to assonance. Assonance and alliteration differ in two key respects.

• Types of repeating sounds: Assonance involves the repetition of only vowel sounds, whereas alliteration can involve the repetition of either vowel sounds or consonant sounds.
• Position of repeating sounds: The repeating sounds of assonance can occur anywhere in a word. The repeating sounds of alliteration, in contrast, must occur either in the first syllables of words or on the stressed syllables of words.

In practical terms, these rules mean that assonance can sometimes also be alliteration, but isn't always.

Assonance That Is Also Alliteration

Here are two examples of assonance that is also alliteration. In the first example, the assonance occurs at the beginning of words in the group. In the second example, assonance always occurs on stressed syllables of words (note that the second syllables of the words "decline" and "define" are the stressed syllables):

• " Au nt A gnes! A ck! A nother a ccounting error!"
• I l i ke to decl i ne an offer of w i ne to def i ne m y st y le.

Assonance That Is NOT Also Alliteration

In the example below, assonance is not also alliteration, because the repeating vowel sound almost never occurs on either the first or stressed syllables (only on "imp" does it do either):

• Al i ce i gnored the mal i ce of the i mp and bought the pal a ce.

If you read this example aloud, and also read aloud the assonance examples that are alliteration, you'll sense that, while both have repeating vowel sounds, the examples that are also alliteration have a kind of rhythm to them that non-alliterative assonance lacks.

Assonance and Rhyme

Assonance also plays a role in rhyme . Rhyme is the repetition of identical sounds located at the ends of words. Rhymes can be either repeated consonant sounds or vowel sounds (or combinations of the two). A rhyme, then, can be assonant, but not all rhymes are assonant. Here's an example of assonance functioning as rhyme at the end of lines three and four of the limerick below:

There once was a man named Clark Whose dog refused to bark But when he gave the dog p ie It stopped being so sh y And is loud nonstop until dark

Assonance also plays a noticeable role in slant rhyme , a type of rhyme formed by words with sounds that are similar but not identical. Slant rhymes often pair similar vowel sounds with dissimilar consonant sounds, which means that slant rhymes often contain assonance. In the example below from the song "N.Y. State of Mind" the rapper Nas uses assonance to create slant rhymes between the first syllable of "prosperous," the word "cops," and the first syllable of the word "hostages." In addition, the assonance of the "uh" sound in final syllables of "prosperous," "dangerous," and "could just" establishes the slant rhyme that ends with the slightly different vowel sound in "hostages."

And be pr o sper ou s, though we live danger ou s C o ps could j u st arrest me, blamin’ us, we’re held like h o stages

Assonance Examples

Assonance is common in all sorts of writing, including poetry and prose literature, as well as song lyrics.

Assonance Examples in Literature

In both poetry and prose, assonance's repetition of sound can give language a musical element, as well as emphasize sounds or words that particularly resonate with the ideas or themes of the work. When assonance is also alliterative, it can add rhythm to text, too.

Assonance in John Donne's "Holy Sonnet 3"

Here, the long-i sound is assonant, and its repetition emphasizes how the sound itself seems to embody the feeling being described, that of longing and sighing—of emotional turmoil. Assonance is particularly useful for this kind of sonic demonstration of feeling.

"O m igh t those s igh s and tears returns again ..."

Chris Martin's "Trajectory of a Thief"

This poem contains both assonance and alliteration. The "ee" sound in "each," "piece," and "meat" slows down that particular sequence, rendering especially vivid the eating of the turtle soup.

"Ted takes you to Chinatown for turtle Soup, ea ch p ie ce of its floating m ea t Wholly disparate ..."

Assonance in The Iliad

In these lines from Book XII of Lattimore's translation of Homer's Iliad the assonance helps reinforce the lulling effect of the winds' sleep:

"When Zeus ... st i lls the winds asleep i n the sol i d dr i ft ..."

Assonance in "The Seafarer"

The Seafarer is an Old English poem. In Old English poetry, rhyme was much less common, and assonance and consonance much more prevalent. In this translation of the poem by Ezra Pound, the assonance helps to emphasize the "harshness" described in the lines, through the repetition of the "-ar" sound.

Journey's j ar gon, how I in h ar sh days H ar dship endured oft.

Assonance in William Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom

In this example, the assonance reinforces the repetition of the surname Bon, which is itself the French word for "good," thus drawing a contrast between the continued presence of "goodness" and the "getting rid of" described.

"So it took Charles B o n and his mother to get rid of old T o m, and Charles B o n and the o ctoroon to get rid of Judith, and Charles B o n and Clytie to get rid of Henry; and Charles B o n's mother and Charles B o n's grandmother g o t rid of Charles B o n."

Assonance in Alice Walker's The Color Purple

In this example from the first chapter of Alice Walker's The Color Purple , the insistence of the repeated "i" sounds intensifies the staccato present in these lines and establishes the narrator's tone—a combination of fear, intense description, and melancholy remembrance.

She got s i cker an s i cker. Finally she ast Where i t i s? I say God took i t. He took i t. He took i t while I was sleeping. K i lt i t out there i n the woods. K i ll th i s one too, i f he can.

Assonance in Song Lyrics

Assonance is also common in song lyrics. It can help to emphasize words and ideas, make connections across lines of lyrics, and when assonance is also alliteration it can help to build rhythm in the lyrics, as well.

Assonance in "Painter in Your Pocket" by Destroyer

"And I 'm rem i nded of the t i me that I was bl i nded b y the sun It was a welcome change From the s i ght of you hanging L i ke a willow

Assonance in "Something in the Way" by Nirvana

In this example, there are two sets of assonant sounds, one set on the long "e" sound, and another on the short "a" sound.

Undern ea th the bridge The tarp has sprung a l ea k A nd the a nimals I've tr a pped H a ve all become my pets And I'm living off of gr a ss A nd the drippings from the c ei ling But it's okay to ea t fish 'Cause they don't have any f ee lings

Assonance in "Without Me" by Eminem

Eminem uses assonance in complicated ways throughout his songs, giving them additional rhythm and structure. This example from "Without Me" is a good example:

Some v o dka that'll jump st a rt my h ea rt quicker Than a sh o ck when I get sh o cked at the h o spital By the d o ctor when I 'm not co- o perating When I 'm r o cking the table wh i le he's o perating

Why Do Writers Use Assonance?

Assonance is, fundamentally, an intensifier of language. This intensifying occurs in several senses.

• Assonance tends to draw out the sonic quality of words in a group. This drawing-out makes those words more obvious, or clearer to the reader. It also tends to encourage the reader to spend more time looking at, sounding out, and thinking about those words.
• Because assonance encourages continued attention, it slows down the reading process (and the reading-comprehension process). But because assonance also sounds good and is often easy and/or pleasurable to pronounce, it can also speed up the reading experience of a group of words. This simultaneous speeding-up and slowing-down of language is pleasurable. It's hard to explain why it's pleasurable, but it is; and writers know that creating text that's pleasurable to read will attract more readers.
• Assonance is of special use to poets because of how it encourages repeated reading of a group of words. Poets' lines are often more dense with meaning, wordplay, and figures of speech than a typical line of prose is.
• Sometimes, assonant words can resonate with the content of the lines or sentences in which it occurs, as in the John Donne example from Holy Sonnet 3, above. The assonance in these words allows the poem to put into effect , or to do the thing it is describing, rather than simply to describe or to tell about it.
• In prose that reaches for poetic beauty, assonance highlights the craft of the language by calling attention to the language itself. Not all prose wants to make itself known as language; some prose wants to report facts plainly and clearly. But prose using assonance conveys information and causes the reader to consider the words chosen and the order in which they're written.
• In songs, assonance increases the texture of the lines as they are sung, and provides opportunities for interaction with the tones and pitches the singer uses in combination with the lines. In both the Destroyer and Nirvana lyrics, above, the assonant features are highlighted by the singer via a change in pitch, or a notable increase in the length of the word as it is sung.

Other Helpful Assonance Resources

• The Wikipedia entry on Assonance : A fairly detailed explanation of assonance, with examples from across different languages.
• The dictionary definition of Assonance : A short definition, wth helpful comparison to rhyme.

• Alliteration
• Figure of Speech
• Slant Rhyme
• Bildungsroman
• Tragic Hero
• Rhyme Scheme
• Protagonist
• Climax (Figure of Speech)
• Point of View
• Connotation
• Dynamic Character
• Juxtaposition
• Pathetic Fallacy

• Quizzes, saving guides, requests, plus so much more.

50 Figures of Speech (Types & Examples)

What are figures of speech.

Figures of speech are creative rhetorical devices that go beyond literal meaning. They make the language more colorful and impactful. These figures of speech allow the writers to convey ideas and imagery in an imaginative and unconventional way through comparisons, associations and plays on words. Some common examples include similes, metaphors, hyperbole, personification, oxymoron’s and alliteration. Skillful use of rhetorical devices brings vividness and flair to expression. These figures of speech make communication more engaging, memorable and expressive.

Importance of Figures of Speech

The figures of speech are important rhetorical device, that writers and speakers employ to enhance the power and impact of their language. The use of creative comparisons and vivid imagery engage the audience in memorable ways that literal language often lacks.

Figures of speech strengthen communication by using creative language to emphasize ideas in a more compelling way than plain speech alone. Their artful deviations from literal meaning make key points more memorable and impactful for audiences. Used strategically or just to infuse writing with imaginative flair, rhetorical devices ensure ideas resonate longer in the minds of the readers and listeners. In essence, by elevating functional language to an art form through their nuanced turns of phrase, figures of speech make messages more persuasive, engaging and unforgettable.

How to Find Figures of Speech in writing?

For finding figures of speech in the writing, it is necessary to look for words or phrases that are used in a non-literal way.

For example, if someone says ‘my heart is breaking’, he is using a metaphor to describe his emotions.

50 Figures Of Speech With Examples

Here is a list of 50 figures of speech used in English literature and daily communication:

1- Alliteration

Repetition of the same initial letter or sound in closely connected words. They could be uttered within a phrase of sentences, starting with the same sound of consonants but not necessarily being the same letter. Some examples of alliteration are:

• Peter’s pink pig
• She sells seashells
• Big bad wolf
• Sally sells seashells by the seashore

Example in literature

“the raven” by edgar allan poe.

“Once upon a midnight dreary.”

In the said context, the sound of ‘m ‘ has been alliterated with ‘midnight ‘ and ‘dreary’. The repetition of consonant sound creates a musical and effect. It enhances the gloomy atmosphere, which the write is trying to convey in the poem.

2- Anaphora

It is a type of amplification, wherein the words or phrases are reiterated in every clause, sentence and line. The word is used to stress an idea in a piece of writing or it serves as a connector.

• I came, I saw, I conquered.
• To be or not to be, that is the question.
• United we stand, divided we fall.

“A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness. It was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity. It was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness. It was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

Dickens has used anaphora by repeating the phrase ‘it was’ at the beginning of each successive clause. He emphasizes the contrasting nature of the time period. The practice of anaphora is used to establish a unique mood and setting that stick in people’s minds to capture it as a whole.

3- Antithesis

It is a literary device, which is used to juxtapose the contrasting ideas in balanced phrases. It highlights opposition through parallel grammatical structures.

• The early bird catches the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
• You win some, you lose some.
• Absence makes the heart grow fonder, but out of sight is out of mind.

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

“ All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost”

The first line ‘All that is gold does not glitter’ sets up an expectation. The second line ‘Not all those who wander are lost’ subverts it with the opposite proposition. This creates an antithetical parallel structure that emphasizes the contrast between appearances/expectations and realities. Things are not always as they seem on the surface.

4- Apostrophe

A direct address to an absent or dead person, or to an object, quality, or idea. It is a rhetorical device used to engage or emotionally influence the audience.

• Stupid phone, why aren’t you charging?
• Come on feet, you can make it up the stairs!
• Thank you coffee for the caffeine boost.

“Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare

“O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name; Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.”

The rhetorical device gives an emotional outlet to Juliet and draws the audience deeper into her perspective. It underscores the tragedy of their star-crossed love and opposing families through Juliet’s anguished pleas. This example demonstrates how apostrophe can powerfully convey emotion and engagement when used skillfully in literary works like Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. It intensifies reader experience of the characters and themes.

5- Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words. It adds musicality and emphasis to speech or writing. Assonance creates cadences that can make utterances more memorable, soothing or impactful.

• Pick a pink peach please.
• Slowly she strode down the street.
• Do you need anything else?

“The King’s English” by Kingsley Amis

“The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain.”

This famous tongue twister uses assonance extensively through the repetition of the “ai” sound in words like “rain”, “Spain”, “mainly”. The assonance highlights the difficulty in pronouncing the phrase quickly due to all the similar vowel sounds falling in close succession. It makes the sentence rhythmically challenging to say.

6- Allusion

A reference to a well-known person, place, event or work of art. It relies on the readers or listener’s background knowledge and cultural literacy. They allow speakers to colorfully draw on cultural knowledge without exposition.

• That plan is doomed like the Titanic.
• Don’t pull a Houdini on me!
• She’s no Mother Teresa.

“The American Crisis” by Thomas Paine

“These are the times that try men’s souls.”

This well-crafted allusion would resonate powerfully with educated readers, which reminds them of the challenges ahead in their fight for independence using a culturally significant reference. It illustrates how allusions can add profound layers of inferred meaning in literature by drawing on intertextual connections in an economy of words.

7- Anachronism

Something out of its normal time. It involves mentioning something from a different time period in a way that distorts the actual chronology.

• I was just watching some Netflix after work yesterday.
• Let me check my iPhone for the time.
• I’ll email you the details later today.

“Ulysses” by Alfred Tennyson

 “I cannot rest from travel: I will drink Life to the lees.”

Tennyson imagines the thoughts and desires of the Homeric hero Ulysses in his later years after returning home from the Trojan War. However, the language and ideas Tennyson attributes to Ulysses are anachronistic, as they reflect Victorian England in the 19th century rather than ancient Greece.

8- Anastrophe

The inversion of the usual order of words. It involves rearranging the structure of words or phrases for impact. It creates variety from the standard structures we expect. 

• Fed up am I with this traffic!
• Off to work go I.
• In the kitchen, what’s that noise?

“Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steeds, Towards Phoebus’ lodging! Such a wagoner As Phaëton would whip you to the west And bring in cloudy night immediately.”

Romeo uses anastrophe by rearranging the expected word order of ‘fiery-footed steeds’ to emphasize the speed and passion of the horses as they carry the sun across the sky. While inverting ‘fiery-footed steeds’ to ‘you fiery-footed steeds’, the writer draws attention to the horses through anastrophe and builds dramatic tension as Romeo anxiously awaits nightfall.

9- Antagonym

A word that can have opposite meanings. Here are the common antagonym examples:

• Sanction – This word can mean “to approve” or “to penalize.” Example A: “The manager sanctioned the purchase of new computers.” (Approved) Example B: “The UN threatened sanctions against the hostile nation.” (Penalized)
• Oversight – This word refers to an unintentional failure to notice something, or the act of overseeing/supervising. Example A: “The typo was due to an oversight by the editor.” (Failure to notice) Example B: “There will be governmental oversight of the program.” (Supervision)
• Left – This word indicates either “departed” or “remaining.” Example A: “Most of the cake was eaten, but some was left.” (Remaining) Example B: “The traveler left early in the morning.” (Departed)

10- Antimetabole

Antimetabole involves the repetition of a phrase or statement in a reversed sequence. 

Example in “Frankenstein” by Shelley

“I, the miserable and the abandoned, am an abortion, to be spurned at, and kicked, and trampled on.”

The above excerpt illustrates the antimetabole literary device through a reversed order of repetition including “and trampled on, and kicked, and spurned at”. This shows how much Frankenstein’s monster is being mistreated and rejected by society.

11- Antonomasia

Antonomasia is the act of replacing the name of an individual with another word/phrase. This word simply represents aspects of character of a person. It is also used to highlight similarity or relation between two people or item.

• The term calling someone who is very organized “a Monica” in relation to the well manicured Monica Geller character from friends.
• Calling someone cunning, crafty and shrewd as Judas, in reference to the Judas Iscariot of the Bible, who beated Jesus.
• Suggesting that an innocent, mischievous troublesome child is a “Dennis the Menace”.

12- Asyndeton

The literary device of Asyndeton involves leaving out connective words like ‘and’ or ‘or’ among other conjunctions when a number of connected clauses follow one preceding clause. This allows for faster movement as well as highlights the importance of it.

• Essays must be submitted on time.
• The house was ready for living with the furniture in it, carpets laid on the floor, and curtains drawn.

13- Anadiplosis 

This is the repetition of the last word of a preceding clause at the beginning of the next one.

• Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.
• The environment, it is life and therefore we have to save it.
• I did everything I could. My best efforts were insufficient.
• You entered my world. My world has changed forever.

14- Chiasmus

Chiasmus is a rhetorical device in which two or more clauses are balanced against each other by the reversal of structures in order to produce a mirror effect.

• Fair is foul, and foul is fair. (Shakespeare’s Macbeth)
• You forget what you want to remember, and you remember what you want to forget. (Cormac McCarthy, The Road)
• Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country. (John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address)

15- Catachresis

Catachresis is the use of a word in an incorrect way or in the wrong context for rhetorical effect.

• Using ‘blanket of snow’ to describe snow covering the ground, even though blankets do not look like snow.
• Referring to a loud noise as ‘deafening silence’ despite the contradiction between deafening and silence.
• Describing someone’s smile as ‘infectious’ even though smiles do not spread disease like an infection.

The climax refers to the most tense and dramatic part of the narrative in works of literature. This is the climax when tension attains its zenith and the conclusion of the tale begins. Following this is a resolution stage whereby the major conflicts in the story are solved and the fate of characters is ascertained. A fundamental part of structure that also helps generate tension in the story and hold on the attention of the reader or viewer.

Types of Climax

Emotional Climax: The moment comes when a subject becomes too frustrated and bursts out with an enormous amount of emotion leading to an unexpected ending.

Plot Climax: This is where the climax of the story takes place, where the conflict culminates, and the starting point for the resolution.

Social Climax: It happens when someone or some people climb to a top of social position in most cases by planned strategy.

17- Euphemism

A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt.

• Passed away instead of died
• Let go instead of fired
• Challenged instead of disabled

“To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee

“Mrs. Dubose was a morphine addict,” said Atticus. “She took it as a pain-killer for years. The doctor put her on it. She’d have spent the rest of her life on it and died without so much agony, but she was too contrary—”

Here, words ‘addict and ‘pain killer’ have been used instead of direct terms like, ‘drug habit’ or ‘opiate addiction’. This may have been considered crude or inappropriate at the time. This allows the author to discuss Mrs. Dubose’s situation in a more genteel and less shocking way. He uses the euphemistic language rather than direct terminology.

18- Ellipsis

The omission of words necessary for complete grammatical construction but understood in the context.

• The European soldiers killed six of the remaining villagers, the American soldiers, two.

Example in Literature

“emma” by jane austen.

“He is very plain, undoubtedly—remarkably plain: but that is nothing compared with his entire want of gentility. I had no right to expect much, and I did not expect much; but I had no idea that he could be so very clownish, so totally without air. I had imagined him, I confess, a degree or two nearer gentility.”

Austen uses an ellipsis here when Harriet says “I had imagined him…a degree or two nearer gentility.” Harriet doesn’t finish her thought. The ellipsis shows that her words trail off hinting that she is uncomfortable admitting she hoped Mr. Martin would be more refined. This allows Austen to suggest Harriet’s embarrassment, without having her directly spell it out.

19- Enjambment

The continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza in poetry.

“Sonnet 116” by William Shakespeare

“Let me not to the marriage of true minds Admit impediments. Love is not love Which alters when it alteration finds, Or bends with the remover to remove.”

The writer employs the literary device of enjambment in the foresaid lines. Rather than pausing at the end of the line, the sentence continues into the next one without punctuation. This creates a flowing and lyrical feeling that mirrors the notion of love not being impeded.

20- Epistrophe

The repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses or sentences.

• Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth. (Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address)
• We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills (Winston Churchill’s speech to the House of Commons)

“I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King Jr.

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, sons of former slaves and sons of former slave-owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood.”

The use of epistrophe has been observed in “I have a dream” at the start of several different phrases. The repetitive nature of this technique underscores his idea about the future, and it helps make his words more poignant, inspiring and memorable. Every time King says “I have a dream” he refers to his wish that there should be harmony and equality in the United States. Anaphora (repeated phrase leading to clauses) of this aspirational sentence provides rhetorical force and rhythm of the speech to crescendo at emotional climax where King’s dreams of the nation are presented.

21- Euphony

The use of phrases and words that are noted for their mellifluousness and ease in speaking.

• The sounds of children’s laughter carried melodiously through the warm summer air.
• The babbling brook babbled pleasantly as it wound its way through the verdant meadow.

“Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens

The lilting euphony of the writing style matches Pip’s hopeful expectations as he journeys to Miss Havisham’s house for the first time:

“The mist was heavier yet when I got out upon the marshes, so that instead of my running at everything, everything seemed to run at me. This was very disagreeable to a guilty mind. The gates and dykes and banks came bursting at me through the mist, as if they cried as plainly as could be, ‘A boy with somebody else’s pork pie! Stop him!’”

The consonance and assonance create a musical, flowing quality to mimic Pip’s eager and optimistic young imagination, which emphasizes the theme of hope in the novel.

22- Epizeuxis 

The repetition of a word or phrase in immediate succession, typically within the same sentence, for vehemence or emphasis.

• Alone, alone, all, all alone, Alone on a wide, wide sea.
• Fight, fight for your rights and your freedom!

“Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare

Mark Antony repeats the words in his famous speech to emphasize his points and rouse the crowd:

“For Brutus is an honorable man; So are they all honorable men— Come I to speak at Caesar’s funeral. He was my friend, faithful and just to me.”

The repetition of words ‘honorable’ and subsequently ‘faithful’ create stress qua the qualities of Caesar, while planting seeds of doubt through his epizeuxis. The repetition mimics the persuasive rhythm of a skillful orator whipping the crowds into an emotional frenzy over Caesar’s death.

23- Hyperbole

Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement or claim that is not meant to be taken literally, but instead used as a way to emphasize a point or evoke strong feelings.

• I’ve told you a million times to clean your room!
• The wait to get in was endless.

“Romeo and Juliet” by Shakespeare

“For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.”

When Romeo first lays eyes on Juliet, he goes overboard describing how he has never seen someone so beautiful before. He is basically exaggerating to show just how head-over-heels in love with her he is already. This total exaggeration about her sets things up for how their whole intense, doomed relationship story will go from here.

24- Hendiadys 

A figure of speech in which a single complex idea is expressed by two words connected with “and” rather than a noun and adjective.

• We listened to the poet’s wise and ancient words.
• The guests ate and drank until late in the evening.

“The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald

“Her voice is full of money—that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals’ song of it.”

Here the words ‘jingle’ and ‘cymbals song’ express the musical quality of Daisy’s voice more vividly than just calling it ‘musical voice’. The pairing of synonymous nouns intensifies the quality being described.

25- Hypallage 

A figure of speech in which the syntactic relation between two terms is reversed. It is often used for poetic effect.

• “The heavy foot of time” instead of “the footfalls of heavy time”.
• The hungry stomach waited impatiently to be fed.

“Love Medicine” by Louise Erdrich

“The windswept plain gave no shelter to wandering cattle, and slanted wood planks of abandoned farmhouse doors banged in aimless gusts.”

The way Erdrich describes the wind is real neat. Instead of just saying the wind was blowing hard or whatever, she says the plain itself was windswept.

26- Innuendo

An indirect or subtle observation about a thing or person. It is generally critical, disparaging, or salacious in nature.

• Some say he’s not unfamiliar with the inside of a jail cell.
• The politician claimed to stand for family values, but his record showed otherwise.

“Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen

“Is Miss Darcy much grown since the spring?” said Miss Bingley; “will she be as tall as I am?” “I think she will. She is now about Miss Elizabeth Bennet’s height, or rather taller.”

Jane Austen hints at some sexual stuff going on between Lizzy Bennet and Miss Bingley about Darcy. When they’re talking about how tall each of them are, it seems like they’re also arguing about who’s gonna be the one in charge in their whole complicated relationship with Darcy. Like the one who stands tallest gets to boss around the other two and so I think Austen’s pretty slyly starting some drama here with that suggestive comparison of their heights.

Special words or expressions used by a profession or group that are difficult for others to understand.

• Please reboot your PC to complete the installation.
• The computer technicians talked about RAM, CPUs, and SSDs when upgrading the office devices.

“The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck

“Takes a good mechanic to keep ‘em rollin’. Know how a differential works?”

The talk about car stuff like the differential shows how Al uses a bunch of mechanic words. Steinbeck makes it clear what Al does for a living just through the way he talks, without having to straight up say he’s a mechanic. Using all those gearhead terms makes Al seem more like a real person instead of just a character, and lets you get to know him better since you can see stuff about his job.

27- Juxtaposition

The fact of placing two or more things side by side, often with the intent of comparing or contrasting them.

• Beauty and decay.
• The lavish wedding reception was held in the ballroom, while homeless people searched for food in the alley behind the hotel.

“And yet he did it with what composure and concentration we have seen … accomplishing the task he set himself, both in the poor workshop and in the rich drawing-room.”

Dickens tries to get readers to really grasp the huge change in Dr. Manette’s life by showing the difference between his nice old job as a fancy doctor with a swanky office and his current gig cobbling shoes together in a dingy workshop and it’s like night and day – he went from living’ large to just scrapping by. It really makes you think about how quick things can turn around, don’t it?

Expression of one’s meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite.

• A plumber’s house always has leaking taps.
• A traffic jam occurred on the highway on the day I left extra early to avoid being late.

 “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin

“There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature.”

Mrs. Mallard is elated on hearing that her husband has passed away as she feels liberate from the union. Unfortunately, in a bitter irony of fate, she is overcome by shock following arrival from nowhere of Mr. Mallard who appears very much alive. Here, Chopin uses situational irony that inverts the scenario that Mrs. Mallard and the readers are accustomed to. This, in essence, explains why marriage was quite oppressing to her.

29- Litotes

An understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite.

• He’s not the brightest bulb in the chandelier.
• The hike through the canyon was no walk in the park.

“Wuthering Heights” by Emily Brontë

Nelly criticizes Heathcliff with litotes after he returns following Catherine’s death:

“He’s not a rough diamond – a pearl-containing oyster of a rustic: he’s a fierce, pitiless, wolfish man.”

Bronté says heathcliff is no rough diamond but fierce and pitiless wolflike man with an attempt to understate the extent of Nelly’s hatred towards him. This makes the character of Heathcliff even crueler in an accentuated manner through negation instead of direct condemnation.

30- Metaphor

A metaphor makes a direct comparison between two unlike things, stating that one thing is the other.

• My old car was a dinosaur – old and decrepit.
• The assignment was a breeze – extremely easy.

“As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven Would through the airy region stream so bright.”

He compares Juliet’s eyes to stars. Romeo says her eyes would shine as brightly in the sky as daylight does to a lamp. Shakespeare uses metaphor to elevate Juliet’s beauty to celestial heights.

31- Metonymy

A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is used to represent something else with which it is closely associated or related. It consists in replacing the name of one object of the other similar object.

• The pen is mightier than the sword.
• The White House issued a statement.

“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.”

 In this line, “ears” is used to represent the attention or audience of the people.

32- Malapropism

Malapropism is an error of language which involves one word being wrongly exchanged for another closely sounding word having the opposite meaning which results into nonsense or some funny statement.

• He is the pineapple of politeness.
• I’m on a seafood diet. I see food, and I eat it.

“Much Ado About Nothing” by William Shakespeare

“Comparisons are odorous.”

Here, Dogberry mistakenly uses “odorous” instead of “odious,” resulting in a humorous misuse of the word.

33- Meiosis

A euphemistic figure of speech that intentionally understates something or implies that it is lesser in significance or size.

• I’m somewhat tired after completing a marathon.
• It’s just a flesh wound.

“I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.”

This reduces the focus on his intentionality in order to build up a strong empathic sense. The above instances go to show that Meiosis can be employed to underrate or reduce a matter for comic effect or emphasis.

34- Onomatopoeia

The use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions to which they refer.

• “Buzz” – the word imitates the sound of a bee.
• “Splash” – the word resembles the sound of something hitting or entering water.

“The Bells” by Edgar Allan Poe

“How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle, In the icy air of night!”

The word “tinkle” imitates the sound of bells ringing, which provides a sensory experience for the reader. These examples illustrate how Onomatopoeia is used to bring aural imagery to written language, evoking sounds through words.

35- Oxymoron

An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines two contradictory terms to create a paradoxical effect. It is usually used to create a dramatic or thought provoking impact in literature, poetry or everyday language.

“Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow.”

Here, the combination of ‘sweet’ and ‘sorrow’ creates the oxymoronic expression. I hope this clarifies the concept of an oxymoron and provides relevant examples.

36- Paradox

A statement that seems self-contradictory or nonsensical but in reality expresses a possible truth.

“1984” by George Orwell

“War is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength.”

The juxtaposition of contradictory concepts forms a paradox. It reflects the twisted logic of the dystopian society depicted in the novel.

37- Parallelism

The use of components in a sentence that are grammatically the same or similar in their construction, sound, meaning or meter.

• To be, or not to be: that is the question. (Hamlet)
• The midnight’s all a-glimmer, and ’tis oil midnight. (A Midsummer Night’s Dream)

“Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte

“The evening ailed her, and she grew shimmeringly and inconsolably pale. She was disturbed.”

In the aforesaid example, ‘ailed her’ and ‘grew shimmeringly and inconsolably pale. She was disturbed’ are parallel in structure and meaning. The sentence creates a strong image of the protagonist emotional state through repetition of sentence structure and synonyms.

38- Personification

Attributing human characteristics to nonhuman things.

• The sun smiled on the meadow.
• The wind whispered through the trees.
• The clock struck midnight.

See also: Anthropomorphism vs Personification

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II

“The hills were alive with the sound of music.” 

In the aforesaid example, personification is used to describe the tranquil hills surrounding the setting as if the hills themselves emanated sound. This poetic device makes the scene vivid and lively, which allows the readers or viewers to visualize the environment more clearly.

A pun refers to a type of a joke that uses one word but with multiple meanings either deliberately or unintentionally.

• I’m reading a book on anti-gravity. It’s impossible to put down!
• She died doing what she loved, spreading satin.

“Hamlet” by Shakespeare

“To be, or not to be: that is the butt’s finish. Or, to butt or not to butt–that is the question:”

The speaker creates puns by substituting words like ‘butt’ for ‘to be’ and ‘butt’ or ‘or not to butt’ for ‘to be, or not to be’. These humorous wordplays provide a comedic take on the original soliloquy. It reveals the power and versatility of language and English puns. Moreover, the puns help to convey a sense of humorous absurdity, which serves as an effective way of breaking the tension in a scene.

40- Pathetic fallacy

Attributes human feelings and responses to inanimate things or animals, especially in art and literature.

• The somber clouds darkened our mood.

“Macbeth” by William Shakespeare

“ Naught’s had, all’s spent, Since it operational kind Was mine, ’tis interference, ‘twixt drunkenness And sleep, ‘twixt waking and oblivion ‘Tis an easyZoomonly title Loans Credit Line perfect palindrome ‘Tis but a year or two at most, / Ere I must sleep in my tomb.”

This excerpt is rich in pathetic fallacy, as the thunder, lightning and rain are personified and directly connected to the events and emotions of the characters.

41- Periphrasis

A literary device that is used in the formulation of an alternative and shorter phrase to replace a relatively long and complicated one. This is usually in form of a circumlocution or round about expression, rather than direct or literal phraseology. Periphrasis is used because of different aims that include highlighting the statement, adding weight or solemnness, masking the sense and avoiding tediousness.

Common Example

• At this current moment in time” instead of “now.”
• Instead of saying “You stupid idiot,” one might say, “You’re not exactly a genius,”

Example In literature

“O, she doth mock me too! Friar Laurence, I took her for my flour and frame; and now am I turn’d, then, an compromise of sound and sense, I am very salt of tear.”

Through the use of periphrasis, Lord Capulet is able to express the depth of his grief and the magnitude of his loss without resorting to simple and direct language.

42- Polyptoton

The stylistic scheme in which words derived from the same root are repeated.

• Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.

“As You Like It” by Shakespeare

“For who so firm that cannot be agitated? Be not disturbed, though change and chiding chance, By gallants fond, by gossips diffame; praise you, and why not? Speak you praises, or wherein dish? If you disgust, why then fair Mar low despite? If you can blame, blame; if you cannot blame, why then be brief! Thus convergence, thus men judge of us: If we be merry, praise it not; If we be grave, thengraver us: Set down these rights; where is your scribe? Write, for my part, I am I.”

Through the use of Polyptoton in her speech, Rosalind is able to stress the theme of changeability and inconsistency in human beings. She repeated the word ‘change’ with different endings and parts of speech to emphasize her meaning in a poetic and impactful manner.

43- Polysyndeton

Deliberate use of many conjunctions. This literary technique creates a series of equal clauses that are connected by ‘and’, ‘but’ ‘or’ and other coordinating conjunctions, which emphasizes the parallel structure of the sentences.

• We have ships and men and money and stores.

“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

“The sluggish ooze, which heaped round my feet, Cold slid and squirmed, and multiple my pains; And faster and faster sunk that stone! Who laid bat wings to Memphian sculptures’ eyes! Beneath the rocks, beneath the sea, / The old man popped.”

Through the use of Polysyndeton in this poem, Coleridge is able to emphasize the parallels, repeated and iterative circumstances faced by the speaker, which makes the poem more engaging and vivid.

The use of more words than necessary to convey meaning either as a fault of style or for emphasis.

44- Pleonasm 

It is a rhetoric device whereby two words are used to emphasize one meaning. This refers to a writing style that tends to use a lot of words to convey an idea while also repeating or using double terms denoting exactly the same meaning. 

• see with one’s eyes or burning fire.

“Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep” by Mary Elizabeth Frye

“I am a thousand winds that blow, I am the diamond glints on snow, I am the sun on ripened grain, I am the gentle autumn rain. When you awaken in the morning’s hush, I am the swift uplifting rush Of quiet birds in circled flight. I am the soft stars that shine at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry, I am not there; I did not die.”

Here, the repetition of ‘I am’ is used to reinforce the idea of the speaker’s presence and continuity even after death. The use of pleonasms in this poem creates a lyrical and immersive quality, which emphasizes the richness and significance of everyday experiences.

A comparison between two unlike things using ‘like’ or ‘as’. Simile helps to create vivid imagery and convey complex emotion by providing a concrete example or comparison.

• Her smile was as bright as the sun.
• She worked like a horse

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare

“I am seraunt to some demies, That mock our masters of their festivities; And sometimes I’ll a little poster it, When you have done your exercises, And wonder thengpuly how you come to it; But whether by born or taught I cannot decipher; It enables me to speak in divinity; And ’tis a common proof that low men understand it.”

Here, Puck uses a simile to describe his ability to move unnoticed. This simile is powerful and intriguing as it draws an interesting parallel between Puck’s movements and servants making fun of their masters festivities. The use of simile in this instance helps to convey the idea that Puck is able to move around discreetly without being seen.

46- Synecdoche

A part is made to represent the whole or vice versa.

• All hands on deck.
• Give me four

“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary, / Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—” 

Poe’s use of a raven as a symbol in his poem goes beyond just representing a specific bird – it also highlights the gloomy associations and connotations that humans often attach to it. The poet employs synecdoche to represent the whole in order to create a somber and melancholic atmosphere.

47- Sibilance

A literary device where strongly stressed consonants are created deliberately by producing soft, hissing sounds. This effect is often produced through the use of sibilant consonant sounds, such as ‘s’, ‘sh’, ‘z’, and ‘zh’.

• The slithering snake slid through the grass.
• The sea slashed against the shore

“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot

“Do I dare Disturb the universe? In a minute there is time For decisions and revisions which a lifetime Of trouble, of growing old Shall not make, shall not mitigate, Shall not make amends for, Still less does forgiveness, Since that silence in which we all Die like a departed king”

The writer uses a literary device called sibilance to create a pensive and contemplative mood. This technique involves the repetition of words with an ‘s’ sound, such as ‘disturb’ and ‘universe’, which contributes to a whispery and introspective tone that matches the speaker’s inner thoughts. The repetition of initial ‘s’ sounds in these words helps to establish a connection between the speaker’s thoughts and the events that he ponders, which creates a sense of complexity and instability in the relationship between the two.

48- SynScope

A figure of speech in which a part of a sentence is repeated in a different way. For example, “The dog, the dog, that stole the cat” is a sycope that repeats the word “dog” in a different way to emphasize it.

“Finnegans Wake” by James Joyce

“(Arise, O sleeper, I would cry to you up in your burrow, / Come out,\n”

James Joyce uses the literary device of syncope, which involves omitting letters or sounds from words to mimic natural speech. He builds dense, meaningful passages around gaps and distortions in dialogue to represent a sedated and slurred voice. The contrast between these sections of rich prose and moments of silence allows Joyce to vividly render the intense inner experiences and obsessions of his characters.

49- Tautology

Saying the same thing twice in different words, which is considered to be a redundancy.

• She took a deep breath and breathed in deeply.
• I have already told you that I will never do it again.

“Arise, fair sun, and kill the enviously dark night!”

Shakespeare uses repetition of the phrases ‘fair sun’ and ‘enviously dark night’ to emphasize the depth of Romeo’s feelings for Juliet. Though the two phrases mean the same thing, however their repetition create a strong visual image and sensuous tone that mirrors Romeo’s intense emotions. This repetitive technique enriches the text’s poetic style and resonates with the reader, which underscores the passionate love between the two characters.

A word applies to two others in different senses.

• She broke his car and his heart.
• She dressed her doll and her brother.

“A Walk” by Joseph Brodsky

“Officials throng the streets, The sun stews, yesterday’s rain Drips from the leaves and whatever else Will hold such pineapple.”

Brodsky uses zeugma that yokes together two ideas that may not naturally belong together. He connects ‘officials throng the streets’ with ‘the sun stews’ pairing a group of people with a description of the weather. This unusual juxtaposition allows Brodsky to hyperbolize and satirize as he critically examines the Soviet regime.

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• English Grammar
• Figures Of Speech

Figures of Speech - Definition, Types and Usage with Examples

Are you as busy as a bee? Why not take some time off your busy schedule to learn how you can make your speech and writing sound and look extraordinary and engaging? There are many ways to make your language creative and interesting. One of the most effective ways to do it is to use figurative language. In this article, you will be introduced to what figures of speech are, their meaning and definition, the different types of figures of speech and how to use them effectively in sentences with examples.

Table of Contents

Definition of a Figure of Speech

Classification of figures of speech.

• How to Use a Figure of Speech in a Sentence? – Points to Remember

Examples of Figures of Speech

Frequently asked questions on figures of speech in english, what irs a figure of speech.

A figure of speech is an expression used to make a greater effect on your reader or listener. It includes making comparisons, contrasts, associations, exaggerations and constructions. It also gives a much clearer picture of what you are trying to convey.

Let us take a look at how different dictionaries define a figure of speech to have a much better idea of what it is.

A figure of speech, according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, is defined as “a word or phrase used in a different way from its usual meaning in order to create a particular mental picture or effect.” The Cambridge Dictionary defines a figure of speech as “an expression that uses words to mean something different from their ordinary meaning.” According to the Collins Dictionary, a figure of speech is “an expression or word that is used with a metaphorical rather than a literal meaning.”

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a figure of speech as “ a form of expression (such as a simile or metaphor) used to convey meaning or heighten effect often by comparing or identifying one thing with another that has a meaning or connotation familiar to the reader or listener.” According to the Macmillan Dictionary, a figure of speech is defined as “an expression in which the words are used figuratively, not in their normal literal meaning.”

Figures of Speech in English Grammar

In English grammar , there are around fifteen to twenty figures of speech. However, there are a few of them which are used more often than the others. Let us look at the most commonly used figures of speech.

• Personification
• Alliteration
• Transferred Epithet

How to Use a Figure of Speech in English? – Points to Remember

You now know that a figure of speech can make your language look and sound a lot more poetical, interesting and flamboyant. However, the challenge is not about learning the different figures of speech but knowing when, where and how to use them. You cannot use it anywhere you like. Only if it is used right and where they are appropriate and necessary, will it make your language better.

Figures of speech are not meant to provide information literally, so it is not suggested that you use figurative language in professional presentations and writings like essays. Since they do not convey literal meanings, it is very important that you learn how each figure of speech can be used. What is more important is knowing what it would mean when used in a particular part of a sentence. So, the most significant point that you have to keep in mind when using figures of speech is to employ them only if they give you the desired effect and meaning.

The figures of speech can be categorized into types based on their functions when used in sentences. Accordingly, the main categories are composed of ones that:

• Show a Relationship or Resemblance
• Show Phonetic Resemblances and Representing Sounds
• Show Emphasis or Unimportance

Showing a Relationship or Resemblance

This category includes figures of speech which are designed to make comparisons to show a relationship or some resemblances. Similes, metaphors, personification, euphemism, metonymy and synecdoche are the figures of speech used for this purpose.

Showing Phonetic Resemblances and Representing Sounds

This category of figures of speech include alliteration, assonance and onomatopoeia. The first two figures of speech are used to create an effect by using similar sounding words or words starting with the same consonant and vowel sounds, whereas onomatopoeia includes words that are used to represent sounds.

Showing Emphasis or Unimportance

The figures of speech belonging to this category are used to provide emphasis or show how important or unimportant something is. Hyperbole, antithesis, oxymoron, irony and litotes are figures of speech that can be used for this purpose.

Here are a few examples of the different figures of speech in English grammar.

• Simile – Rachel is as bright as the sun.
• Metaphor – The whole world is a stage.
• Personification – The wind whispered in my ears.
• Apostrophe – O William, you should be living now to see all this.
• Alliteration – Sally sold some seashells.
• Assonance – I seem to like your little green trees.
• Hyperbole – I am so hungry I could eat a horse.
• Oxymoron – Euthanizing their sick pet dog was considered as an act of kind cruelty.
• Epigram – The child is the father of man.
• Irony – A fire station burned down yesterday.
• Pun – Life depends upon the liver.
• Metonymy – The Bench decided that the man is guilty.
• Synecdoche – We need more hands to help us move this cupboard.
• Transferred Epithet – She had a sleepless night.

What is a figure of speech?

What is the definition of a figure of speech.

A figure of speech, according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, is defined as “a word or phrase used in a different way from its usual meaning in order to create a particular mental picture or effect.” The Cambridge Dictionary defines a figure of speech as “an expression that uses words to mean something different from their ordinary meaning.” According to the Collins Dictionary, a figure of speech is “an expression or word that is used with a metaphorical rather than a literal meaning.” The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a figure of speech as “ a form of expression (such as a simile or metaphor) used to convey meaning or heighten effect often by comparing or identifying one thing with another that has a meaning or connotation familiar to the reader or listener.” According to the Macmillan Dictionary, a figure of speech is defined as “an expression in which the words are used figuratively, not in their normal literal meaning.”

What are the different figures of speech in English?

Here is a list of the different figures of speech in English.

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Java Games: Flashcards, matching, concentration, and word search. A B Literal Language That which uses words in their usual meaning without exaggeration or imagination denotation the dictionary definition of a word figurative language departs from ordinary language (the strictly literal) to make meaning more vivid and to achieve special effects. connotation what the word suggests beyond its strict dictionary definition. figure of speech a device that permits an author to say one thing and mean another; words are used in a non-literal way in order to convey a forceful or vivid memory imagery words or phrases that use description to create pictures or word images in the reader's mind--word pictures that appeal to the senses and summon up the mental picture. purpose of imagery to help the reader re-create in his own mind the situation which the writer imagines so the reader can react as if he had experienced the situation firsthand. metaphor A comparison in which one thing is said to be another. implied metaphor a comparison that is not directly stated; the comparison is implied or suggested. dead metaphor a metaphor which has become so commonplace that it has lost its force, and we forget that it is not literally true. extended metaphor a metaphor which is exteded throughout the entire poem. simile a direct comparison made between two unlike things, using a word of comparison such as like, as, or than. symbol something in a literary work which maintains meaning while at the same time standing for something broader than itself. paradox a statement that reveals a kind of truth, although it seems to be self-contradictory and untrue oxymoron puts together two opposing or contradictory ideas into a statement that contradicts itself hyperbole a gross exaggeration Irony a contrast or discrepancy between what is stated and what is really meant; or between what is expected to happen and what actually does happen onomatopoeia when the sounds of word imitates or suggests its meaning assonance the repetition of vowel sounds in a group of words close together (in the same line). consonance repetition of internal consonant sounds within a line of poetry alliteration repetition of initial consonant sounds within a line of poetry synecdoche a part of something that refers to a whole pun a play on words-a word which means two different things at the same time and results in humor allusion a reference to a famous person or event in life, history, or literature personification a figure of speech in which something non-human (things, ideas, or animals) is given human characterisitcs or feelings apostrophe a figure of speech in which a writer speaks directly to an idea, to a quality, to an object, or to a person who is not present rhyme the repetition of two or more words in which the last vowel sound and the last consonant sound are the same beginning rhyme rhyme that occures in the first words of two or more lines of poetry end rhyme when a rhyme occurs at the end of a line internal rhyme rhyme that occures within a line of poetry exact rhyme the exact equivealence in rhyming sounds (fear/near) slant rhyme there is a similarity to the rhyming sounds instead of an exact rhyme. rhyme scheme the pattern in which end rhyme ocurs throughout a stanza or an entire poem. masculine rhyme a rhyme consisting of only one syllable feminine rhyme a rhyme consisting of two or more syllables Lexington, KY View profile This activity was created by a Quia Web subscriber. Help Center Rhyme with Figure of speech 21 rhymes for figure of speech - words and phrases that rhyme with figure of speech. 294 IMAGES Figure of Speech: Rhyme Simile Poster / Chart Learn Rhyme in English| Figure of speech| Rhyme| Rhyme Scheme| Types of Teach learners about figures of speech with these colourful poster 10 Grammar ideas Rhyming words & Rhyming Scheme/ Figures of Speech VIDEO Figures of speech| Figures of Speech in English " Life " Poem literary appreciation/ rhyming words, rhyme scheme, figures of speech Figure Speech Figure of speech and Rhyming scheme (2) of Upon Westminster Bridge (2) How To Pronounce Che Guevara (Correctly) Three Ways to Integrate Movement with Learning COMMENTS Rhyme Rhyme is a literary device, featured particularly in poetry, in which identical or similar concluding syllables in different words are repeated. Rhyme most often occurs at the ends of poetic lines. In addition, rhyme is principally a function of sound rather than spelling. For example, words rhyme that end with the same vowel sound but have ... Rhyme A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds in two or more words. Rhyming is particularly common in many types of poetry, especially at the ends of lines, and is a requirement in formal verse. The most familiar and widely-used form of rhyming is perfect rhyme, in which the stressed syllables of the words, along with all subsequent syllables ... 20 Types of Figures of Speech, With Definitions and Examples Some figures of speech, like metaphor, simile, and metonymy, are found in everyday language. Others, like antithesis, circumlocution, and puns take more practice to implement in writing. Below are some common figures of speech with examples, so you can recognize them and use them in your writing. Give your writing extra polish. Figure of Speech Definition and Full List of Examples A figure of speech involves using language in a unique way to paint a distinct picture for the reader. This literary device can be in the form of a phrase or a single word. The intended meaning differs from its ordinary meaning to create an enhanced experience. Figure of Speech A figure of speech is a word or phrase that is used in a non-literal way to create an effect. This effect may be rhetorical as in the deliberate arrangement of words to achieve something poetic, or imagery as in the use of language to suggest a visual picture or make an idea more vivid. Overall, figures of speech function as literary devices ... Figure of speech A figure of speech or rhetorical figure is a word or phrase that intentionally deviates from straightforward language use or literal meaning to produce a rhetorical or intensified effect ... Internal rhyme: using two or more rhyming words in the same sentence. Litotes: an understatement achieved by negating the opposite statement, ... Definition and Examples in Rhyme in Prose and Poetry "Deliberate rhyme in prose is amusing if the subject matter is light-hearted. Accidental rhyme seems careless, the product of a writer with a tin ear. In serious or grave material, rhyming word play in general seems inappropriate and at least undignified, if not repellant. "Rewriting a passage that appears elsewhere in this book . . ., Figure of Speech A figure of speech is a literary device in which language is used in an unusual—or "figured"—way in order to produce a stylistic effect. Figures of speech can be broken into two main groups: figures of speech that play with the ordinary meaning of words (such as metaphor, simile, and hyperbole ), and figures of speech that play with the ... Figures of Speech: Definition and Examples A figure of speech is a word or phrase using figurative language—language that has other meaning than its normal definition. In other words, figures of speeches rely on implied or suggested meaning, rather than a dictionary definition. We express and develop them through hundreds of different rhetorical techniques, from specific types like ... Guide to Literary Terms Figure of Speech Rhyme Riddle ... A figure of speech is a word or phrase possessing a figurative meaning that is different from its literal definition. Metaphor, simile, and irony are all examples of figures of ... Figurative Language Figurative Language Definition. Figurative language uses figures of speech to be more effective, persuasive, and impactful. Figures of speech such as metaphors, similes, and allusions go beyond the literal meanings of the words to give readers new insights. On the other hand, alliterations, imageries, or onomatopoeias are figurative devices ... Figurative Language Poems with Questions RL.2.4 - Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song. RL.3.4 - Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language. RL.4.4 - Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to ... What Are Figures of Speech? Definition & 100+ Examples Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in non-rhyming words, often used to create internal rhymes and enhance the rhythm in poetry or prose. This figure of speech contributes to the musicality, mood, and overall atmosphere of a piece, making it more engaging and memorable for the reader or listener. PDF Poetry Terms: Sound Devices, Figures of Speech, Elements of Literature Slant Rhyme - a rhyming sound that is not exact. Couplet - two consecutive rhyming lines of poetry. Common Figures of Speech - a word or a phrase that describes one thing in terms of another and that Is not meant to be taken literally. Cliché - a word or phrase, often a figure of speech, that has become lifeless because of overuse. Figure of speech figure of speech, any intentional deviation from literal statement or common usage that emphasizes, clarifies, or embellishes both written and spoken language.Forming an integral part of language, figures of speech are found in oral literatures as well as in polished poetry and prose and in everyday speech. Greeting-card rhymes, advertising slogans, newspaper headlines, the captions of ... Understanding Figures of Speech: Definitions, Types, and Examples Figures of speech are diverse and serve to use language in a way that creates a specific impact. Examples include expressions like "the mouth of a river," "round and round," "the eye of a needle," "a stream of abuse," "money talks," "butterflies in the stomach ," and "painful pride." These can be found across literature, poetry, movies, and ... An A-Z of Figures of Speech The English language is full of figures of speech - where words are used in special ways to achieve a special effect. Figurative language - where figures of speech are used a lot - is often associated with novels and literature, and poetry in particular. ... Assonance creates internal rhyming within phrases or sentences by repeating vowel ... What Are Figures of Speech? Figures of speech examples. Figures of speech can take many forms. They can involve a single word, a word combination, an omission of a word, a repetition of sounds or words, or specific sentence structures. Figures of speech list. There are different types of figures of speech, each with its own unique purpose and effect. Figure of Speech Meaning, Examples, Definition, Types, List A figure of speech is a phrase or word used in a non-literal sense for rhetorical or rich effect. It is an expression that is different from its literal meaning. ... The rhyming words stand out. Rhyme Examples. Try before you buy. 7-eleven; Birds of a feather, stick together. Kids and grown-ups love it so, the happy world of Haribo. Euphemism. Assonance Assonance is a figure of speech in which the same vowel sound repeats within a group of words. An example of assonance is: "Wh o gave N ew t and Sc oo ter the bl ue t u na? ... Rhyme is the repetition of identical sounds located at the ends of words. Rhymes can be either repeated consonant sounds or vowel sounds (or combinations of the two). A ... 50 Figures of Speech (Types & Examples) These figures of speech allow the writers to convey ideas and imagery in an imaginative and unconventional way through comparisons, associations and plays on words. Some common examples include similes, metaphors, hyperbole, personification, oxymoron's and alliteration. Skillful use of rhetorical devices brings vividness and flair to expression. Figures of Speech Examples of Figures of Speech. Here are a few examples of the different figures of speech in English grammar. Simile - Rachel is as bright as the sun. Metaphor - The whole world is a stage. Personification - The wind whispered in my ears. Apostrophe - O William, you should be living now to see all this. Quia a figure of speech in which a writer speaks directly to an idea, to a quality, to an object, or to a person who is not present. rhyme. the repetition of two or more words in which the last vowel sound and the last consonant sound are the same. beginning rhyme. Figure Of Speech Rhymes Words and phrases that rhyme with Figure Of Speech. Used in poems and poetry, songs, lyrics and music. Top rhymes for Figure Of Speech. essay homework paper phd project resume review study thesis