FIGURE OF SPEECH
FIGURE OF SPEECH
A figure of speech is a word or phrase using figurative language - a language that has other than its normal definition .It is an expression or word that is used with a metaphorical rather than a literal meaning . Whenever a speaker does not intend the literal interpretation of his words ,then he is using a figure of speech . It can be repetition , arrangement or omission of words with literal meaning ,or a phrase with a specialised meaning not based on the literal meaning of the words .It is 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 .
There are number of figures of speech but I am trying to compile some of the most important ones.
1. Simile : Simile is a figure of speech ,where two unlike things are compared ,having at least one point in common , with the help of words such as - like and as '
for example :
*She is as beautiful as snow white .
*Your explanation is as clear as crystal.
*They fought like cats and dogs.
*He is as funny as barrel of monkeys .
* Thy soul was like a star , and dwelt apart :
Thou hadst a voice whose sound was like the sea.
* The righteous shall flourish as the palm tree.
2. Metaphor : A metaphor is a figure of speech containing an implied comparison, in which a word or phrase ordinary used as if the two things were one .A hidden comparison between two things that are unrelated, but which share some common characteristics .like in Simile we compare two unlike things with the words like and as but here in Metaphor we basically don't compare rather we imply the same meaning to other.
for example :
*The camel is the ship of desert
* curtain of night
* dark blanket of cloud.
* My brother is black sheep of the family
* Life is a dream
* My brother was boiling mad.
* war is the mother of all battles etc.
3. Personification : Personification is a figure of speech where life or human qualities are endowed to inanimate things or objects to make them alive. It gives human traits and qualities , such as , emotions , desires,sensation ,gestures and speech ,often by way of a metaphor . It helps paint a picture in your mind , creates an imagery ,usually used to beautify things
for examples :
* The sunflowers nodded in the wind
* The hare laughed at the tortoise
* This city never sleeps
* The moon smiled upon the river.
* The wind howled at the night
* The night was creeping on the ground etc.
4. Alliteration - Alliteration is the repetition of initial sounds in neighbouring words. Alliteration draws attention to the phrase and is often used for emphasis .
for eg :
She sells sea shells at the sea -shore
Peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers .
Janie read a book by the babbling brook
Only the repetition of the same sound is acceptable as an alliteration not the consonant themselves . Although if they start with different consonants , they constitute perfect instances of alliteration .
for eg :
Ronie cooked cupcakes in the kitchen
The candy was killing my cavity.
I forgot my flip phone but felt free.
By contrast , if neighbouring words start with the same consonants but have different initial sounds , the words are not alliterated.
for eg :
A cute child sitting in a corner.
Highly honourable judge did the wrong judgement.
5. Antithesis : Antithesis is a figure of speech where two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect .The literal meaning of Antithesis is opposite.Antithesis are used to strengthen an argument by using either exact opposites or simply contrasting ideas , but can also include both.
for eg :
Speech is silver but silence is gold
Better to reign in hell ,than serve in heaven
Marriage has many pains but celibacy has no pleasures.
6. Consonance : Consonance is the repetition of consonant sound within a sentence or phrase .
for eg :
Mike likes his new bike .
Toss the glass, boss.
I will crawl away the ball
It will creep and beep whole while you sleep etc
7. Assonance : Assonance refers to repetition of sounds produced by vowels within a sentence or a phrase . In this regard assonance can be understood to be a kind of alliteration . What set it apart from alliteration is that it is a repetition of vowel sounds .
for eg :
on a proud round cloud in white high night
with an anxiety that almost amounted to agony .
I must confess that in my quest ,I felt depressed and restless.
The early bird catches the worm .
These are few examples from some famous poems and proverbs
8. Irony : Irony is a figure of speech where there is a contrast between what is said and what is meant .It is characterised by an incongruity , a contrast between reality and appearance . There are three types of Irony :
a. Verbal : It is a contrast between what is said and what is meant . It is always intentional. It sounds a lot like sarcasm .
for eg :A snobbish women - who perceives moonstone to be a poor man's gemstone - is given a pair of moonstone earrings by her fiance .When she opens the box ,she says , ''Thank you, honey. I just love moonstones .They're so simple ."It means in reality she didn't like it , it was a sarcastic way of expression....didn't mean what she said in reality.
b. Dramatic Irony : It occurs when the audience or reader knows more than the character about events. It creates suspense , or humor , as the audience waits to see if the characters will come to understand what's really happening .
for eg : In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Macbeth appears to be loyal to Duncan , but he is actually plotting his murder . Duncan doesn't know Macbeth's plans , but the audience knows what is going to happen .
c. Situational Irony : This refers to the contrast between the actual result of a situation and what was intended or expected to happen .
for eg : The story of an hour by Kate Choplin tells the tale of a wife who learned her husband was dead . She felt a sense of freedom , thinking about her new life out from under his thumb . Suddenly , the husband returns [ he never was dead] and she dies of shock.
9. Oxymoron : Oxymoron is a figure of speech where contradictory terms appears together
for eg :
a little big
abundant poverty
a new classic
open secret
original copies
liquid gas
accurate estimate etc
some examples in sentence :
After the dejection, hero of the play felt isolated in crowd.
According to me, he can prepare an accurate estimate of an yearly budget .
The professor was giving a lecture on virtual reality.
There was a love-hate relationship between them . etc
10. Pun : A pun is a play on words that takes advantage of two things - 1. the fact that some words with different meaning sound the same , air and heir . 2. The fact that other words have more than one meaning - such as ''case'' which can either be piece of baggage or instance of a disease.Pun also called as Paronomasia.
for eg :
A bicycle can't stand on it's own because it is two-tired .
Santa's helpers are known as subordinate clauses .
The grammarian was very logical. He had a lot of comma sense .
What did one plant say to another? What's stomata? etc.
11. Hyperbole : Hyperbole is basically an exaggeration of the statement used by authors and poets to evoke strong ,intense feeling . Hyperbole can be used in a form of humour , excitement , distress and many other emotions all depending on the context in which the speaker uses it .
for eg :
I've told you million times .
I am so hungry , I could eat a horse
I had ton of homework.
He is skinny as toothpick etc .
12. Understatement : Understatement is a figure of speech where speaker intentionally make a situation seem less important than it really is . It has an ironic effect ,and opposite to hyperbole .
for eg :
''He is not too thin ''- [to describe an obese person ]
''It rained a little more than usual'' - [while describing a flooded area after heavy rainfall ].
''It is a bit cold today ''-[ when it is 5 degree freezing temperature ]
''I have to have this operation .It isn't very serious , I have this tiny little tumor on the brain ''
13. Repetition : Repetition is when words or phrases are repeated in a literary work. it is often used in poetry or a song , and is used to create rhythm and bring attention to an idea .
for eg :
''Let it snow, let it snow, Let it snow
oh woeful , oh woeful , oh woeful day !''
Shakespeare , Romeo Juliet
'' And miles to go before I sleep , and miles to go before I sleep '
Robert Frost , Stopping by woods on a snowy evening
14. Onomatopoeia : The word Onomatopoeia comes from the combination of two Greek words - one meaning'' name'' and other meaning'' I make '', so Onomatopoeia literally means the name or sound I make .This is to say that the word means nothing more than the sound it makes .
for eg :
whoosh for the passing breeze
croaks made by frogs
hiss made by snake
meow of cat
moo of cow/Buffalo
neigh of horse etc
15 . Synecdoche : Synecdoche is a figure of speech ,which may use part of something to represent the entire whole , or whole thing to represent a part of it . It can use a word or phrase as a class that will express less or more than the word or phrase , or large group to refer to a smaller group.
for eg :
The word'' police ''can be used to represent only one or few police officer .
''If the world is not treating you well'' , that would not be the whole world , but just the part of it that you have encountered.
If at Olympics , India won gold medal in an event , that actually means a team from India , not the whole country .
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for example :
*The camel is the ship of desert
* curtain of night
* dark blanket of cloud.
* My brother is black sheep of the family
* Life is a dream
* My brother was boiling mad.
* war is the mother of all battles etc.
3. Personification : Personification is a figure of speech where life or human qualities are endowed to inanimate things or objects to make them alive. It gives human traits and qualities , such as , emotions , desires,sensation ,gestures and speech ,often by way of a metaphor . It helps paint a picture in your mind , creates an imagery ,usually used to beautify things
for examples :
* The sunflowers nodded in the wind
* The hare laughed at the tortoise
* This city never sleeps
* The moon smiled upon the river.
* The wind howled at the night
* The night was creeping on the ground etc.
4. Alliteration - Alliteration is the repetition of initial sounds in neighbouring words. Alliteration draws attention to the phrase and is often used for emphasis .
for eg :
She sells sea shells at the sea -shore
Peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers .
Janie read a book by the babbling brook
Only the repetition of the same sound is acceptable as an alliteration not the consonant themselves . Although if they start with different consonants , they constitute perfect instances of alliteration .
for eg :
Ronie cooked cupcakes in the kitchen
The candy was killing my cavity.
I forgot my flip phone but felt free.
By contrast , if neighbouring words start with the same consonants but have different initial sounds , the words are not alliterated.
for eg :
A cute child sitting in a corner.
Highly honourable judge did the wrong judgement.
5. Antithesis : Antithesis is a figure of speech where two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect .The literal meaning of Antithesis is opposite.Antithesis are used to strengthen an argument by using either exact opposites or simply contrasting ideas , but can also include both.
for eg :
Speech is silver but silence is gold
Better to reign in hell ,than serve in heaven
Marriage has many pains but celibacy has no pleasures.
6. Consonance : Consonance is the repetition of consonant sound within a sentence or phrase .
for eg :
Mike likes his new bike .
Toss the glass, boss.
I will crawl away the ball
It will creep and beep whole while you sleep etc
7. Assonance : Assonance refers to repetition of sounds produced by vowels within a sentence or a phrase . In this regard assonance can be understood to be a kind of alliteration . What set it apart from alliteration is that it is a repetition of vowel sounds .
for eg :
on a proud round cloud in white high night
with an anxiety that almost amounted to agony .
I must confess that in my quest ,I felt depressed and restless.
The early bird catches the worm .
These are few examples from some famous poems and proverbs
8. Irony : Irony is a figure of speech where there is a contrast between what is said and what is meant .It is characterised by an incongruity , a contrast between reality and appearance . There are three types of Irony :
a. Verbal : It is a contrast between what is said and what is meant . It is always intentional. It sounds a lot like sarcasm .
for eg :A snobbish women - who perceives moonstone to be a poor man's gemstone - is given a pair of moonstone earrings by her fiance .When she opens the box ,she says , ''Thank you, honey. I just love moonstones .They're so simple ."It means in reality she didn't like it , it was a sarcastic way of expression....didn't mean what she said in reality.
b. Dramatic Irony : It occurs when the audience or reader knows more than the character about events. It creates suspense , or humor , as the audience waits to see if the characters will come to understand what's really happening .
for eg : In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Macbeth appears to be loyal to Duncan , but he is actually plotting his murder . Duncan doesn't know Macbeth's plans , but the audience knows what is going to happen .
c. Situational Irony : This refers to the contrast between the actual result of a situation and what was intended or expected to happen .
for eg : The story of an hour by Kate Choplin tells the tale of a wife who learned her husband was dead . She felt a sense of freedom , thinking about her new life out from under his thumb . Suddenly , the husband returns [ he never was dead] and she dies of shock.
9. Oxymoron : Oxymoron is a figure of speech where contradictory terms appears together
for eg :
a little big
abundant poverty
a new classic
open secret
original copies
liquid gas
accurate estimate etc
some examples in sentence :
After the dejection, hero of the play felt isolated in crowd.
According to me, he can prepare an accurate estimate of an yearly budget .
The professor was giving a lecture on virtual reality.
There was a love-hate relationship between them . etc
10. Pun : A pun is a play on words that takes advantage of two things - 1. the fact that some words with different meaning sound the same , air and heir . 2. The fact that other words have more than one meaning - such as ''case'' which can either be piece of baggage or instance of a disease.Pun also called as Paronomasia.
for eg :
A bicycle can't stand on it's own because it is two-tired .
Santa's helpers are known as subordinate clauses .
The grammarian was very logical. He had a lot of comma sense .
What did one plant say to another? What's stomata? etc.
11. Hyperbole : Hyperbole is basically an exaggeration of the statement used by authors and poets to evoke strong ,intense feeling . Hyperbole can be used in a form of humour , excitement , distress and many other emotions all depending on the context in which the speaker uses it .
for eg :
I've told you million times .
I am so hungry , I could eat a horse
I had ton of homework.
He is skinny as toothpick etc .
12. Understatement : Understatement is a figure of speech where speaker intentionally make a situation seem less important than it really is . It has an ironic effect ,and opposite to hyperbole .
for eg :
''He is not too thin ''- [to describe an obese person ]
''It rained a little more than usual'' - [while describing a flooded area after heavy rainfall ].
''It is a bit cold today ''-[ when it is 5 degree freezing temperature ]
''I have to have this operation .It isn't very serious , I have this tiny little tumor on the brain ''
13. Repetition : Repetition is when words or phrases are repeated in a literary work. it is often used in poetry or a song , and is used to create rhythm and bring attention to an idea .
for eg :
''Let it snow, let it snow, Let it snow
oh woeful , oh woeful , oh woeful day !''
Shakespeare , Romeo Juliet
'' And miles to go before I sleep , and miles to go before I sleep '
Robert Frost , Stopping by woods on a snowy evening
14. Onomatopoeia : The word Onomatopoeia comes from the combination of two Greek words - one meaning'' name'' and other meaning'' I make '', so Onomatopoeia literally means the name or sound I make .This is to say that the word means nothing more than the sound it makes .
for eg :
whoosh for the passing breeze
croaks made by frogs
hiss made by snake
meow of cat
moo of cow/Buffalo
neigh of horse etc
15 . Synecdoche : Synecdoche is a figure of speech ,which may use part of something to represent the entire whole , or whole thing to represent a part of it . It can use a word or phrase as a class that will express less or more than the word or phrase , or large group to refer to a smaller group.
for eg :
The word'' police ''can be used to represent only one or few police officer .
''If the world is not treating you well'' , that would not be the whole world , but just the part of it that you have encountered.
If at Olympics , India won gold medal in an event , that actually means a team from India , not the whole country .
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