Figure of speech

Definition

Figure of speech is 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. figurative expression commonly used in both written and spoken literacy. It's commonly used in song, poem, prose ,etc. 

The function of the figure of speech itself is to replace several sentences to make them more beautiful and interesting. In figure of speech and figure of speech , sentences that are written sometimes do not contain a literal meaning but are only as expressions.

Type

 Alliteration

Alliteration is the repetition of the beginning sounds of neighboring words.

Examples include:

• She sells seashells.
• Walter wondered where Winnie was.
• Blue baby bonnets bobbed through the bayou.
• Nick needed new notebooks.

Anaphora

Anaphora is a technique where several phrases or verses begin with the same word or words.

Examples include:

• I came, I saw, I conquered.
• Mad world! Mad kings! Mad composition!
• It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.
• With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right.
• We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end... we shall never surrender.

Assonance

Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds (not just letters) in words that are close together. The sounds don't have to be at the beginning of the word.

Examples include:

• A - For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore.
• E - Therefore, all seasons shall be sweet to thee.
• I - From what I've tasted of desire, I hold with those who favor fire.
• O - Oh hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.
• U - Uncertain rustling of each purple curtain

 Euphemism

Euphemism is a mild, indirect, or vague term that often substitutes a harsh, blunt, or offensive term.

Examples include:

• 'A little thin on top' instead of 'going bald.'
• 'Fell of the back of a truck' instead of 'stolen.'
• 'Letting you go' instead of 'firing you.'
• 'Passed away' instead of 'died.'
• 'Economical with the truth' instead of 'liar.'

Hyperbole

Hyperbole uses exaggeration for emphasis or effect.

Examples include:

• I've told you to stop a thousand times.
• That must have cost a billion dollars.
• I could do this forever.
• She's older than dirt.
• Everybody knows that.

Irony

Irony occurs when there's a marked contrast between what is said and what is meant, or between appearance and reality.

Examples include:

• "How nice!" she said, when I told her I had to work all weekend.
• A traffic cop gets suspended for not paying his parking tickets.
• The Titanic was said to be unsinkable but sank on its first voyage.
• Naming a tiny Chihuahua Brutus.
• When the audience knows the killer is hiding in a closet in a scary movie, but the actors do not. 

Metaphor

A metaphor makes a comparison between two unlike things or ideas.

Examples include:

• Heart of stone
• Time is money
• The world is a stage
• She's a night owl
• He's an ogre

Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia is the term for a word that sounds like what it is describing.

Examples include:

• Whoosh
• Splat
• Buzz
• Click
• Oink

 Oxymoron

An oxymoron is two contradictory terms used together.

Examples include:

• Peace force
• Kosher ham
• Jumbo shrimp
• Sweet sorrow
• Free market

 Personification

Personification gives human qualities to non-living things or ideas.

Examples include:

• The flowers nodded.
• The snowflakes danced.
• The thunder grumbled.
• The fog crept in.
• The wind howled.

Simile

A simile is a comparison between two unlike things using the words "like" or "as."

Examples include:

• As slippery as an eel
• Like peas in a pod
• As blind as a bat
• Eats like a pig
• As wise as an owl

 Synecdoche

Synecdoche occurs when a part is represented by the whole or, conversely, the whole is represented by the part.

Examples include:

• Wheels - a car
• The police - one policeman
• Plastic - credit cards
• Coke - any cola drink
• Hired hands – workers

Understatement

An understatement occurs when something is said to make something appear less important or less serious.

Examples include:

• It's just a scratch - referring to a large dent.
• It's a litttle dry and sandy - referring to the driest desert in the world.
• The weather is cooler today - referring to sub-zero temperatures.
• It was interesting - referring to a bad or difficult experience.
• It stings a bit - referring to a serious wound or injury.