Grade 8 English Home Language: Figures of Speech

Revision flashcards defining key figures of speech for Grade 8 English Home Language Paper 1.

Simile

A comparison between two things using like or as.

Metaphor

A direct comparison between two things without using like or as.

Personification

Giving human qualities, feelings or actions to something non-human.

Hyperbole

An extreme exaggeration used for emphasis or humour.

Onomatopoeia

Words that imitate sounds.

Alliteration

Repetition of the same initial consonant sound in nearby words.

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words.

Oxymoron

Two words with contradictory meanings placed together.

Contrast

Placing different or opposite ideas, people or situations alongside one another.

Repetition

Repeating a word, phrase or idea.

Rhetorical question

A question asked for effect rather than to receive an actual answer.