Figures Of Speech

Simile

Compares two unlike things using like or as.

Example:

• She is as brave as a lion.

• The clouds floated like cotton balls.

Metaphor

Direct comparison without using like or as.

Example:

• Time is a thief.

• The classroom was a zoo.

Personification

Gives human qualities to non-human things.

Example:

• The wind whispered through the trees.

• The sun smiled down on us.

Hyperbole

Extreme exaggeration.

Example:

• I've told you a million times.

• I'm starving to death.

Understatement

Makes something seem less important than it is.

Example:

• After breaking his leg: "It's just a scratch."

Oxymoron

Two contradictory terms placed together.

Example:

• Deafening silence

• Bittersweet

• Jumbo shrimp

Paradox

A statement that seems contradictory but contains truth.

Example:

• Less is more.

• The only constant is change.

Irony

The opposite of what is expected.

Example:

• A fire station burns down.

Pun

Wordplay based on multiple meanings or similar sounds.

Example:

• I used to be a baker, but I couldn't make enough dough.

Alliteration

Repetition of beginning consonant sounds.

Example:

• Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds.

Example:

• Try to light the fire.

Consonance

Repetition of consonant sounds.

Example:

• Pitter-patter.

Onomatopoeia

Words that imitate sounds.

Example:

• Buzz

• Bang

• Splash

Apostrophe

Addressing someone absent, dead, or something nonhuman.

Example:

• O Death, where is thy sting?

Synecdoche

A part represents the whole, or vice versa.

Example:

• All hands on deck. (hands = sailors)

Metonymy

One thing is referred to by something closely associated with it.

Example:

• The White House announced new policies.

• The crown will decide.

Euphemism

A mild expression replacing a harsh one.

Example:

• Passed away (instead of died)

• Let go (instead of fired)

Litotes

Understatement using double negatives.

Example:

• Not bad.

• She's not unfamiliar with the topic.

Anaphora

Repetition at the beginning of successive clauses.

Example:

• We shall fight on the beaches,

• We shall fight on the landing grounds,

• We shall fight in the fields...

Rhetorical Question

A question asked for effect, not an answer.

Example:

• Who doesn't want success?