Figures of speech

methaphore

Reference to one thing as another, implying a comparison.
“Time is a thief” - Time doesn’t literally steal, but this metaphor suggests time takes away our moments and youth just as a thief takes possessions

Simile

Explicit comparison of one thing to another.
“He fought like a lion” - Unlike metaphor, simile uses “like” to make the comparison explicit, suggesting courage and ferocity

Synecdoche

A whole is represented by naming one of its parts.
“All hands on deck!” - “Hands” represents whole sailors/workers; you need the entire person, not just their hands

Metonymy

Reference to something or someone by naming one of its attributes.
“The White House announced new policies” - The building itself doesn’t speak; it represents the President and administration who work there.

Personification

Reference to abstractions or inanimate objects as though they had human qualities or abilities.

“The wind whispered through the trees” - Wind can’t literally whisper (a human action), but this gives it human-like gentleness.

Antanaclasis

Repetition of a word in two different senses.
“If we don’t hang together, we shall surely hang separately” (Benjamin Franklin) - First “hang” means unite; second means execution by hanging.

Paronomasia

Using words that sound alike but that differ in meaning (punning).
“A bicycle can’t stand on its own because it’s two tired” - “Two tired” sounds like “too tired,” playing on similar sounds

Syllepsis

Using a word differently in relation to two or more words that it modifies or governs (sometimes called zeugma).
“She broke his heart and his favorite vase” - “Broke” applies literally to the vase but figuratively to the heart.

Onomatopoeia

The use of words whose sound correspond with their semantic value.
“The bacon sizzled in the pan” - “Sizzled” sounds like the actual noise of frying

Anthimeria

Substitution of one part of speech for another. (often a noun instead of verb)
“Let’s inbox this tomorrow” - “Inbox” is a noun used as a verb, meaning to put something in an inbox.

Periphrasis

Substitution of a descriptive word or phrase for a proper name or of a proper name for a quality associated with the name.
“The Iron Lady” - Margaret Thatcher is referenced by her reputation for toughness rather than her name

Hyperbole

Use of exaggerated terms for emphasis or effect.
“I’ve told you a million times!” - Obviously not literally a million, but emphasizes frustration through exaggeration.

Auxesis

Reference to something with a name disproportionately greater than its nature (a kind of hyberbole).
“That’s the crime of the century!” - Referring to a minor offense with disproportionately grand language for dramatic effect

Litotes

Understatement used deliberately.
“He’s not the sharpest tool in the shed” - Understating that someone is unintelligent by saying what they’re not.

Meiosis

Reference to something with a name disproportionately lesser than its nature (a kind of litotes).

“Just a scratch” - Said about a serious wound, minimizing its severity

Rhetorical Question

Asking a question for a purpose other than obtaining the information requested.
“Is the Pope Catholic?” - Not actually asking for information, but emphasizing an obvious “yes

Irony

Using language in such a way as to convey a meaning opposite of what the terms used denote (often by exaggeration).

Oxymoron

Placing two ordinarily opposing terms adjacent to one another. A compressed paradox.
“Deafening silence” - Silence can’t be loud, but this captures how oppressive quiet can feel.

Paradox

An apparently contradictory statement that contains a measure of truth.
“Less is more” - Seemingly contradictory, but captures how simplicity can be more effective than excess

Parallelism

Similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses.

“Easy come, easy go” - Similar grammatical structure (adverb + verb) creates rhythm and balance

Isocolon

A series of similarly structured elements having the same length.
. “Read, write, recite” - Three parallel verbs of similar syllable count.

Tricolon

Three parallel elements of the same length occurring together.
“Government of the people, by the people, for the people” (Lincoln) - Three parallel prepositional phrases building power

Antithesis

juxtaposition of contrasting ideas (often in parallel structure).
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” (Dickens) - Contrasting ideas in parallel structure. 2. “One small

Climax

Generally, the arrangement of words, phrases, or clauses in an order of increasing importance, often in parallel structure.
“I came, I saw, I conquered” - Each phrase shows increasing success and power

Anastrophe

Inversion of natural word order.
“Strong you are, Luke” (Yoda) - Normal order would be “You are strong, Luke.

Parenthesis

Insertion of a verbal unit that interrupts normal syntactical flow.
“The study—which took five years—revealed surprising results” - The dashed phrase interrupts the main sentence flow.

Apposition

Addition of an adjacent, coordinate, explanatory element.

“My friend Sarah is visiting” - “Sarah” is placed adjacent to “my friend” to identify who.

Ellipsis

Omission of a word or words readily implied by context.
“I’ll take coffee; she, tea” - “Will take” is omitted from the second clause but understood.

Asyndeton

Omission of conjunctions between a series of clauses.
“Government of the people, by the people, for the people” - Omitting “and” before the final phrase creates smooth flow

Brachylogia

Omission of conjunctions between a series of words.
“Blood, sweat, tears” - Omitting conjunctions creates a staccato, emphatic effect.

Alliteration

Repetition of initial or medial consonants in two or more adjacent words.
“Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers” - Repetition of “p” sound at word

Assonance

Repetition of similar vowel sounds, preceded and followed by different consonants, in the stressed syllables of adjacent words.
“The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain” - Repetition of the long “a” vowel sound

Polyptoton

Repetition of words derived from the same root.
“Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds” (Shakespeare) - “Love/love,” “alters/alteration” share roots.

Anaphora

Repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of successive clauses.
“We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields…” (Churchill) - “We shall fight” repeats at each clause’s beginning

Antanaclasis

Repetition of a word in two different senses.

Epistrophe

Repetition of the same word or group of words at the ends of successive clauses.
“Government of the people, by the people, for the people” - “The people” ends each phrase. 2. “

Epanalepsis

Repetition at the end of a clause of the word that occurred at the beginning of the clause.
“Believe not all you can hear, tell not all you believe” - “Believe” starts and ends the statement.

Anadiplosis

Repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the following clause.
“Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering” (Yoda) - Each clause ends with the word that begins the next.

Climax (as repetition scheme)

Repetition of the scheme anadiplosis at least three times, with the elements arranged in an order of increasing importance.
Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering” - Anadiplosis repeated three times with increasing severity.

Antimetabole

Repetition of words, in successive clauses, in reverse grammatical order. (Sometimes mistaken as chiasmus)

“Eat to live, not live to eat” - “Eat/live” reverses to “live/eat” with reversed meaning.

Chiasmus

Repetition of grammatical structures in reverse order in successive phrases or clauses (not to be mistaken with antimetabole).
“Never let a fool kiss you or a kiss fool you” - Grammatical structure reverses: noun-verb becomes verb-noun