Rhetorical devices/figurative language language
Simile
A simile is a comparison between two different things using “like” or “as”
.
Example in a sentence:
Her smile is like sunshine.
"Loving him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead-end street - From
Red(Taylor’s version)
Fast as lighting.
Metaphor
A metaphor compares two things, but doesn’t use “like” or “as”. It says one
thing is another.
Example in a sentence:
Her eyes were oceans of sorrow.
Gonna give it to you, in capital letters- from Capital Letters.
Alliteration
Repeating the same consonant sound at the beginning of words in a sentence or phrase/tongue twister.
Example in a sentence:
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
She sells seashells on the seashore.
"Got a long list of ex-lovers.”- from Blank Space(Taylor’s Version)
Personification
Personification gives human characteristics to non-human things.
Example:
The wind whispered through the trees.
The alarm clock yelled at me.
“I'm so into you, I can barely breathe. ”- from Into You.
Hyperbole
Exaggerated statements
Example:
I’m so hungry, that I could eat a horse
I’m so tall, that even a giraffe couldn’t reach me.
“Everywhere I'm looking now I am surrounded by your embrace.”- from Halo
Deliberate repetition
Repeats or trying to say the main points to someone
Eg. We shall fight on the beaches , we shall fight in the fields, and we shall fight in
the streets.
Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia is a word that imitates the sound it describes.
Example:
The bees buzzed.
The door creaked open.
OOPS!
WOW!
Ironies
Verbal Irony
Definition: When someone says the opposite of what they mean, usually to
emphasize a point.
Effect: Adds humor, sarcasm, or dramatic emphasis.
Example in songs:
“I’m really happy for you, I wish you nothing but the best- From Better Than Revenge (she’s clearly not happy; it’s ironic).
“I woke up like this” perfection).
- Flawless (can be read ironically, exaggerating effortless
Situational Irony
Definition: When the opposite of what is expected happens.
Effect: Creates surprise, humor, or drama.
Example in songs:
“We are never ever getting back together”
– We Are Never Ever Getting Back
Together (after many failed attempts to get back, it’s ironic that the breakup is final).
“Thank u, next”
– Thank U, Next (finding gratitude and hoping failed
relationships is situationally ironic).
Dramatic Irony
Definition: When the audience knows something the character does not.
Effect: Creates tension or anticipation.
Example : Everyone knows that Hae Su is the fake daughter of Yu Jaung