Figures of Speech - Quick Reference

Figure of Speech: Definition

  • A figure of speech departs from ordinary expression to create a greater effect; it uses non-literal language. It is essentially saying one thing in terms of something else.
  • It occurs when you say something but don’t mean it literally.

Simile

  • Definition: A comparison between two unlike things that share a common quality, usually introduced by words like, as, or so.
  • Examples: "You were as brave as a lion."; "They fought like cats and dogs."

Metaphor

  • Definition: An implied comparison; asserts that one thing is another, treating them as one rather than saying they are like each other.
  • Example: "The camel is a ship of the desert."
  • Note: Every simile can be converted into a metaphor, and every metaphor can be expanded into a simile.
  • Example of conversion: "Akash fought like a lion" (simile) → "Akash was a lion in the fight" (metaphor).

Compression/Expansion Relationship

  • Simile can be compressed into a metaphor and a metaphor can be expanded into a simile.

Personification

  • Definition: Giving life and human qualities to inanimate objects or abstract notions.
  • Example: "The trees scream in the raging wind."

Apostrophe

  • Definition: A direct address to the dead, the absent, or a personified object or idea; a specialized form of personification.
  • Example: Excerpt from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein showing direct address to stars, winds, etc.

Hyperbole

  • Definition: An emphatic overstatement to create a dramatic effect.
  • Example: "I’ve told you a million times."

Euphemism

  • Definition: Describing a disagreeable thing with a milder or more agreeable term to soften reality.
  • Examples:
    • Neutral description: You are telling me a fairy tale (i.e., a lie).
    • Common euphemisms: milder terms for harsh situations like death or terminations.

Examples of Euphemism for context

  • Euphemisms replace harsh terms with milder ones to soften impact. The text lists several real-world replacements in different domains.

Oxymoron

  • Definition: A special form of antithesis where two contradictory qualities are ascribed to the same thing.
  • Example: "I am busy doing nothing."

Irony

  • Definition: A mode of speech where the real meaning is the opposite of the literal meaning.
  • Example: The lifeguard drowned during his off or Antony’s statement about Brutus being an honorable man, implying the opposite.

Metonymy

  • Definition: Substituting the name of one thing for something closely associated with it.
  • Example: "The Crown" meaning the King or royal authority.

Litotes

  • Definition: An affirmative expressed by negating the opposite, yielding a weaker but emphatic expression.
  • Example: "The man is no fool" meaning he is very clever.

Onomatopoeia

  • Definition: A word formed from a sound associated with the thing named.
  • Examples: "oink, buzz, tweet, arf"