Figures of Speech Exercise

Directions: Working with a partner, read the following paragraph and 1) underline the
figures of speech. 2) label them as: simile, metaphor, euphemism, oxymoron,
onomatopoeia and/or alliteration
He started out as a paid volunteer for the Cocamamy Crudgeon Company and worked
alliteration
himself into a temporary full-time position. The uilding he worked in was a huge!
oxymoron
monolithic structure that seemed to spring up from the cement like a huge pointing
simile
finger. "n the listless lilting liposuction of life this was a #o of $illiputian proportions.
alliteration
%t first! he liked the position! ut lately his oss seemed politely insulting towards
oxymoron
Him! which caused him to respond in a passive aggressive manner. The relative truth of
Oxymoron oxymoron
the matter was that he needed this #o to pay for his mortgage and feed his urgeoning
small crowd of a family. He let out a singular silent scream of painful remorse when his
oxymoron alliteration
inconsiderate! insidious! incoherent! idiot of a oss asked him to work overtime for the
alliteration
ten-thousandth time for very little overtime pay or gratitude from the firm.
&'aggeration (hyperole)
His oss started out in a low mumled schoolmarmish tone) * +n the road of life
metaphor
there are many crossroads and this is one of them. To live! to struggle! to work ,tis
divine. -e need your support tonight. -e can.t get this pro#ect completed without your
diligent determined skills that will ring closure to this pro#ect and enale our team to
alliteration metaphor
ond together in a multiplicity of #oyous accomplishment./
Metaphor metaphor
He heard the sounds! ut the words seemed garled! as if he was listening under
simile
water. He had heard similar speeches efore the last 0 pro#ects that always seemed to give
a lot of attention and praise to his oss! ut never anything to the peons that laored under
metaphor
him. His response was also somewhat poetic as he said! that he would rather take the
path less traveled! so he would have time to smell the roses with his wife and 0 kids.
Metaphor metaphor
Cont. 1igures 2aragraph
He sensed that he was heading onto a ridge over trouled waters ! so he 3uickly added
metaphor
that he would only e ale to work until 4)55 that evening.
The oss came ack with a death stare and droned on aout eing a team player
Metaphor metaphor
and reaching towards the higher goal for the etterment of all and eing all that he could
metaphor metaphor
e! etc.
He ecame sadly amused at this and reached a preliminary conclusion aout his
oxymoron oxymoron
work situation. He decided to look for a #o that would let him have at least a little
serious fun while he was still ale. He felt that in the tree of life their needs to e at least
oxymoron metaphor
some edile fruit to sustain him through the harsh winters of his previous discontent. He
metaphor
wrote on his resume that he had een a computer insertion specialist! which meant he had
euphemism
een doing drudgerous data entry diligently and dutifully for the last decade. Tic tock
alliteration onomatopoei
time was creeping up on him he needed to strike while the iron was hot. He had rode this
metaphor metaphor
horse to death. "t was time to get out of 6odge. 1inish this with your own ending using a
metaphor
similes! o'ymoron! metaphor! onomatopoeia! euphemism and/or alliteration if you feel
poetic.
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