Simile Definition

A simile is a figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing similarities between two
different things. Unlike a metaphor, a simile draws resemblance with the help of the words
like or as. Therefore, it is a direct comparison.

Our soldiers are as brave as lions.

Her cheeks are red like a rose.
He is as funny as a monkey.
The water well was as dry as a bone.
He is as cunning as a fox.
My love is like a red, red rose.
You were as brave as a lion.
They fought like cats and dogs.
He is as funny as a barrel of monkeys.
This house is as clean as a whistle.
He is as strong as an ox.
Your explanation is as clear as mud.
Watching the show was like watching grass grow.
That is as easy as shooting fish in a barrel.
This contract is as solid as the ground we stand on.
That guy is as nutty as a fruitcake.
Dont just sit there like a bump on a log.
That went over like a lead balloon.
They are as different as night and day.
She is as thin as a toothpick.

 Last night, I slept like a log.

This dress is perfect because it fits like a glove.
They wore jeans, which made me stand out like a sore thumb.
Metaphor Examples
A metaphor is a comparison between two unlike things not using the
word like or as to make the comparison. Metaphors can be
powerful, but they can also be tricky to identify at times.
Time is a thief.
He has a heart of gold.
His head was spinning with ideas.
John is a real pig when he eats.
Authority is a chair, it needs legs to stand up.
Her home was a prison.
Life is a journey, purposes are destinations, means are routes, difficulties are obstacles,
counselors are guides, achievements are landmarks and choices are crossroads.
The new movie was very popular. People flocked to see it.
It is raining cats and dogs.
Life has a tendency to come back and bite you.
It wasn't long before their relationship turned sour.
Harry lost his job after a heated argument with his boss.
The committee shot her ideas down one by one.
America is a melting pot.
He swam in the sea of diamonds.
You are my sunshine.
A light in a sea of darkness
He is my East and my West, my compass
The policeman let him off with a yellow card.
He was dressed rather vulgarly in a loud checked suit.
The new car's sexy design increased sales for the company.
A lifetime is a day, death is sleep; a lifetime is a year, death is winter.
Your love is an ocean
Life is a mere dream, a fleeting shadow on a cloudy day.
The private detective dug up enough evidence to convince the police to act.
The noise is music to her ears

Alliteration:

is derived from Latins Latira. It means letters of

alphabet. It is a stylistic device in which a number of words, having the
same first consonant sound, occur close together in a series.
alliteration

But a better butter makes a batter better.

A big bully beats a baby boy.

Examples of Alliteration Using the B Sound

1. Janie read a book by the babbling brook.

2. The child bounced the ball at the backyard barbeque.

3. The barbarians broke through the barricade.

4. He acts silly at times, but he was blessed with a brilliant brain.

5. The beautiful bouquet blossomed in the bright sun.

Examples of Alliteration Using the C and K Sounds

6. When the canary keeled over, the coal miners left the cave.

7. The captain couldnt keep the men in the cabin.

8. Erin cooked cupcakes in the kitchen.

9. My Cadillac was completely crushed in a car crash.

10. The candy was killing my cavity.

Examples of Alliteration Using the Ch Sound

11. Despite their mothers warnings, the children chose to chew with
their mouths open.

12. The rich man was so cheap that it was chilling.

13. The crowd cheered when the champion hit the challenger with
a chair.

14. We sat around the campfire and chomped on chunks

of charred chicken.

15. Change the channel.

Assonance
Assonance (pronounced asuh-nuh ns) is the repetition of the same or
similar vowel sounds within words, phrases, or sentences. The word is
derived from the Latin phrase assonare, meaning to answer with the
same sound. The following is a simple example of assonance:

She seems to beam rays of sunshine with her eyes of green.

We light fire on the mountain.

I feel depressed and restless.
Go and mow the lawn.
Johnny went here and there and everywhere.
The engineer held the steering to steer the vehicle.

Definition of Hyperbole
Hyperbole is the use of obvious and deliberate exaggeration. Hyperbolic statements
are often extravagant and not meant to be taken literally. These statements are
used to create a strong impression and add emphasis. We use hyperbole frequently
in everyday language, saying things like Im so hungry I could eat a cow, or We
had

to

wait

forever

for

the

bus.

Hyperbole

sometimes

makes

usesimile or metaphor to create the effect of exaggeration, such as Hes as strong

as an ox.

The suitcase weighed a ton.

Im so angry, I could kill him!

Ive asked you not to do that a thousand times.

If he doesnt call by tonight, I will absolutely die.

Shes as skinny as a toothpick.

Some jokes also take advantage of hyperbole, like the Your Mama
jokes. For example:

Your mama is so lazy she got a remote controller to operate

her remote.

Your mama is so old her social security number is 1.

Your mama is so ugly they didnt give her a costume when she
auditioned for Star Wars.

Personification Definition

Personification is a figure of speech in which a thing, an idea or an animal is

given human attributes. The non-human objects are portrayed in such a way
that we feel they have the ability to act like human beings.

Examples of Personification from Common

Speech
We use many examples of personification in every day speech.
Some characteristics have become quite common to attribute to
certain things, such as the following:

Justice is blind

Her heart skipped a beat

The sun smiled down on them

The stars winked

The party died down

The city never sleeps

The wind howled

The iron gates looked down at them cruelly

The house sighed

The car sputtered and coughed before starting

Look at my car. She is a beauty, isnt it so?
The wind whispered through dry grass.
The flowers danced in the gentle breeze.
Time and tide waits for none.
The fire swallowed the entire forest.

What is metonymy?
Metonymy is a figure of speech in which a thing or concept is not called by its own name, but
by the name of something intimately associated with that thing or concept.

The examples below include both the metonymy and the possible words for which the
metonymy would fill in:

Crown - in place of a royal person

The White House - in place of the President or others who work there
The suits - in place of business people
Dish - for an entire plate of food
Cup - for a mug
The Pentagon - to refer to the staf
The restaurant - to refer to the staf
Ears - for giving attention ("Lend me your ears!" from Mark Antony in Julius Caesar)
Eyes - for sight
The library - for the staf or the books
Pen - for the written word
Sword - for military might
Silver fox - for an attractive older man
Hand - for help
The name of a country - used in place of the government, economy, etc.
The name of a church - used in place of its individual members
The name of a sports team - used in place of its individual members

SYNECDOCHE
Definition of Synecdoche
Synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase that
refers to a part of something is substituted to stand in for the whole,
or vice versa. For example, the phrase all hands on deck is a
demand for all of the crew to help, yet the word handsjust a part
of the crewstands in for the whole crew.

Common Examples of Synecdoche

There are many common expressions that are examples of

synecdoche. Here is a list of some of these examples:

Boots on the groundrefers to soldiers

New wheelsrefers to a new car

Ask for her handrefers to asking a woman to marry

Suitscan refer to businesspeople

Plasticcan refer to credit cards

The White Housecan refer to statements made by individuals

within the United States government

OXYMORON
Definition of Oxymoron
An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two seemingly opposing
and contradictory elements are juxtaposed. In literature, oxymora,
also known as oxymorons, often reveal a paradox.
There are many examples of oxymoron that have become common
phrases, such as:

controlled chaos

kill with kindness

old news

small giant

original copy

even odds

elevated subway

Great Depression
Jumbo shrimp
Cruel to be kind
Pain for pleasure
Clearly confused
Act naturally
Beautifully painful
Painfully beautiful
Deafening silence
Pretty ugly
Pretty fierce
Pretty cruel
Definitely maybe
Living dead
Walking dead

Pun Definition

A pun is a play on words in which a humorous effect is produced by using a

word that suggests two or more meanings or by exploiting similar sounding
words having different meanings.
Common Pun Examples

In everyday life, pun examples are found intentionally or accidentally used in

jokes and witty remarks. Such as:
The life of a patient of hypertension is always at steak.
Why do we still have troops in Germany? To keep the Russians in
Czech.
A horse is a very stable animal.
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
An elephants opinion carries a lot of weight.
What is the difference between a conductor and a teacher? The
conductor minds the train and a teacher trains the mind.

What do you call a person rabid with wordplay?

Santas helpers are known as subordinate Clauses.

She had a photographic memory but never developed it.
The two pianists had a good marriage. They always were in a chord.
I was struggling to figure out how lightning works then it struck me.
I really wanted a camouflage shirt, but I couldn't find one.
The grammarian was very logical. He had a lot of comma sense.
A chicken farmer's favorite car is a coupe.