A good writer should not depend on word tricks to create meaningful

prose; a writer who is skillful knows when and how to use certain
literary devices or techniques to create written work that is not just
easy to understand but also enjoyable to read.

One such technique is called figure of speech. A figure of speech

is a word or phrase that is used to create dramatic effect. Such a
word or phrase is not used in their original or literal sense but in a
figurative manner. Figures of speech are very much widely used in
the English language and their mastery helps to spice up any
writers prose and poetry.

Here are some of the many figures of speech that are used in the
English language, their definitions, and examples:

1. A metonymy is a figure of speech wherein the name of an object

or idea is replaced with another word that is closely related to that
name or is suggestive of it.

Examples: His loyalty remains with the crown (in place of king or
queen). / Im reading Shakespeare (in place of Shakespeares
works).

2. In irony a word or phrase is used to express something other

than its literal meaning, and in particular the opposite of what it
actually means. It has moved from being just a literary device to
being used in everyday conversation.

Examples: The fish drowned. / This mattress is as soft as cement.

3. In a pun, also called play on words, similar sounding words and

words with multiple meanings are used to change the intended
meaning of a sentence or well-known expression to convey another
meaning that is often very funny.

Examples: The baker kneads (needs) dough to make bread. /

Her photographic memory never got developed.

4. In a spoonerism, the letters or syllables of phrases or sentences

are swapped to create funnier expressions that are also mentally
challenging to the reader.

Examples: A lack of pies (A pack of lies). / Shake a tower (Take a

shower).

5. In onomatopoeia, an object or action is named by imitating the

sound that it makes.

Examples: The bees are buzzing. / I can hear the cats meow. /
The pitter-patter of the rain.
6. In a synecdoche, a part (word) is used to represent the whole
(intended word) or vice versa. A synecdoche is closely related to a
metonymy. But in a metonymy, the substituted word is related to the
original word, whereas in a synecdoche, the substituted word must
be a part of the original word (whole).

Examples: All hands on deck (hands in place of sailors; the hand is

part of a sailor). / The soccer match
between Brazil and France was epic (Brazil/France in place of the
Brazilian/French soccer team; the whole replacing a part)

7. In a tautology, a word or phrase is used redundantly or repeated

unnecessarily. It is used in literature to highlight or emphasize an
important point, but it can also be seen as an editorial error.

Examples: The store is giving away free gifts. / Bits and pieces. /
Say it again one more time.

8. In a malapropism, a word is incorrectly or inappropriately used

for another word in a well-known phrase or expression. The result is
a phrase that does not make any sense but is funny. A malapropism
is used to lend humor to a written or spoken line, but its
unintentional use in ordinary speech is considered an error.

Examples: A tantrum bicycle (tandem). / An auspicious person

(suspicious).
9. A litote is created when an affirmative position is expressed by
negating the opposite of a word or phrase.

Examples: He is not unlike his father (like). / You are not

wrong (correct).

10. A paradox is a self-contradictory statement; that is, a statement

that is opposite to what is common sense but which is probably true.

Examples: A wise fool. / It was a bittersweet moment. / The

beginning of the end.

In the following questions, you will be reading sentences using any

one of the figures of speech above. Determine which type is being
used.