FIGURES

OF
SPEECH
 FIGURES OF SPEECH
- Also known as rhetorical figure is figurative language in the

form of a single word or phrase. It can be a special repetition, arrangement or

omission of words with literal meaning,

or a phrase with a specialized meaning not based

on the literal meaning of the words.

- Figures of speech often provide emphasis, freshness of expression,

or clarity. However, clarity may also suffer from their use,

as figures of speech can introduce an ambiguity

between literal and figurative interpretation.

8 TYPES OF FIGURES OF SPEECH

1) SIMILE

2) METAPHOR

3) PERSONIFICATION

4) OXYMORON

5) PARADOX

6) IRONY

7) APOSTROPHE

8) SYNECDOCHE

9) METONYMY

10) HYPERBOLE
 SIMILE

- a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing

with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description

more emphatic or vivid. We can find simile examples in our daily speech.

The use of “as” in the example helps to draw the resemblance. Now we know

the definition of simile, let’s look at some examples of common similes.

EXAMPLES:
 Our soldiers are as brave as lions.

 Her cheeks are red like a rose.

 METAPHOR

- a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object

or action to which it is not literally applicable. Metaphors are sometimes

constructed through our common language, and they are called “conventional metaphors.” In simple

English, when you portray a person, place, thing, or an action

as being something else, even though it is not actually that “something else,”

you are speaking metaphorically. The following phrase is an example of metaphor,

“My brother is the black sheep of the family,” because he is neither a sheep nor

is he black. However, we can use this comparison to describe an association of a

black sheep with that person.

EXAMPLES:

 My brother was boiling mad. (This implies he was too angry.)

 The assignment was a breeze. (This implies that the assignment was not difficult.)
 PERSONIFICATION
 PERSONIFICATION

-is a figure of speech when the projection of characteristics that normally belong

only to humans onto inanimate objects, animals, deities, or forces of nature.

These characteristics can include verbs of actions that only humans do or

adjectives that describe a human condition. The characteristics can also be

emotions, feelings, or motives given to objects incapable of thought.

EXAMPLES:

 Her heart skipped a beat

 The sun smiled down on them

 OXYMORON
- a figure of speech in which two opposite ideas are

joined to create an effect. The common oxymoron phrase is a combination

of an adjective proceeded by a noun with contrasting meanings,

such as “cruel kindness,” or “living death”.

EXAMPLES:

1. Open secret
2. Tragic comedy

EXAMPLE IN SENTENCES:

1. There was a love-hate relationship between the two neighboring states.

2. The professor was giving a lecture on virtual reality.
 PARADOX

- The term paradox is from the Greek word paradoxon, which means “contrary

to expectations, existing belief, or perceived opinion.” It is a statement that

appears to be self-contradictory or silly, but which may include a latent truth. It is

also used to illustrate an opinion or statement contrary to accepted traditional

ideas. A paradox is often used to make a reader think over an idea in innovative way.

EXAMPLES:

“What a pity that youth must be wasted on the young.” – George Bernard Shaw

Your enemy’s friend is your enemy.

 IRONY

- is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their

intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. It may

also be a situation that ends up in quite a different way than what is generally

anticipated. In simple words, it is a difference between appearance and reality.

TYPES OF IRONY
- On the grounds of the above definition, we distinguish two basic types of irony:

(1) verbal irony, and (2) situational irony. Verbal irony involves what one does not mean.

For example, when in response to a foolish idea, we say, “What a great idea!”

This is verbal irony. Situational irony occurs when, for instance, a man is chuckling at the

misfortune of another, even when the same misfortune is, unbeknownst to him, befalling him.
 COMMON EXAMPLES:

 I posted a video on YouTube about how boring and useless YouTube is.

 The name of Britain’s biggest dog was “Tiny.”

EXAMPLES OF VERBAL IRONY:

- The student was given ‘excellent’ on getting zero in the exam.

- He took a much-needed vacation, backpacking in the mountains.

Unfortunately, he came back dead tired.

 APOSTROPHE

- is a figure of speech sometimes represented by an exclamation, such

as “Oh.” A writer or speaker, using apostrophe, speaks directly to someone who

is not present or is dead, or speaks to an inanimate object. It is important not to

confuse apostrophe, the literary device, with the apostrophe punctuation mark (‘).

The punctuation mark shows possession, or marks the omission of one or

more letters (contraction). Apostrophe in literature is an arrangement of words

addressing a non-existent person or an abstract idea in such a way as if it were present

and capable of understanding feelings.

 EXAMPLES:

- Look at how Mary Shelly uses apostrophe in her novel Frankenstein:

“Oh! Stars and clouds and winds, ye are all about to mock me; if ye really

pity me, crush sensation and memory; let me become as naught; but if not,

depart, depart, and leave me in darkness.”

- Death Be Not Proud (By John Donne)

“Death be not proud, though some have called thee

Mighty and dreadful, for, thou art not so,

For, those, whom thou think’st, thou dost overthrow,

Die not, poor death, nor yet canst thou kill me.”
 SYNECDOCHE

- is a literary device in which a part of something represents the whole,

or it may use a whole to represent a part. Synecdoche refers to the whole

of a thing by the name of any one of its parts. It may also use larger groups

to refer to smaller groups, or vice versa. It may also call a thing by the

name of the material it is made of, or it may refer to a thing in a container

or packaging by the name of that container or packing.

 EXAMPLES ( IN EVERYDAY LIFE):

 The phrase “gray beard” refers to an old man.

 The word “sails” refers to a whole ship.

EXAMPLES ( IN LITERATURE):

Example #1: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (By Samuel Taylor Coleridge)

“The western wave was all a-flame.

The day was well was nigh done!
Almost upon the western wave
Rested the broad bright Sun”

The “western wave” is a synecdoche, as it refers to the sea by the name of one of its parts, a wave.

Example #2: Sonnet 116 (By William Shakespeare)

“O no! It is an ever-fixed mark

That looks on tempests and is never shaken.”

The phrase “ever-fixed mark” refers to a lighthouse.

 METONYMY
- is a figure of speech that replaces the name of a thing with the name of something else

with which it is closely associated. We can come across examples of metonymy

both from literature and in everyday life. Metonymy is often confused with another figure of
speech called “synecdoche.” These devices resemble one another, but are not the same.
In a metonymy, the word we use to describe another thing is closely linked to that
particular thing, but is not a part of it. For example, the word “crown” is used to refer to
power or authority is a metonymy. It is not a part of the thing it represents.

EXAMPLES:

 “England decides to keep check on immigration.”

(England refers to the government.)

 “The pen is mightier than the sword.”

(Pen refers to written words, and sword to military force.)

 HYPERBOLE

- Hyperbole, derived from a Greek word meaning “over-casting,” is a figure of speech

that involves an exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis. It is a device that we employ

in our day-to-day speech. For instance, when you meet a friend after a long time, you say,

“It’s been ages since I last saw you.” You may not have met him for three or four hours, or a

day, but the use of the word “ages” exaggerates this statement to add emphasis to your wait.

Therefore, a hyperbole is an unreal exaggeration to emphasize the real situation. Some other

common Hyperbole examples are given below.

EXAMPLES:

 My grandmother is as old as the hills.

 Your suitcase weighs a ton!

 SUBMITTED BY: SUBMITTED TO:
ERIC JOHN M. LACANLALE MS. KATHLEEN LACSON
7-EMERALD ENGLISH TEACHER