A figure of speech is a word or phrase that has a meaning something

different than its literal meaning. It can be a metaphor or simile that is

designed to further explain a concept. Or, it can be a different way of
pronouncing a word or phrase such as with alliteration to give further
meaning or a different sound.

Examples of Figures of Speech

Using Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of beginning sounds. Examples are:
 Sally sells seashells.
 Walter wondered where Winnie was.
 Blue baby bonnets
 Nick needed notebooks.
 Fred fried frogs.
Using Anaphora
Anaphora is a technique where several phrases or verses begin with the
same word or words. Examples are:
 I came, I saw, I conquered - Julius Caesar
 Mad world! Mad kings! Mad composition! King John - William
Shakespeare
 We laughed, we loved, we sang
 With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the
right, - Abraham Lincoln
 We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. - Winston
Churchill
Using Assonance
Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in words that are close
together. Examples are:
 A - For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore
(Poe)
 E - Therefore all seasons shall be sweet to thee (Coleridge)
 I - From what I’ve tasted of desire, I hold with those who favor fire
(Frost)
 O - Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn (Wordsworth)
 U - Uncertain rustling of each purple curtain (Poe)
Using a Euphemism
Euphemism is a word or phrase that replaces a word or phrase to make it
more polite or pleasant. Examples are:
 A little thin on top instead of bald
 Homeless instead of bum
 Letting him go instead of fired him
 Passed away instead of died
 Put to sleep instead of euthanize
Using Hyperbole
Hyperbole uses exaggeration for emphasis or effect. Examples are:
 I’ve told you a hundred times
 It cost a billion dollars
 I could do this forever
 She is older than dirt
 Everybody knows that
Using Irony
Irony is using words where the meaning is the opposite of their usual
meaning. Examples are:
 After begging for a cat and finally getting one, she found out she
was allergic.
 A traffic cop gets suspended for not paying his parking tickets.
 The Titanic was said to be unsinkable.
 Dramatic irony is knowing the killer is hiding in a closet in a scary
movie.
 Naming a Chihuahua Brutus
Using Metaphor
Metaphor compares two unlike things or ideas. Examples are:
 Heart of stone
 Time is money
 The world is a stage
 She is a night owl
 He is an ogre
Using Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia is a word that sounds like what it is describing. Examples
are:
 Whoosh
 Splat
 Buzz
 Click
 Oink
Using Oxymoron
Oxymoron is two contradictory terms used together. Examples are:
 Peace force
 Kosher ham
 Jumbo shrimp
 Small crowd
 Free market
Using Personification
Personification is giving human qualities to non-living things or ideas.
Examples are:
 The flowers nodded
 Snowflakes danced
 Thunder grumbled
 Fog crept in
 The wind howled
Using Simile
Simile is a comparison between two unlike things using the words "like"
or "as." Examples are:
 As slippery as an eel
 Like peas in a pod
 As blind as a bat
 Eats like a pig
 As wise as an owl
Using Synecdoche
Synecdoche is when a part represents the whole or the whole is
represented by a part. Examples are:
 Wheels - a car
 The police - one policeman
 Plastic - credit cards
 Coke - any cola drink
 Army - a soldier
Using Understatement
Understatement is when something is said to make something appear
less important or less serious. Examples are:
 It's just a scratch - referring to a large dent
 It is sometimes dry and sandy - referring to the driest desert in the
world
 The weather is a little cooler today - referring to sub-zero
temperatures
 I won’t say it was delicious - referring to terrible food
 The tsunami caused some damage - referring to a huge tsunami
These examples of figures of speech were selected to show a wide
variety of types of words. 

List of Figure of Speech and Examples

1

Alliteration
This is a very common figure of speech that involves using
words that begin with the same sound. 

For instance, “Sally sells sea shells by the seashore” is

alliteration – and try saying it fast to see how difficult it is! It is
often used in advertising slogans to create something catchy
that more people will remember. 

Anaphora
This figure of speech uses a specific clause at the beginning of
each sentence or point to make a statement. 

For instance: “Good night and good luck” is an example of the

beginning word being the same. The more it is used, the more
of an emotional effect is can evoke among those who are
listening. Another example is "Mad world! Mad kings! Mad
composition!" from  King John, II, I  by William Shakespeare. 

Assonance
Remember the phrase “I Like Ike”? It was a very common
phase for those who supported Dwight Eisenhower during his
presidential run. This is a figure of speech that focuses on the
vowel sounds in a phrase, repeating them over and over to
great effect. 

Hyperbole
“It was as big as a mountain! It was faster than a cheetah! It
was dumber than a rock!” This figure of speech makes things
seem much bigger than they really were by using grandiose
depictions of everyday things. Hyperbole is often seen as an
exaggeration that adds a bit of humor to a story. 
5

Irony
This figure of speech tries to use a word in a literal sense that
debunks what has just been said. “Gentlemen, you can’t fight
in here! This is the War Room!” from Dr. Strangelove is a great
example. It is often used to poke fun at a situation that
everyone else sees as a very serious matter. 

There are different types of irony and here are the details and

examples. 

Metaphor
The use of metaphor compares two things that are not alike
and finds something about them to make them alike.

“My heart is a lonely hunter that hunts on a lonely hill” from a

book by William Sharp is a good example of metaphor. Some
writers try to use this style to create something profound out
of comparing two things that appear to have nothing at all in
common. 

7
Simile
In this figure of speech, two things are compared that are not
really the same, but are used to make a point about each
other. 

“Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re

going to get” is a famous line from the movie Forrest Gump
that illustrates the simile. This is often used to make an
emotional point about something. The difference between
simile and metaphor is that you can obviously see words "like"
in the sentence. 

Metonymy
In this figure of speech, one word that has a very similar
meaning can be used for another. Using the word “crown” for
“royalty” or “lab coats” for “scientists” are two examples. In
some ways it can be seen as a nickname for something else;
for instance, “The White House said” doesn’t actually mean the
White House said it (a house can’t speak!) but that the
President said it. However, we all understand the meaning, and
so the words are interchangeable. 

Onomatopoeia
This is the use of a word that actually sounds like what it
means. Good examples include “hiss” or “ding-dong” or “fizz.”
These words are meant to describe something that actually
sounds very much like the word itself. This is a trick often
used in advertising to help convey what something is really
like. 

10

Paradox
This figure of speech completely contradicts itself in the same
sentence. Famous quotes that illustrate this from George
Orwell’s “1984” include: “War is peace. Ignorance is strength.
Freedom is slavery.” Though we know these things aren’t true,
they present an interesting paradox that makes a person think
seriously about what they have just read or heard. 

11

Personification
This is a way of giving an inanimate object the qualities of a
living thing. “The tree quaked with fear as the wind
approached” is an example; “The sun smiled down on her” is
another. This can sometimes be used to invoke an emotional
response to something by making it more personable, friendly
and relatable. 

12

Pun
This play on words uses different senses of the word, or
different sounds that make up the word, to create something
fun and interesting. For instance: “I would like to go to Holland
some day. Wooden shoe?” is a pun that actually means
“wouldn’t you?” Sometimes puns are so subtle that they can be
tough to pick up unless you are really listening for them. 
13

Synecdoche
This is a figure of speech in which one thing is meant to
represent the whole. A few good examples include “ABCs” for
alphabet, “new set of wheels” for car, or “9/11” to demonstrate
the whole of the tragedy that happened in the United States on
September 11, 2001. This is often used in journalism as a type
of shorthand. 

14

Understatement
This is a situation in which the thing discussed is made to
seem much less important than it really is. This famous line
from Catcher in the Rye is a good example: “I have to have this
operation. It isn’t very serious. I have this tiny tumor on the
brain.” Understatement can often be used to comedic effect. 
15

Antithesis
This is a contradiction that pits two ideas against each other
in a balanced way. “You’re easy on the eyes, hard on the
heart” is a line from a country song that illustrates this
perfectly. This is often used to indicate just how something
can be more than one thing at the same time. 

16

Euphemism
Words that are used to soften the message are often
considered euphemisms. “Passed away” is often used in place
of “died” or “killed.” A “misunderstanding” might be used in
place of “fight” or “argument.” And who could forget “wardrobe
malfunction,” which is a fancy way of saying “your clothes fell
off.” 

17

Oxymoron
This puts two words together that seem to contradict each
other. “Military intelligence,” “real phony,” “civil war,” and
“silent yell” are all examples of an oxymoron. Many people use
these to promote the humor in a situation. 

A figure of speech is a rhetorical device that achieves a special

effect by using words in distinctive ways. Though there are hundreds
of figures of speech (many of them included in our Tool Kit for
 Rhetorical Analysis), here we'll focus on just 20 of the most common
figures.
You will probably remember many of these terms from your English
classes.Figurative language is often associated with literature—and
with poetry in particular. But the fact is, whether we're conscious of it
or not, we use figures of speech every day in our own writing and
conversations.
For example, common expressions such as "falling in love," "racking
our brains," "hitting a sales target," and "climbing the ladder of
success" are allmetaphors—the most pervasive figure of all. Likewise,
we rely on simileswhen making explicit comparisons ("light as a
feather") and hyperbole to emphasize a point ("I'm starving!").
Using original figures of speech in our writing is a way to convey
meanings in fresh, unexpected ways.
CONTINUE READING BELOW OUR VIDEO 
Common Figures Of Speech
Figures can help our readers understand and stay interested in what
we have to say. For advice oncreating figures of speech, see Using
Similes and Metaphors to Enrich Our Writing.

How to Review the Top 20 Figures of Speech

Click on each of the following terms to visit a glossary page. There

you'll find an expanded definition and several examples of the figure as
well as its etymology (which shows where the term came from) and a
pronunciation guide. For each figure of speech, try to come up with an
example of your own.
After studying these figures, test your knowledge at:

 Review Quiz: Top 20 Figures of Speech

 Review Quiz: Rhetorical Terms
 Quiz on Figures of Speech in Advertising Slogans
 

The Top 20 Figures

 
1. Alliteration
The repetition of an initial consonant sound.
 
2. Anaphora
The repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of
successive clauses or verses. (Contrast
with epiphora and epistrophe.)
 
3. Antithesis
The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases.
 
4. Apostrophe
Breaking off discourse to address some absent person or thing, some
abstract quality, an inanimate object, or a nonexistent character.
 
5. Assonance
Identity or similarity in sound between internal vowels in neighboring
words.
 
6. Chiasmus
A verbal pattern in which the second half of an expression is balanced
against the first but with the parts reversed.
 
7. Euphemism
The substitution of an inoffensive term for one considered offensively
explicit.
 
8. Hyperbole
An extravagant statement; the use of exaggerated terms for the
purpose of emphasis or heightened effect.
 
9. Irony
The use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning. Also,
a statement or situation where the meaning is contradicted by the
appearance or presentation of the idea.
 
10. Litotes
A figure of speech consisting of an understatement in which an
affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite.
 
11. Metaphor
An implied comparison between two unlike things that actually have
something important in common.
 
12. Metonymy
A figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted for
another with which it's closely associated; also, the rhetorical
strategy of describing something indirectly by referring to things
around it.
 
13. Onomatopoeia
The use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects
or actions they refer to.
 
14. Oxymoron
A figure of speech in which incongruous or contradictory terms appear
side by side.
 
15. Paradox
A statement that appears to contradict itself.
 
16. Personification
A figure of speech in which an inanimate object or abstraction is
endowed with human qualities or abilities.
17. Pun
A play on words, sometimes on different senses of the same word and
sometimes on the similar sense or sound of different words.
 
18. Simile
A stated comparison (usually formed with "like" or "as") between two
fundamentally dissimilar things that have certain qualities in common.
 
19. Synecdoche
A figure of speech in which a part is used to represent the whole (for
example, ABCs for alphabet) or the whole for a part ("England won
the World Cup in 1966").
 
20. Understatement
A figure of speech in which a writer or speaker deliberately makes a
situation seem less important or serious than it is.