Figures

of
Speech
Evelyn L. Pacquing
St. Paul University Philippines
May 30-31, 2016
What is the difference between…
Literal
and

Figurative
language?
» The actual, dictionary meaning of a word;
language that means what it appears to mean

» Avoiding exaggeration, metaphor, or

embellishment

» Conforming to the most obvious meaning of a

word, phrase, sentence, or story
It means exactly what it says! Word for word.
Example One: The Philippines is a small country.
What does it mean? Exactly what it says!

Example Two: The weather is beautiful today.

What does it mean? Exactly what it says!
» Language that goes beyond thenormal
meaning of the words used

» Based on or making use of figures ofspeech;

metaphorical

» Represented by a figure orsymbol

Figure it out! There’s a deeper meaning hidden in
the words.

Example:
“Fragrance always stays in the hand that gives the rose.”
- Hada Bejar

Does it mean you have a smelly hand? NO!

What does it mean? Giving to others is gracious and
the good feeling of giving stays with you.
Read between the lines because
not everything is as it appears.
 There are various ways of using words
figuratively. Among them the most common
are:
1. Simile: It is a comparison between two
distinctly different things and the
comparison is indicated by the word as or
like:

» O my love’s like a red, red rose.

» The old man’s hair is as white as snow.
2. Metaphor: the use of a word which
originally denotes one thing to refer to
another with a similar quality. The
comparison is implied, not expressed
with the word as or like.

» He is the soul of the team.

» My son’s friend is a bad apple.
3. Personification: it is to treat a thing or
an idea as if it were human or had
human qualities.

» The door protested as it opened

slowly.
» The fire ran wild.
4. Metonymy: it is substituting the name
of one thing for that of another with
which it is closely associated.

» The crown is kind and humble.

» Lend me your ears.
» Adobo is my favorite dish.
5. Synecdoche: It is applied when a part
is substituted for the whole or the
whole is substituted for a part.

» Man cannot live by bread alone.

» Many wheels have passed already.
» The hired hands are hardworking.
6. Apostrophe: It is a direct address either
to an absent person or to a nonhuman
entity.

» O Solitude! Where are the charms that

sages have seen in thy face?
» "Blue Moon, you saw me standing
alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own."
7. Hyperbole: Exaggeration is used for
emphasis or effect.

» Here is the smell of blood still; all the

perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this
little hand.
» Give me a thousand kisses, then a
hundred,
Then another thousand, then a second
hundred, Then still another thousand,
then a hundred
8. Euphemism: It is the substitution of a
mild or vague expression for a harsh or
unpleasant one.
» The former president passed away.
(died)
» I appreciate the hard work of
sanitation workers. (garbage
collectors)
9. Irony: It is the use of words which are
clearly opposite to what is meant, in
order to achieve a special effect.

» It’s a nice, pleasant sort of weather

indeed.
» Imelda Marcos was once a frugal first
lady.
10. Antithesis: It is a rhetorical term for
the juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in
balanced phrases or clauses.

» Many are called, but few are chosen.

» Don't use big words. They mean so

little.
11. Onomatopoeia: It is the use of words
that imitate the sounds associated with
the objects or actions they refer to.

» "Chug, chug, chug. Puff, puff, puff. Ding-

dong, ding-dong. The little train rumbled
over the tracks.“
» "Brrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinng! An alarm clock
clanged in the dark and silent room."
12. Litotes: It is an understatement. The words
play down the magnitude or value of the
subject.

She was not without ambition. (She was quite

ambitious)
I was not a little upset. (when you mean 'I was
very upset’)
13. Paradox: A statement which seems to
contradict itself but which contains a deeper
truth. Paradoxes are similar to oxymorons,
but where an oxymoron puts opposite words
together, a paradox puts opposite ideas
together.
» The child is father of the man.
» Cowards die many times before their death.
14. Oxymoron: Apparently contradictory
terms are combined to produce a
special effect.

» She had bitter-sweet memories with

her boyfriend.

» The boy performed the experiment

with careful carelessness.
15. Alliteration: refers to the appearance
of the same initial consonant sound in
two or more words, such as:

» Pat Peter is proud as a peacock.

» If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled
peppers, how many pickled peppers did
Peter Piper pick?
16. Assonance: It is the repetition of
identical or similar vowel sounds in
neighboring words.

» "If I bleat when I speak it's because

I just got . . . fleeced.“

» The man was so happy to have his

bagpack.
17. Allusion: A figure of speech that makes a
reference to a place, person, or something that
happened. This can be real or imaginary and
may refer to anything, including paintings,
opera, folk lore, mythical figures, or religious
manuscripts. The reference can be direct or
may be inferred, and can broaden the reader’s
understanding.

» He was a real Romeo with the ladies.

» This place is like a Garden of Eden.”
Name the figure of speech used in each of the
following sentences:
1.Life is a dream.
2.When I enter the room, there is a defeaning
silence.
3.Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale.
4.The leaves are trembling in the cold wind.
5.The storm was so angry that it wanted to
destroy everything in its way.
6.I like the song “The Silent Sound”.
7.Selfless people are like cows, which eat straw
but produce milk.
8.Variety is the spice of life.
9.His friends praised his daughter’s performances
to the skies.
10.His writing is clear and clean.
11.His unfriendly tongue surprised her.
12."I'm getting married in the morning! Ding
dong! the bells are gonna chime.“
13.O death! Where is thy sting? O grave! Where
is thy victory?
14.He’s always chasing skirts.
15.I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!
16.Fair is foul, and foul is fair.
17.It isn’t very serious. I have this tiny
little
tumor on the brain.
18.Her brain is the size of a pea.
19.The dagger of the United States sliced
Saddam Hussein’s army to pieces.
20."O western wind, when wilt thou blow
That the small rain down can rain?"
21.Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became
pregnant and gave birth to Cain… (Gen. 4:1)
22.Ten thousand suns light up this room.
23.This is no small problem. (Instead of saying that
it’s a big problem)
24.An earthquake occurring during an earthquake
drill.
25.All hands on deck.
26.The tree bowed and waved to me in the wind.
27.A good laugh is sunshine in a house.
28.Friends are like parachutes. If they aren’t
there the first time you need them, chances are,
you won’t be needing them again.
29.The ocean danced in the moonlight.
30.My best friend was a backstabber.
31.If your right eyes causes you to sin, gouge it out and
throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body
than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. (Matt. 5:29)
32.Why was it, O sea, that you fled, O Jordan, that you
turned back, you mountains, that you skipped like rams, the
hills like lambs. (Psalm 114:5-6)
33.Life is a box of chocolates.
34.Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing
together for joy; let them sing before the Lord, for he comes
to judge the earth… (Psalm 98:8-9)
35.And I tell you that on this rock I will build my church, and
the gates of Hades will not overcome it. (Matt. 16:18)
36.She wants to see the sea.
37.It’s possible for a camel to enter the eye of a needle.
38.Pride goes forth on horseback, grand and gay.
39.Dogs have surrounded me, a band of evil men has
encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.
(Psalm 22:16)
40.He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not
lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. (Psalm
24:4)