FIGURE OF SPEECH – DEFINITION AND EXAMPLES

In order to depart from the ordinary form of expression or to produce a greater effect, a figure of speech is used.

There are various figures of speech.

1. Simile: a comparison between two different kinds of objects which however have one common point known as simile. For simile two words “Like” or “as” used.

Examples:

1. He is like a moon.
2. He is as beautiful as the moon.
3. He fought like a lion.

2. Metaphor: To make a comparison between two different things without using ‘like’ or ‘as’ known as metaphor.

Examples:

1. He was a lion in the fight.
2. The waves thundered on the shore.
3. Revenge is a kind of wild justice.

Note: Bold words are metaphors.

3. Personification: in personification inanimate objects and abstract notion are spoken of as having life and intelligence.

Examples:

1. Laughter holding both her sides.
2. Death lays his icy hands on kings.
3. Curtains are dancing.

4. Apostrophe: It is a direct address to the dead, to the absent, or a personified object or idea. apostrophe is a special form of personification.

Examples:

1. O death! Where is thy sting? O grave! Where is thy victory?
2. O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts.
3. O liberty, what crimes have been committed in thy name?

5. Hyperbole: In hyperbole, a statement is made emphatic by overstatement or exaggerated.

Examples:

1. Is the river will dry, I can to fill it with tears.
2. Here’s the bad smell still; all the perfumes of the world will not sweeten my little hand.
3. I am so much hungry I will eat horse.

6. Euphemism: The description of a disagreeable thing by an agreeable name known as euphemism.

Examples:

1. She has fallen asleep (she is dead)
2. You are telling me a fairy tale. (a lie)

7. Anthesis: A striking opposition or contrast of words or sentiments is made in the same sentence known as anthesis.  It is employed to secure emphasis.

Examples:

1. Man proposes, God disposes.
2. Many are called, but few are chosen.

8. Oxymoron: it is a special form of antithesis, whereby two contradictory qualities are predicted at once of the same thing.

Examples:

1. His honor rooted in dishonor stood.
2. So innocent arch, so cunningly simple.
3. He accepted it as the king’s cruelty of the surgeon’s knife.

9. Epigram: It is a brief pointed saying frequently introducing antithetical ideas which excite surprise and arrest attention.

Examples:

1. The kid is the father of the man.
2. She makes no mates, who never made o enemy.

10. Irony: Figure of speech in which real meaning is the opposite of that which is literally conveyed known as irony.

Examples:

1.  You did a good job (when someone broke something)
2. No doubt wisdom will die with you. (Irony on foolish person)
3. Yes, I know her honesty very well (talking about dishonesty ironically)

11. Pun: a pun consists in the use of a word in such a way that it is capable of more than one application, the object being to produce ludicrous effect.

Examples:

1. Is life worth living? – It depends upon the liver.
2. A consul is an honest man who lies abroad for the prosperity of his country.

12. Metonymy: An object is designated by the name of something which is generally associated with it in metonymy.

Examples:

1. The Bench, for the judges.
2. The Crown, for princes.
3. The House, for the members of Lok Sabha.

13. Synecdoche: A part is used to designate the whole or the whole to designate a part in synecdoche.

Examples:

1. A part used to designate the whole; as,

Give him this day his daily bread (i.e., food)

All the best brains in Europe could not solve the problem.

She has many mouths to feed.

• The whole used to designate a part; as

England (i.e., the English cricket eleven) won the test match against its opposing team.

14. Transferred Epithet: A figure in which an epithet is transferred from its proper word to another that is closely associated with it in the sentence known as transferred epithet.

Examples:

1. She passed a sleepless night.
2. The plowman homeward plods his weary way.
3. A lacky presented an obsequious cup of tea.

15. Litotes: In litotes an affirmative is conveyed by negation of the opposite, the effect is to suggest a strong expression using a weaker. It is the opposite of hyperbole.

Examples:

1. I am a city of no mean (= a very celebrated) city.
2. The woman is no fool (=very clever).
3. I am not a little (=greatly) surprised.