Figures of

speechBy- Anushika Bansal10th A

03

Irony

Repetition Refrain

Oxymoron

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 , here we'll focus on just 10 of the most common figures.

Simile It is a comparison between two things that are

different but may seem similar in a way.Generally the prepositions ‘like’ and ‘as’ are

used to form similes: • ex. Happier than a kid in Candy Land.• Wetter than a fish in water.Apart from these, there are also many similes that don’t use ‘as’ or ‘like’ in their formation, these are called submerged similes :• She is as graceful as a ballerina.• His voice is like the lion’s roar.

Metaphor

It is a comparison between two concepts, tightened by the omission of any adjoining words.• The assignment was a breeze. • It is going to be clear skies from

now on.• Her voice is music to his ears.A metaphor expresses the

unfamiliar (the tenor) in terms of the familiar (the vehicle). When Neil Young sings, "Love is a rose," "rose" is the vehicle for "love," the tenor.

Alliteration

The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

• But a better butter makes a batter better.• A big bully beats a baby boy.Examples of names are : Sammy Sosa, Jesse Jackson, Marilyn Monroe, Fred Flintstone, Donald duck & SpongeBob Square-pants.Here are several common examples : PayPal, Best

Buy, Coca-Cola, Park Place, American Apparel, American Airlines, Chubby Cheeks, Bed Bath & Beyond.

Personification Personification is a figure of speech in which a

thing, an idea or an animal is given human attributes. The non-human objects are portrayed in such a way that we feel they have the ability to act like human beings.

For example, when we say, “The sky weeps” we are giving the sky the ability to cry, which is a human quality. Thus, we can say that the sky has been personified in the given sentence.

Common examples :• Time and tide waits for none.• The fire swallowed the entire forest.

Irony In its broadest sense, is a rhetorical

device, literary technique, or event characterized by an incongruity, or contrast, between what the expectations of a situation are and what is really the case, with a third element, that defines that what is really the case is ironic because of the situation that led to it.

Three most common

types of Irony 3

Onomatopoeia The use of words (such as hiss or murmur) that imitate the

sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to. Adjective: onomatopoeic or onomatopoetic. Common Onomatopoeia Letter Combinations :• Words Related to Water – bloop, splash, squirt, drip.• Words Related to the Voice –giggle, murmur, chatter, blurt.• Words Related to Collisions –bam, bang, clap, slap, thud.• Words Related to Air – flutter, gasp, swish, whoosh, whizz,

whip.• Animal Sounds – baa, bark, chirp, cock-a-doodle-doo, hiss,

meow, moo, neigh, purr, quack, • Miscellaneous Examples – Onomatopoeia can also be found in literature, songs and advertisements as well.

Repetition Repetition is a literary device that repeats

the same words or phrases a few times to make an idea clearer. There are several types of repetitions commonly used in both prose and poetry.

As a rhetorical device, it could be a word, a phrase or a full sentence or a poetical line repeated to emphasize its significance in the entire text.

Repetition is not distinguished solely as a figure of speech but more as a rhetorical device.

Example :• Because I do not hope to turn again

Because I do not hopeBecause I do not hope to turn…

Refrain

A phrase, verse, or group of verses repeated at intervals throughout a song or poem, especially at the end of each stanza.

•  Music for the refrain of a song.• A song or melody.• A repeated utterance or theme.An example of refrain is the part "The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind, The answer is blowin' in the wind." in Peter Paul and Mary's 1960's folk song "Blowing in the Wind."

Oxymoron Oxymoron, plural oxymora, is 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.

 Examples, cruel kindness, living death, Open secret, Tragic comedy, Seriously funny, Awfully pretty, Foolish wisdom, Original copies,

Liquid gas.

HyperboleHyperbole, derived from a Greek word

meaning “over-casting” is a figure of speech, which involves an exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis. It is a device that we employ in our day-to-day speech.

Common Examples of Hyperbole :• Your suitcase weighs a ton!• She is as heavy as an elephant!• I am dying of shame.• I am trying to solve a million issues these

days.