Types of Figures of Speech
Simile - In a simile, two things which are completely unlocked are compared
with each other. A simile is introduced by words such as like, so, as etc.
Examples -
• The flower is as pretty as a picture.
• He is as sober as a judge.
• The floor was as slippery as an eel.
• They looked like peas in a pod.
• He eats like a pig.
Metaphor - When you compare two unlike or different things or ideas, it is
known as a metaphor. It is an informal or implied simile in which the words
‘like’ ,‘as’ are avoided. For example, He is like a Giant - Simile and He is a
Giant - Metaphor.
Examples -
• You are the apple of my eye.
• Ocean’s sound is music to my ear.
• Heart of gold.
• He is a night owl.
• Time is money.
Personification - In Personification, non-living things, abstract ideas or
qualities are mentioned as humans or living things.
Examples -
• Angry clouds surrounded the island.
• Earth was thirsty for water.
• The flowers talked to them in the garden.
• The wind howled that night.
• The snowflakes danced at night.
Apostrophe - In this figure of speech, the writer mentions the absent or
inanimate objects as alive and writes about them.
Examples -
• “Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are”
• “I’m funny, right? What do you know? You’re a door.” (Chandler is
found speaking to a door in one of the scenes in F.R.I.E.N.D.S. (a TV
show).
Oxymoron - An Oxymoron is when two words are used together in a sentence
but they seem to be in contrast with each other. An oxymoron is a figure of
speech that willingly uses two differing ideas. This contradiction creates a
paradoxical image in the reader or listener's mind that creates a new concept or
meaning for the whole.
Examples -
• Life is bittersweet.
• They knew they could feel the joyful sadness on his arrival.
• Sweet sorrow.
• Peace force.
• Free market.
• Jumbo ant.
Hyperbole - Hyperbole is when you use words to exaggerate what you mean or
emphasize a point. It is used to make something seem bigger or more important
than it actually is.
Examples -
• It has been ages since I have had a proper meal.
• Usain Bolt runs faster than the wind.
• I could do this forever.
• She’s older than this world.
• Everybody knows me.
Pun - A pun is generally used in plays where one word has two different
meanings. It is used to create humour. Humorous use of words of different
meanings or the words of the same sound but different meanings is known as
Pun.
Examples -
• A bicycle can’t stand on its own because it is two-tired.
• Where do you find giant snails? On the ends of the giants' fingers.
Alliteration - It is a series of words, which commence with the same letter.
Alliteration consists of the repetition of a sound or of a letter at the beginning of
two or more words.
Examples -
• Dirty dolphins dove across the ocean.
• Purple pandas painted portraits.
• She sells seashells.
• Nick needed new notebooks.
• Fred fried frogs’ legs on Friday.
Onomatopoeia - It is the figure of speech where the word is used to describe a
sound. When we explain any action by putting the sounds into language, it is
known as onomatopoeia. It is generally used in fiction or in nursery rhymes, for
eg- Old Macdonald had a farm E-I-E-I-O. Words like whoosh, splat, buzz, oink,
click, etc., are used to create this effect.
Examples -
• I could hear the leaves rustling and the wind howling.
• Bam! He hit the truck at the speed of 80 kmph.
Anaphora - When many phrases or verses start with the sa me word, it is
known as anaphora.
Examples -
• I came, I saw, I conquered.
• We shall not stop. We shall go on and on. We shall move forward.
Assonance- When we use repetition of vowel sounds, it is known as assonance.
Examples -
• Thee
• Sea
• Ocean
• Fees
Euphemism - It is known as a euphemism when we replace blunt, offensive, or
harsh terms with soft, mild, vague, or indirect terms.
Examples -
• Using letting you go instead of firing
• Using a little thin on top instead of getting bald
• Using passed away instead of killed or died
• Using stick to the truth instead of calling someone a liar
Irony - If you use terms that contrast with what you say and what you do, it is
known as irony. It’s like a difference between what is said and what is meant.
Examples -
• A traffic cop got a ticket for parking in a no-parking zone.
• The Titanic was said to be unsinkable but got sunk on its first trip.
• When the viewer knows who the killer is in the movie, but the actor
doesn’t know that.
Synecdoche - If a part is represented by a whole or a whole is represented by a
part, it is known as synecdoche.
Examples -
• Colgate – any toothpaste
• A girl’s hand instead of bride
• Maggie – Any noodles
Understatement - When you try to say or show something of no importance or
less importance.
Examples -
• Referring a big wound to just a scratch
• Saying it little dry instead of desert
• Referring big destruction to just an accident
Repetition – It is a series of words, which is same in the sentence. Using the
same word or phrase over and over again in a piece of writing or speech.
Examples:
• Time after time;
• Heart-to-heart;
• Hand in hand;
• Get ready, get set, go;
• Home sweet home;
• It is what it is.
