FIGURES OF SPEECH

Figures by Type Definition

Tropes figures which change the typical meaning of a word or words
Metaplasmic Figures figures which move the letters or syllables of a word from their typical places
Figures of Omission
figures which omit something--eg. a word, words, phrases, or clauses--from a
sentence
Figures of Repetition (words figures which repeat one or more words
Figures of Repetition (clauses and
ideas
figures which repeat a phrase, a clause or an idea
Figures of !nusual "ord Order figures which alter the ordinary order of words or sentences
Figures of Thought
a miscellaneous group of figures which deal with emotional appeals and techni#ues
of argument
Figures of $ound figures which create images by means of repeating certain groups of sounds
Tropes Definition Example
metaphor
the substitution of a word for a word whose meaning is close to the
original word
Poor broen glass, % often did
behold& %n thy sweet semblance my
old age new born...---The Rape of
Lucrece,'()*-)+
personification
representing an imaginary or absent person as spea,ing or acting-
attributing life, speech or inanimate #ualities to dumb or
inanimate ob.ects
"ith how sad steps, O Moon, thou
climb/st the s,ies,& 0ow silently, and
with how wan a face1---Astrophil and
Stella, 2'
metonymy
a noun is substituted for a noun in such a way that we substitute the
cause of the thing of which we are spea,ing for the thing itself- this
might be done in several ways3 substituting the inventor for his
invention, the container for the thing contained or vice versa, an
author for his wor,, the sign for the thing signified, the cause for the
effect or vice versa
% must comfort the wea,er vessel, as
!oublet an! "ose ought to show
itself courageous to petti#oat.---As
You Like It, 4.5.6
synecdoche
7 figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole
the whole for a part
the specific for the general
the general for the specific
material for the thing from which it is made
hand for sailor
the law for police officer
cutthroat for assassin
thief for pickpocket
steel for sword
irony e8pressing a meaning directly contrary to that suggested by the words
0e was no notorious malefa#tor, but
he had been twice on the pillory, and
once burnt in the hand for trifling
o$ersig"ts.---Direccions for Speech
and Style
parado8
a seemingly self contradictory statement, which yet is shown to be
true
For what the waves could never wash
away& This proper youth has wasted
in a day.
o8ymoron a condensed parado8 at the level of a phrase
O modest wantons1 wanton
modesty1---The Rape of Lucrece, 59'
anthimeria
the substitution of one part of speech for another- for instance, an
adverb for a noun or a noun for an adverb
:ord 7ngelo !ues it well.---
Measure for Measure, 2.4.'99
litotes deliberate understatement or denial of the contrary
0e is no fool.---The Arte of English
Poesie, '*5
hyperbole
e8aggerated or e8travagant statement used to ma,e a strong
impression, but not intended to be ta,en literally
0is legs bestrid the ocean, his rear/d
arm& ;rested the world, his voice was
propertied& 7s all the tuned
spheres...---Antony and Cleopatra,
).4.*4
antonomasia
The substitution of a personal name for a common noun to
designate a member of a group or class
calling a traitor a !enedict
Arnold
%etaplasmi#
Figures
Definition Example
prosthesis addition of letters to the beginning of a word
% all alone be&eep my outcast state.---$ha,espeare
Sonnets, 4+
aphaersis omission of letters from the beginning of a word
!se every man after his desert, and who should
's#ape whipping<---"a#let, 4.4.)6'
epenthesis addition of letters to the middle of a word
:ie blist/ring fore the $isitating sun.---T$o %o&le
'ins#en, '.'.'56
syncope omission of letters from the middle of a word
Thou thy worldly tas, hast done,& 0ome art gone,
and ta'en thy wages. Cy#&erline, 5.4.4)*
paragoge addition of letters to the end of a word
% can call spirits from the $asty deep.---"enry I()
Part I, 2.'.)4
apocope omission of letters from the end of a word
% am $ir Oracle,& 7nd when % ope my lips let no dog
bar,1---The Merchant of (enice, '.'.+2
antisthecon
substitution of a letter or sound for another within
a word
Or, ere they meet, in me, O nature, #esse1---All*s
+ell That Ends +ell, ).2.()
metathesis
transposition of a letter out of its normal order in a
word
"ith liver burning hot. Fre$ent.---The Merry +i,es
of +indsor, 4.'.'44
tmesis
The separation of the parts of a compound word,
now generally done for humorous effect.
a&so-&loody-lutely
fan-f...ing-tastic
spoonerism
7 transposition of sounds of two or more words,
especially a ludicrous one
Let #e se$ you to your sheet for Let #e sho$ you to
your seat/
Figures of
Omission
Definition Example
ellipsis omission of a word
7nd he to =ngland shall along with you.---
"a#let, 2.2.'
>eugma
7 construction in which a single word, especially a verb or an
ad.ective, is applied to two or more nouns when its sense is
"e took #y ad,ice and #y $allet
"e lost his coat and his te#per
appropriate to only one of them or to both in different ways
aposiopesis
stopping a sentence in midcourse so that the statement is
unfinished
0e said you were, % dare not tell you plaine3&
For words once out, never returne againe.---
The Arte of English Poesie) 012
Figures of
Repetition
(&or!s)
Definition Example
epi>eu8is
emphatic repetition of a word with
no other words between
Reputation* reputation* reputation1 O1 % have lost my
reputation.---3thello, 4.2.465
polyptoton
repetition of the same word or
root in different grammatical
functions or forms
?isturb his hours of rest with restless trances,& 7fflict him in his be!
with be!ri! groans-& :et there be#"an#e him pitiful mis#"an#es,&
To ma,e him moan but pity not his moans.---The Rape of Lucrece,
+(5-+((
antanaclasis
repetition of a word, but in two
different meanings
"hoever hath her wish, thou has thy Will,& 7nd Will to boot, and
Will in overplus---$ha,espeare Sonnets, '2)
anaphora
repetition of a word at the
beginning of a clause, line, or
sentence
%a! world1 %a! ,ings1 %a! composition1---'ing 4ohn, 4.'.)6'
epiphora
repetition of a word at the end of a
clause, line, or sentence
%/ll have my bon!1& $pea, not against my bon!1& % have sworn an
oath that % will have my bon!.---The Merchant of (enice, 2.2.5
epanalepsis
repetition of the beginning at the
end
+loo! hath bought bloo!, and blo&s have answer/d blo&s3& Strengt"
match/d with strengt", and po&er confronted po&er.---'ing 4ohn,
4.'.24+-29
anadiplosis
repetition of the end of a line or
clause at the ne8t beginning
For % have loved long, % crave re&ar!& Re&ar! me not un,indly3
thin, on in!ness,& ,in!ness becommeth those of high regar!&
Regar! with clemency a poor man/s blindness---5idessa, '6
pleonasm
the needless repetition of words- a
tautology on the level of a phrase
$ober he seemde, and very sagely sad,& 7nd to the ground his eyes
were lowly bent,& $imple in shew, and voyde of mali#e ba!...---The
5aerie 6ueene, @oo, ', '.4+
figura
etymologica
The repetition of a word/s root,
involving different word
categories (often, verbs A nouns
Spea the spee#", % pray you ("a#let
geminatio
?oubling of a word. Tiger* tiger, burning bright (@la,e
tautotes Fre#uent repetition of a word
O &on!erful, &on!erful, and most &on!erful& &on!erful1 7nd yet
again &on!erful,& and after that, out of all hooping1 (As You Like It
Figures of
Repetition (#lauses
an! i!eas)
Definition Example
au8esis
arrangement of clauses or sentences in
ascending order of importance
I may* I must* I #an* I &ill* I !o& :eave following
that which it is gain to miss.---Astrophil and Stella,
5(
isocolon
repetition of phrases or clauses of e#ual length % spea, $panish to Bod, %talian to women, French to
and corresponding grammatical structure men, and Berman to my horse.---;harles C
tautology
needless repetition of the same idea in
different words- pleonasm on the level of a
sentence or sentences
%f you have a friend, ,eep your friend, for an old
friend is to be preferred before a new friend, this % say
to you as your friend.---The 7arden of Elo8uence, 5+
chiasmus
reversal of grammatical structures or ideas in
sucessive phrases or clauses, which do not
necessarily involve a repetition of words
@ut O, what damned minutes tells he o/er& "ho
!otes* yet !oubts- suspe#ts* yet strongly lo$es.---
3thello, 2.2.'6+
antithesis repetition of clauses or idea by negation
7 bliss in proof- and prov/d, a very woe-& @efore, a
.oy propos/d- behind a dream.---$ha,espeare Sonnets,
'4+
periphrasis
the replacement of a single word by several
which together have the same meaning- a
substitution of more words for less
"hile memory holds a seat& %n this distracted
globe...---"a#let, '.5.+6
Figures of Unusual
.or! Or!er
Definition Example
7nastrophe&inversion
arrangement by reversal of ordinary
word order, usually confined to the
transposition of two words only
Figures pedantical---Lo,e*s La&our*s Lost, ).4.59(
hyperbaton departure from ordinary word order
Det %/ll not shed her blood,& Eor scar that whiter s,in
of hers than snow...---3thello, ).4.2
hysteron proteron reversal of temporal order
My dame that bred me up and bare me in her
wombe.---The Arte of English Poesie, '54
parenthesis
a word, phrase, or sentence inserted as
an aside in a sentence complete by itself
@ut now my ?eere (for so lo$e maes me to #all
you still)& That love % say, that luc,lesse love, that
wor,s me all this ill.---The Arte of English Poesie,
'5'
asyn!eton !nusual omission of con.unctions
O, what a noble mind is here o/erthrown& The
courtier/s, soldier/s, scholar/s, eye, tongue, sword
9"a#let
polysyn!eton
!se of (unnecessarily many
con.unctions
"hen you are old and grey and full of sleep. (Deats
Figures of
T"oug"t
Definition Example
adynaton
the impossibility of e8pressing
oneself ade#uately to the topic
"ords cannot convey how much your letters have delighted me.---
Ele#entoru# rhetorices li&ri, 55f
aporia
true or feigned doubt or deliberation
about an issue
"hether he too, them from his fellows more impudently, gave them to
an harlot more lasciviously, removed them from the Roman people more
wic,edly or altered them more presumptuously, % cannot well declare.---
The 7arden of Elo8uence, '9+
apostrophe
a diversion of discourse from the
topic at hand to addressing some
person or thing, either present or
absent
"ithin a month...& $he married--O most wic,ed speed3 to post& "ith
such de8terity to incestuous sheets...---"a#let, '.4.')2
Figures of
Soun!
Definition Example
alliteration The repetition of the same consonant sounds
or of different vowel sounds at the beginning
of words or in stressed syllables
on scrolls of sil,er sno$y sentences
(0art ;rane
assonance Resemblance of sound, especially of the
vowel sounds in words
that dolphin-torn) that gong-tor#ented
sea ("illiam @utler Deats
onomatopoeia The formation or use of words that imitate the
sounds associated with the ob.ects or actions
they refer to.
&u:: or #ur#ur