Figures of speech

A figure of speech refers to a word or phrase that has a meaning apart from the
literal meaning. There are numerous figures of speech, some of which are given
below.

1) Alliteration- It is the repetition of the initial consonant sound of neighboring

words.

Example-

1. Betty bought butter.

2. She sold salt.

3. Alex ate almonds.

2) Allusion- It is an indirect reference to a person or a place. It is used to relate

and associate things.

Example-

1. I miss my old home, which was my Garden of Eden. (The paradise

made by God for the first born man and woman)

2. He has been repeating this activity for several months. Isn’t he such a
Sisyphus? (Sisyphus was cursed by God to push a boulder up the hill,
only to see it roll back.)

3. My Maths teacher has such a Gradgrind attitude. (Gradgrind was a

character in Charles Dickens’ Hard Times, who practices philosophy of
self-interest and hard-fact)
3) Anaphora- it is the repetition of a word or phrase, particularly at the
beginning of every successive clause, paragraph, verse etc.
Example-

1. “I have been one acquainted with the night.

I have walked out in rain—and back in rain.
I have out walked the furthest city light.”
(Acquainted with the Night by Robert Frost)
2. I came, I saw, I conquered
(Julius Caesar)
3. “Five years have passed;
Five summers, with the length of
Five long winters!”
(Tintern Abbey by William Wordsworth)

4) Antaclasis- It refers to the repeated use of a word, where in the second use
varies from the previous one.
Examples-
1. To England will I steal, and there I’ll steal. (Henry V, Shakespeare)
(1st steal refers to sneaking away, 2nd steal refers to the act of theft.)
2. Yet she must die, else she'll betray more men.
Put out the light, and then put out the light. (Othello, Shakespeare)
(1st light refers to candle, 2nd light refers to Desdemona’s life).
3. Your argument is sound, nothing but sound. (Benjamin Franklin.)
(1st sound refers to reasonable and rational, 2nd sound refers to empty).

5) Anticlimax- It refers to a transition from an important event to a trivial one.

It basically sees a descending of the events in terms of their importance.
Examples-
1. “Here thou, great Anna, whom three realms obey,
Dost sometimes counsel take, and sometimes tea”
(The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope)
2. She lost her love, her home, her bag.
3. He has his family, his home, his clothes
(Notice the transition in terms of the decreasing importance)
6) Antiphrasis- It means saying the opposite of what is really meant.
Examples-
1. You lied, even though you knew he hates it. Very smart.
2. You are so intelligent. You can’t understand this simple question.
3. I have worked all day. I feel so fresh.

7) Antithesis- It refers to juxtaposition of opposite ideas.

Examples-
1. “To err is human, to forgive divine.” (Alexander Pope)
2. “That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” - Neil
Armstrong.
3. “Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.” - William Shakespeare.

8) Apostrophe- It refers to breaking off the discourse in order to address or

introduce a third person or a non-existing entity.
Examples-
1. Ugh, facebook, why won’t you load my chats?
2. Oh dear lord! I have had a terrible day.
3. “O holy night! The stars are brightly shining!” (Christmas carol)

9) Assonance- It refers to the resemblance in sounds of neighboring words,

particularly in the use of vowels.
Examples-
1. Go and sow the seeds
2. Miles to go before I study.
3. Sweep the deep floor.

10) Cataphora- It refers to a phrase used earlier to describe a later expression.

1. If you want them, there are chocolates in the refrigerator.
2. If you need him, you can directly call Rakesh.
3. After she got the phone call, Lisa left the country.
11) Chiasmus: A figure of speech in which the second half of an expression is
balanced against the first but with the parts reversed.
Examples:

1. He knowingly led and we followed blindly. (reversing knowingly and

blindly)
2. Never let a Fool Kiss You or a Kiss Fool You.
3. It is not the oath that makes us believe the man, but the man the oath.

12) Climax: A figure of speech in which words, phrases, or clauses are

arranged such that they appear in order of increasing importance.

Examples:

1. There are three things that will endure: faith, hope, and love. But the
greatest of these is love.
2. Let a man acknowledge his obligations to himself, his family, his
country, and his God.
3. Since concord was lost, friendship was lost; fidelity was lost; liberty
was lost—all was lost.

13) Dysphemism: The use of a harsh, more offensive word instead of one
considered milder in tone. Dysphemism are generally used to shock or
offend.

Examples:

1. Snail mail for postal mail.

2. Using the term "Nutcase" for someone with a mental illness.
3. Using "Tub of Lard" for someone who is overweight.
14) Ellipsis: The constructions in which words are left out of a sentence
deliberately to make writing more economic and minimal but the sentence
can still be understood. The omitted words are usually indicated by ‘…’

Examples:

1. I’ll order the linguini and you can [order the linguini], too. (The
portions within the bracket are the portions which can be omitted
without hampering the meaning)
2. Who ordered the linguini? I did [order the linguini].
3. I’ll get something to drink, but I’m not sure what [I’ll get to drink].

15) Euphemism: The use of an inoffensive term for one considered offensively
explicit. It can be contrasted with dysphemism.

Examples:

1. ‘Passed away’ to signify someone’s death

2. Differently-abled instead of handicapped or disabled
3. Letting someone go instead of firing someone

16) Hyperbole: The use of exaggeration as a rhetorical device or figure of

speech. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong
impression, but is not meant to be taken literally. Hyperboles are
exaggerations to create emphasis or effect.

Examples:

1. The bag weighed a ton.

2. I could sleep for a year; I was so tired.
3. I could eat a horse, I am so hungry.
17) Irony: A statement or situation where the meaning is contradicted by the
appearance or presentation of the idea.

Examples:

1. His argument was as clear as mud. (Mud is not clear. Argument is

stated to be as ‘clear’ as mud in order to emphasise the negative
quality of the argument)
2. I posted a video on YouTube about how boring and useless
YouTube is.
3. His friend’s hand was as soft as a rock.

18) Litotes: A figure of speech consisting of an understatement in which an

affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite. Litotes also depends on
context.

Examples:

1. It’s not a Monet (Depending on the context it can be a normal

sentence stating that it is not a painting by Monet or it can mean that
the painting is of poor quality)
2. I am no prophet—and here's no great matter. (A person showing
insignificance)
3. not so deep as a well nor so wide as a church-door. (description of a
wound)

19) Merism: Merism is a rhetorical term for a pair of contrasting words or

phrases (such as near and far, body and soul, life and death) used to express
totality or completeness.

Examples:

1. Flesh and bone. (Referring to the body).

2. “Lock, stock, and barrel,” which means everything.
3. I searched high and low, but I couldn’t find your dog. (searched
everywhere)
20) Metaphor: An implied comparison between two unlike things that actually
have something important in common as imagined by the user.

Examples:

1. All the world's a stage

2. The curtain of night
3. She is fishing in troubled waters.

21) Metaplesis : It is a figure of speech which depicts description of something

through the use of a weakly-related item.
Examples:
1. Angels' feathers on the mountainside. (Angels have white feathers,
snow is white, patches of snow are like feathers)

2. He forced a silence with a leaden hand. ('heavy handed' approach

combined with 'lead is heavy')

3. Through mists of time the old train belched forth. (Old steam train
creates 'mist')

22) Metonymy: It is a figure of speech where a particular word or phrase is

replaced for another with which it's closely associated.

1. The suits - in place of business people

2. Dish - for an entire plate of food

3. The Pentagon - to refer to the staff

23) Onomatopoeia: The formation of a word from a sound associated with what
is named.

1. Hissed-snake

2. Knocking-door

3. Meowing- cat
24) Oxymoron: a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms
appear in conjunction

1. open secret

2. larger half

3. clearly confused

25) Paradox: a seemingly absurd or contradictory statement or proposition

which when investigated may prove to be well founded or true.

1. Drowning in the fountain of eternal life

2. You are a compulsive liar

3. We can save money by spending it

26) Personification: the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics

to something non-human, or the representation of an abstract quality in
human form.

1. Lightning danced across the sky.

2. The wind howled in the night.

3. The car complained as the key was turned.

27) Pun: a joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact
that there are words which sound alike but have different meanings.

1. "You can tune a guitar, but you can't tuna fish. Unless of course,
you play bass." - Douglas Adams

2. "Hanging is too good for a man who makes puns; he should be

drawn and quoted." - Fred Allen

3. “Denial ain't just a river in Egypt.” - Mark Twain

28) Simile: A comparison between two fundamentally dissimilar things that
have some qualities in common. (‘’like’’ or ‘’as’’)

1. As boring as watching paint dry.

2. As bold as brass

3. As big as an elephant.

29) Synecdoche: a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the

whole or vice versa.

1. "Hired hands" can be used to refer to workmen.

2. “Sails” can be used to describe ships

3. India won by six wickets (meaning ‘the Indian cricket team’).

30) Tautology: a phrase or expression in which the same thing is said twice in
different words.

1. The cow is either black or it is not black.

2. She went to him personally.

3. His office was in close proximity to the explosion.

31) Understatement: A figure of speech in which the presenter intentionally

makes a situation seem trivial or grave than it is.

1. "The grave's a fine and private place, But none, I think, do there
embrace." (Andrew Marvell, "To His Coy Mistress")

2. “I have to have this operation. It isn’t very serious. I have this tiny
little tumor on the brain.”- Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye

3. “I thought they’d killed you. I lost my temper.”- Emperor Mage, a

fantasy novel by Tamora Pierce