FIGURES OF SPEECH Figures of Speech are IDIOMS. They are the antithesis of literal speech.

IDIOM: [1588, "form of speech peculiar to a people or place," from M.Fr. idiome, from L.L. idioma "a peculiarity in language," from Gk. idioma "peculiarity, peculiar phraseology," from idioumai "I make my own," from idios "one's own, of a particular person, personal." Idiomatic is first attested 1712. A Figure of Speech is a combination of words whose meaning cannot be determined by examination of the meanings of the words that make it up, that is to say, they are NOT literal. 1. Figures of Speech of Dissociation and Dissimilar Comparison: Metaphor and Simile a) Metaphor: He's a leech! (Someone who is clingy, never leaves, borrows money all the time.) Youre a rose! A peach of a gal! What a dish! You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? (Matt. 5:13) b) Simile: My friends just like a leech! My love is like a red, red rose. When calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you. (Prov. 1:27) Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full or dead mens bones and everything unclean. (Matt. 23:27) His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like burning fire. (Rev. 1:14) 2. Figures of Speech of Association or Similar Relationship (or Comparison): Metonymy and Synecdoche a) Metonymy--Figure of speech in which an attribute or commonly associated feature is used to name or designate something. meta-change + onymon-name.

Sinae is parked around the corner. Sinaes car. "The chocolate cake wants more coffee." Customer. "The heart attack's in room 313." Hospital patient. "Washington announced today." U.S. government. "Pyongyang said today." North Korea government. "Lands belonging to the Crown." Monarchy. "Here comes the law." Policemen. "I have a Monet in my living room." Painting by Monet. "The pen is mightier than the sword." Written word (pen) / war (sword) b) Synecdoche--A special kind of metonymy. Figure of speech by which a more inclusive term is used for a less inclusive one or vice versa. Part for whole or whole for part OR species for genus or genus for species or name of the material for the thing made. 1) Part for whole= Sinae's wheels are cool. Sinae's wheels are parked around the corner. Car. The rancher hired new hands. Workers. "All hands on deck" Sailors. Fifty sails came into the harbor. Ships. 2) Whole for Part= The river is too deep to cross. Meaning, this part of the river. "Would you like more chicken?" Meaning, another piece of chicken. 3) Species for Genus: The cutthroat was not very nice. Assassin. 4) Genus for Species: We are sometimes foolish creatures. Humans. 5) Name of material for the thing made: He loves acting. Just walking out onto the boards thrills him. Stage. Questionable oneswhat about these? Metonymy or synecdoche? He's a man of the cloth. Western Canada is often called 'big-sky country.' I read Milton and drive an Accord. I'm drinking water and run out and say to the waitress, "I'd like another glass." "The kettle is boiling!" So all synecdoche are metonymy but not all metonymy are synecdoche. Use two circles image. Sometimes people give up, they find the terms so confusing, and so they use metonymy for both synecdoche and metonymy, but we are not these people! 3. Figures of Speech of Overstatement: a) Hyperbole (Exaggeration used to make a point, as I'm sure I've told you THOUSANDS OF TIMES before!) 2

Matt. 19:24 (Mark 10:25; Luke 18:25): It is easier for an camel to go through the eye of needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. b) Hendiadys (Creative tautology) Encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. (1 Thess. 2:12) May the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thess. 5:23) while we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. (Tit. 2:13) 4. Figures of Speech of Understatement: a) Irony (Saying one thing to mean the opposite)(When used to taunt and ridicule, irony is called sarcasm.) Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. Teacher, they said, we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You arent swayed by men because you pay no attention to who they are. (Matt. 22:15-16) and they twisted together a crown of thorns and set it upon his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. Hail, king of the Jews they said. (Matt. 27:29) b) Litotes (Meiosis) (Understating one thing to magnify another) The Abraham spoke up again: Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes. (Gen. 18:27) Paul said, For I am the least of all the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect (1 Cor. 15:9-10) c) Euphemism (Substitute a cultured or less offensive term for a harsh one) Monty Pythons famous Parrot Sketch utilizes English euphemisms concerning death, e.g. its snuffed it, its pushing up the daisies, its popped its clogs, its shuffled off this mortal coil, etc. The Bible contains many similar expressions, particularly in subjects concerning death, bodily functions and reproduction. Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain (Gen. 4:1) You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. (Gen. 15:15) 3

After he had gone, the servants came and found the doors of the upper room locked. They said, he must be relieving himself in the inner room of the house. (Judges 3:24) Deal with him according to your wisdom, but do not let his grey head go down to the grave in peace. (1 Kings 2:6) After he had said this, he went on to tell them, Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up. (John 11:11) d) Antithesis Too obvious to need explanation. 5. Figures of Speech Involving Omission: a) Ellipsis Too obvious to need explanation. 6. Figures of Speech Stressing the Personal Dimension: a) Personification Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech. (Prov. 1:20-21) b) Apostrophe Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting. (1 Cor. 15:55) Pursuant to the excellent question asked in class on Friday, 8 October 2004: Cadence differs from meter in that cadence (recurring rhythmical patterns in lines of verse) is NOT necessarily regular, but is rather a more flexible concept of rhythm characteristic of free verse and prose poetry. Also, when one is doing scansion, a caesura (or metrical pause) is marked by // I'm no / body! // Who are / you? (From Emily Dickinson)
See also: Thomas McFadden, UPEnn http://www.ling.upenn.edu/courses/Summer_2003/ling001/lecture5.html http://www.robibrad.demon.co.uk/Idioms.htm October 11, 2004