Figures of Speech
1. Personification- attributing certain Oh, trees, how majestic you are as
human characteristics to inanimate you throw down your golden
objects. leaves.
Opportunity knocked at his/her
door. 12. Paradox- exactly the opposite
“I am a liar, that’s true.”
2. Metaphor- comparing two different “War is peace. Freedom is slavery.
things that have a common link. Ignorance is strength.”
She is the apple of my eye. 13. Understatement- inciting a less reactive
response
3. Simile- direct comparison using words That condemned house just needs
“as” or “like.” a coat of paint.
His response was as cold as ice.
14. Metonymy- words that are used in
4. Alliteration- similar consonant at the place of other words
beginning of each word. “If you want I can give you a hand.”
Go and gather the green leaves on (here, ‘hand’ has replaced ‘help’).
the grass.
15. Synecdoche- part is made to represent
5. Onomatopoeia- words that are similar to the whole or vice versa
the sounds they produce. Lend me your ears.
Hum. Humming instruments White hair
Tap- tapping shoes His parents bought him a new set of
wheels.
6. Hyperbole- over- exaggeration
I have told you a million times not 16. Oxymoron- two contrasting ideas
to touch my stuff! placed side by side
Suddenly the room filled with a
7. Euphemism- milder or more acceptable deafening silence.
terms
She has “passed away”, instead of 17. Tautology- the saying of the same thing
“died.” twice
That is totally and completely
8. Irony- stating the opposite ridiculous.
Gerald proposed a useless idea, to
which Thomas responded saying, 18. Epithet – descriptive name of title
“That’s genius!” “Alexander the Great”
9. Anaphora- words that repeat 19. Litotes- positive statement is expressed
consecutively. by negating its opposite
“In every cry of every Man, In every New York is not an ordinary city.
infant’s cry of fear, In every voice, in
every ban… 20. Parallelism- repetition of the same
grammatical form
10. Pun- make you sound witty and You may need to work quickly.
comical You may respond by calling me.
Denial is a river in Egypt (referring
to The Nile using the word Denial). 21. Antithesis- direct opposite of someone
or something else
11. Apostrophe- address to an inanimate To err is human; to forgive is divine.
object or even a person that does not Snow White and the Wicked Witch
really exist
22. Stereotype- representation or perceived 23. Palindrome- reads the same backward
idea as forward
Girls are not good at sports. Don’t nod.
All teenagers are rebels. Dogma: I am God
Deped
Hi there eager beavers! (enthusiastic and industrious people) Today we’re gonna learn few of
the hundreds of Figures of Speech known in conversations and famous writings. To begin let’s
have…
Alliteration Happens when Gloria glared at the glasses. In this sentence
there are similar Sheep should sleep in a shed. the similar
consonants at the The boy buzzed around as busy as consonant is
beginning of words a bee. g…
in a phrase Another
example:
Anaphora Are words that Stay safe. Stay well. Stay happy.”
repeat “I wish I may; I wish I might.”
consecutively Give me liberty or give me death.”
Apostrophe Addressing an O cunning Love, with tears you
inanimate object or make me blind!
a person who is not
there or invisible “O happy dagger! This is thy
sheath; there rust, and let me
die.” “
Blow winds, blow!
Hello darkness my old friend
Personification Giving human Experience is the best teacher.
attributes or
characteristics to The trees are our friends who
inanimate objects protect us.
The sun is playing hide and seek
with the clouds.
Epithet Is a descriptive “The King of Rock and Roll”
name or title of 1. Aristotle as “The
a person Philosopher.”
2. William Shakespeare as
“The Bard.”
Regine Velasquez..Asia’s
Songbird
Euphemism Milder or more He's not the sharpest
acceptable terms pencil in the box. ... He’s
not smart.
She’s on the
streets. — She’s
homeless.
He’s big boned. —
He’s fat.
Hyperbole Over- I will die if she asks me
exaggeration to dance.
She is as big as an
elephant!
I'm so hungry I could eat
a horse.
Irony Stating the “Dinner is burned,
opposite in a I’m such a great
funny or chef.”
comical way The other twin said,”
You’re ugly”
A pilot has a fear of
heights.
Paradox Stating exactly the I did those things that I cannot do.
opposite in which ‘I must be cruel only to be kind’
listeners would This is the beginning of the
ponder on its end.
hidden meaning We laughed so hard that we
cried.
Oxymoron Two contrasting Life is bittersweet.
words placed side We are alone together.
by side This is an open secret.
The sausages tasted awfully good.
Antithesis Phrases showing United we stand, divided we fall.
direct opposite to Man proposes, God disposes.
each other Hope for the best; prepare for
the worst.
Litotes
A positive Chanding is not a short
statement is girl…
negated by its
Chanding is a tall girl.
opposite
" You won't be sorry you
bought this knife set.
(You'll be happy you
bought this knife set.)
"Well, that wasn't the best
dinner party."
Well, that was a bad dinner
party.
Onomatopoeia Words that are I heard the humming of bees.
similar to the Grunt, grunt goes the hog.
sounds they Ding Dong there was someone at
produce the door.
Palindrome Reads the same A man, a plan, a canal:
forward or Panama!
backward A nut for a jar of tuna.
Borrow or rob?
Sit on a potato pan, Otis.
Madam, I'm Adam.
Parallelism Repetition of the I like jogging, baking, painting,
grammatical form and watching movies.
He prefers hosting movie nights at
home over going to loud house
parties.
The company is looking for a
candidate who
is friendly, organized, meticulous,
and punctual.
Pun Play on words. It’s difficult for crabs
to share because they
It may appear are shellfish.
to have the The bicycle cannot
same sounds stand on its own
but different because it is two-
meanings. tired.
This vacuum sucks.
Makes you You are pearfect!
sound witty and A horse is a very
comical stable animal.
I Noah a guy who
saves every two pairs
of animals
Bakit ikaw meron, a
Koala…
Ano ang tawag sa
grupo ng mga pusa?
PangCat
Bakit may black eye yung
juice?
Kasi nasa pack sya..
Anong sabi ng kabilang
kilay sa kabilang kilay?
HI brow!
Give me a color that starts
with letter M.
Maroon.
Good what else?
Mlue, , Mlack, , Mlawn, Mink
Miolet
Melygood, Malakmakan!!!
Simile Direct comparison He wandered lonely as a cloud.
of two unlike The news spread like a fire.
things using like or Rustam is strong like a mountain
as
Metaphor Direct comparison The camel is the ship of the
of two unlike desert.
things He is a shining star.
Sheldon is a walking dictionary.
Stereotype Generalization Girls are better at reading
of and boys are better at
representation math
of a perceived
idea Women are natural nurturers;
men are natural leaders
Americans are loud and arrogant.
Synecdoche A part is made He asks for her hand—
to represent the refers to asking a woman to
whole or vice marry
versa She had been sixteen summers.
(years)
They left their father’s roof.
(home)
"The captain commands one
hundred sails" is a synecdoche
that uses "sails" to refer to ships—
ships being the thing of which a
sail is a part.
Metonymy Words that are He addressed the chair.
used in place of a (chairman)
closely associated The white House declared its
word decision.
“The power of the crown
was mortally weakened”
The suits agreed on the
proposal (businessmen)
Tautology Needless Is this adequate enough
repetition or They hiked to the summit at the
top of the mountain.
the saying of
She was a dark-haired brunette.
same thing She is a big huge woman.
twice The evening sunset was beautiful
Understatement The presentation of You are out to dinner with a friend
something as less who spills food down the front of
or smaller her white shirt. A polite
compared to its understatement would be:
actual value. "Really, it's hardly noticeable."
"I'm not crazy, I'm just a
little unwell."
"It’s the end of the world as
we know it,/ and I feel fine."
Its just a small wave,
nothing to worry about
(even though the boat is
sinking)
His room is a little messy.
Its just a little scratch. (dako
nga samad.
The sun is playing hide and seek with the clouds.
Sheldon is a walking dictionary.
The news spread like a fire.
Sheep should sleep in a shed.
Ding Dong there was someone at the door.
I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.
"It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine."
He’s big boned. — He’s fat.
A marriage counselor files for divorce. ...
Stay safe. Stay well. Stay happy.”
It’s difficult for crabs to share because they are shellfish.
O death! Where is your sting?
This is the beginning of the end.
The white House declared its decision.
He asks for her hand—refers to asking a woman to marry
We are alone together.
I went to see him personally.
Elvis Presley “The King of Rock and Roll”
"Well, that wasn't the best dinner party."
I like jogging, baking, painting, and watching movies.
United we stand, divided we fall.
Girls are better at reading and boys are better at math
A man, a plan, a canal: Panama!
Personificatio
n
Metaphor
Simile
Alliteration
Onomatopoei
a
Hyperbole
Euphemism
Irony
Anaphora
Pun
Apostrophe
Paradox
Understatemen
t
Metonymy
Synecdoche
Oxymoron
Tautology
Epithet
Litotes
Parallelism
Antithesis
Stereotype
Palindrome
