Figures of Speech
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Figures of Speech
Figures of speech
- are words or phrases that depart
from straightforward literal
language.
- are often used and crafted for
emphasis, expression, or clarity.
Figures of Speech
The sweet tinkle of the coins carried
beautifully in the courtroom.
- My Father Goes to Court
“Life, Why have you forsaken me?”
-Footnote to Youth
Types of Figures of Speech
SIMILE
A simile is the comparison of two
Unlike things using like or as .
He eats like a pig.
You are as pretty as a princess.
METAPHOR
A metaphor is the comparison of
two unlike things or expressions,
sometimes using the verb “to be,”
and not using like or as (as in a
simile).
“To be” (am, is, are, was, were)
METAPHOR
He is a pig.
“You are a tulip.”
From “A Meditation for his Mistress”
~Robert Herrick
ALLITERATION
Alliteration is the repetition of
initial consonant sounds of
neighboring words.
Sally sells seashells by the seashore.
Tongue Twister
Peter Piper picked a peck of
pickled peppers, A peck of
pickled peppers Peter Piper
picked; If Peter Piper picked a
peck of pickled peppers, Where's
the peck of pickled peppers Peter
Piper picked?
Tongue Twister
How much wood could a
woodchuck chuck
If a woodchuck could chuck wood?
As much wood as a woodchuck
could chuck,
If a woodchuck could chuck wood.
ONOMATOPOEIA
(on-uh-mat-uh-pee-uh)
An onomatopoeia is a word that imitates
the sound it represents.
The chiming of the bells…
The boom of the explosion…
ONOMATOPOEIA
“Tinkling sleigh bells
Clanging fire bells
Mellow chiming wedding bells
Tolling, moaning, and groaning funeral
bells”
From “The Bells”
~Edgar Allan Poe
HYPERBOLE
A hyperbole is an exaggeration or
an overstatement .
=
His feet are as big as boats!
I nearly died laughing!
HYPERBOLE
“Here once the embattled farmers stood
And fired the shot heard round the world .”
From “The Concord Hymn”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
PERSONIFICATION
Giving human qualities to
things that are not human
The moon looked down at me.
APOSTROPHE
A figure of speech in which some absent
or non existent person or thing is
addressed as if present and capable of
understanding.
Examples:
“Oh, love, why have you forsaken me?”
“Death, Where is thy sting?”
Oxymoron
Two words or phrases with
opposing meanings which are
used together.
Examples:
▪ Suddenly the room filled with
a deafening silence.
Euphemism
used to express a mild, indirect,
or vague term to substitute for a
harsh, blunt, or offensive term.
Examples:
▪ Her mother passed away when
she was ten.
Synecdoche
a figure of speech in which
a part of something is
used to signify the whole,
or vice-versa.
Synecdoche
To recognize synecdoche it's
helpful to understand that
there are different sorts of
wholes and parts. The most
common types of wholes and
parts are:
Synecdoche
▪A physical structure
and its parts
Ex. Nice wheels!
Synecdoche
▪ An object and the
material it is made of
Ex: Are you paying
with plastic?
Synecdoche
▪A container and
what it contains:
Ex: Can I buy you a
glass?
Synecdoche
▪A category and the
items in those
categories:
Ex: The Philippines took
home the gold.
Anaphora
a technique where
several phrases or verses
begin with the same
word or words.
Anaphora
Ex: "I came, I saw, I conquered.“--
Julius Caesar
"We shall not flag or fail. We
shall go on to the end ... we shall
never surrender." - Winston
Churchill
Irony
Irony occurs when there's a
marked contrast between
what is said and what is
meant, or between
appearance and reality.
Irony
Ex: "How nice!" she said
when I told her I had to
work all weekend.
Irony
Ex: A traffic cop gets
suspended for not paying
his parking tickets.
Irony
Ex: I love Mondays. Back
to work!
Figures of Speech
“She was fragrant like a morning when
papayas are in bloom.”
- “Now the shadows took fright and did not crowd so
near.”
his horns appeared tipped with fire.
But Labang was fairly dancing with
impatience
Crickets chirped from their homes in the cracks in
the banks
Test Your Knowledge!
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE!
He clattered and clanged as he
washed the dishes.
(A) Simile
(B) Onomatopoeia
(C) Hyperbole
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE!
Life is a beach!
(A)Metaphor
(B)Alliteration
(C) Simile
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE!
“Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.”
~Mother Goose
(A) Onomatopoeia
(B) Hyperbole
(C) Alliteration
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE!
The river falls under us like a
trap door.
(A)Onomatopoeia
(B) Simile
(C) Metaphor
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE!
I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!
(A) Hyperbole
(B) Metaphor
(C) Onomatopoeia
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE!
“Don’t delay dawn’s disarming display.
Dusk demands daylight.”
From “Dewdrops Dancing Down Daises”
~Paul Mc Cann
(A) Onomatopoeia
(B) Alliteration
(C) Hyperbole
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE!
I’ve heard that joke a billion
times, but it still cracks me up!
(A) Simile
(B) Metaphor
(C) Hyperbole
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE!
The glass vase is as fragile as a
child’s sandcastle.
(A) Metaphor
(B) Alliteration
(C) Simile
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
Oh, trees, how majestic you are as
you throw down your golden
leaves.
A) Personification
B) Apostrophe
C) Oxymoron
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE!
The buzzing bee startled me!
(A) Hypberbole
(B) Onomatopoeia
(C) Metaphor
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
You looked pretty ugly in
that dress.
A) Onomatopoeia
B) Oxymoron
C) Alliteration
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
The sun draped its arms
around my shoulders
A) Personification
B) Oxymoron
C) Simile
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
You look as creepy as the lady in
the bathroom.
A) Personification
B) Simile
C) Oxymoron
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
Car, please get me to work today.
A) Personification
B) Apostrophe
C) Oxymoron
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
The comedian was seriously
funny.
A) Personification
B) Oxymoron
C) Hyperbole
