BS ENGLISH: STUDY SKILLS

FIGURES OF SPEECH
DEFINITION:
A figure of speech is a use of words or phrases in a sense
different from the ordinary or literal meaning. It is a creative use of language
to generate a stylistic effect.
The Oxford Dictionary describes it as; “a word or phrase used in a
different way from its usual meaning in order to create a particular mental
picture or effect.
Figures of speech are Literary Devices, a writing technique, writers
use to express ideas, convey meaning, and highlight important themes in
a piece of text.
EXAMPLE:
1. She is beautiful. (literal)
2. She is like a rose. (figurative)
Consider these two examples; in the first one, simple or literal
language is used, which means you say exactly what you mean. While in the
second one, figurative language is used, “like a rose” is a figure of speech,
which means you don’t say exactly what you mean.
IMPORTANCE OF FIGURES OF SPEECH:
1. It enhances the beauty of the writing.
2. It suggests a visual picture or makes an idea more vivid.
3. It makes the sentence deeper and leaves the reader with a sense of
wonder.
4. It adds richness to writing that will have an effect on the reader.
5. It brings life to the words used by the writer.
6. It adds flavor to the writing and makes it so much more
enjoyable for the reader.
7. It allows the reader to have a greater understanding and ability to
imagine the situations being described in the writing.
TYPES OF FIGURES OF SPEECH:
There are a large number of figures of speech used in
writing or oral communication. Some of them are the following:

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1.Simile:
A simile is the figure of speech that compares two things using the
words “like” or “as.” It is also known as an indirect comparison.
As a writer, similes give you the power to create vivid imagery and
descriptions for your reader.
EXAMPLE:
If you write that someone is:
As thin as a rail
Like an open book
Then you’re writing in similes. The person you’re writing about; does
not literally have the same width as a rail. The comparison between the
character and a rail, creates a better image for your reader than
saying, “She’s skinny.”
2. METAPHOR:
A metaphor is a direct comparison between two things.
Metaphors don’t suggest one thing is like another; they declare that one
thing is another. Unlike the simile, a metaphor doesn’t use the words,
“As” or “Like” to compare things. It directly compares dissimilar things
to create more vivid imagery or understanding.
EXAMPLE:
In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, he uses a metaphor
in the famous balcony scene.
He wrote: “Juliet is the sun”
This metaphor is used to emphasize the overwhelming brightness
of Juliet’s beauty.
Here he did not use the words “like” or “as”, to compare ‘Juliet’ with
‘sun’. He just directly compared Juliet with the sun to indicate Juliet’s bright
beauty. So, metaphorical language is used here.
3. Conceit:
A conceit is one such device. Popular in Renaissance literature, a
conceit is a cross between a metaphor and a simile. Like a metaphor, a
conceit makes a comparison, but the objects are very dissimilar.
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It is defined as; a figure of speech in which two vastly different objects are
linked together with the help of similes or metaphors.
Conceits usually demand your attention because the comparison
seems so farfetched.
EXAMPLE:
"A broken heart is like a damaged clock”.
The difference between a broken heart and a damaged clock is
unconventional, but once you think about it, you can see the connection. Both
a broken clock and a broken heart seem to stop, but both can be
mended with time.
Conceits are often surprising; for example, it will not surprise us to
hear someone saying, you are a snail, or you are slow as a snail, as we
understand that the similarity is drawn on a common quality, "slowness". We,
however, will definitely be surprised to hear that someone is comparing, "A
broken heart is like a damaged clock.” Thus, conceit examples have a
surprising and shocking effect on the reader.
TYPES OF CONCEIT:
There are two main types of conceit:
i. METAPHYSICAL CONCEIT:
A metaphysical conceit is a complex, often
lofty literary device that makes a far-stretched comparison between a
person's spiritual aspect and a physical thing in the world.
Example:
In John Donne’s poem, 'A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning,' he
compares the souls of a couple to the points on an architect's compass.
The two things are unalike on the surface, but Donne works the conceit
to bring about comparisons between the two items.
ii. PETRARCHAN CONCEIT:
The Petrarchan conceit is a kind of
exaggerated comparison between two things, wherein, the poet
compares his beloved to something physical object- moon,
ocean, sun etc."

Example:
In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, He wrote: “Juliet is the
sun”. Here, he exaggerated or hyperbolized, Juliet’s bright beauty by
comparing her with sun.
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4. PERSONIFICATION:
Personification is a figure of speech that is used to
attribute human characteristics to something that is not human; or is spoken
of as if it were human. Writers use It to provide personality, energy, will, and
emotions to an otherwise lifeless scene in their work of art.
It is used to convey the meaning that an item or thing has performed an
action when in reality it has not.
EXAMPLE:
The stars were dancing playfully in the sky.
Moonlight was dancing on the surface of the
Water.
Here, in these examples stars and the light of the moon are not actually
dancing, the stars and the moonlight are just personified by human attributes.
Like in Daffodils, a poem by William Wordsworth, he wrote:
“When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.”
Here, daffodils were not actually dancing and fluttering, they are moving
just because of blowing breeze. So, here writer just personified human
attribute to daffodils.
5. SYMBOL/ SYMBOLIZEM:
Symbol is a figure of speech. In general, A symbol is anything
that represents something else, either directly or indirectly. In art and
literature, a symbol is often an abstract idea conveyed through an object. It
can be a plant, a building, an animal, or even a person.
For example, a red rose symbolizes love, while a raven is a
symbol of death and doom. Anything, that serves as a representation of the
bigger idea is called symbolic. For example, colors can be symbolic: white
usually represents purity, while red symbolizes passion.
Writers use symbolism to explain an idea or concept to their
readers in a poetic manner without saying it outright.
EXAMPLE:
In poem Rain, W. H. Davies uses rain as a poetic symbol of
social stratification. Rain falls on the upper leaves first, and then the drops roll
down to the lower ones. It means that the upper class gets more benefits
while the lower class gets less. So, Symbolism is used in literature when one
thing is meant to represent something else.
IMPORTANCE OF SYMBOLIZEM IN LITERARTURE:
Here are some reasons that illustrate
symbolism's importance in literature:
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i. It acts as a visual aid for readers to better understand
complex ideas of concepts.
ii. It helps readers follow a book's central theme more easily.
iii. It allows writers to write their ideas more creatively and artfully.
SYMBOLIZEM IN DAILY LIFE:
Many people also use symbolism in everyday
life. For example, the color white stands for purity, black represents evil, roses
stand for romance, a butterfly symbolizes transformation and a dog can
represent loyalty, etc.
6. IMAGERY:
imagery is a literary device used to create mental images through
descriptive words. Although the word “imagery” most often brings to mind
mental images, imagery is not always visual; it can appeal to any of the five
senses.
Imagery can contain either literal or figurative language. Literal
imagery uses descriptive words that mean exactly what they say.
For example, “The grass was green, and the flowers were red.”
Figurative imagery uses descriptive language that means
something different than or goes beyond the literal definition of the words,
often through exaggeration, comparison, or symbolism.
For example, “He has a heart of stone”; it does not mean his heart is
literally made of stone. Instead, it is a figurative comparison of his unkind or
cruel actions to being as hard and cold as a stone.
TYPES OF IMAGERY:
There are some types of imagery that appeal to different
senses:
i. AUDITORY IMAGERY:
Auditory imagery appeals to the sense of hearing. Like, the
clank of the keys , Crow of the rooster in the morning , The chirping of the
birds , are some examples of auditory imagery.

ii. GUSTATORY IMAGERY:

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iii. KINETIC/ KINESTHETIC IMAGERY:
Kinesthetic imagery conveys a sense of motion.
Like, the birds flapped their wings, and the little boy ran down the
street, are some examples of kinesthetic imagery.
iv. OLFACTORY IMAGERY:
Olfactory imagery appeals to the sense of smell.
Like, as she entered the warm house, she was welcomed by the
scents of hot apple cider and a strong smell of freshly brewed coffee,
is an example of gustatory imagery.
v. TACTILE IMAGERY:
Tactile imagery appeals to the sense of touch.
Like, a gust of cold air blew over her, causing her body to shiver, and,
after she pulled the fuzzy blanket up to her chin, she
was warm and cozy, these are some examples of tactile imagery.
vi. VISUAL IMAGERY:
Visual imagery is created with pictures (many visual
images are pictures of things representing well-known sayings or phrases).
Like, “the autumn leaves are a blanket on the ground, and there is desolation
everywhere. Suddenly, a man wearing a black hoody; appeared, and a strange
atmosphere was created there, as soon as he arrived”, these are the lines,
taken from some novel, in which writer describes an event in a way that it
creates visual imagery for readers.
7. PARADOX:
The term paradox comes from the Greek para ("contrary to") and
doxa ("opinion"). From that, the term “Paradox”, came to be used for
something that was contrary to; or contradicted.
In literature, the paradox is used as a literary device, to engage a
reader to discover an underlying logic in a seemingly self-contradictory
statement or phrase. It is defined as; a paradox is a statement that appears at
first to be contradictory, but upon reflection then makes sense.
EXAMPLE:
Consider this general statement; “Less is more”, At first sight; this
statement seems wrong or false, because how can less, be more? But once
we focus on it, we understand the actual meaning of this statement that;
having just the essential things is better than having way too much of
superfluous things. 

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