Types of Figure Of Speech

1. Simile - In a simile, two things which are completely unlocked are compared with
each other. A simile is introduced by words such as like, so, as etc.
Examples -
 The flower is as pretty as a picture.
 He is as sober as a judge.
 The floor was as slippery as an eel.
 They looked like peas in a pod.
 She’s as pretty as a picture.
2. Metaphor - When you compare two unlike or different things or ideas, it is known
as a metaphor. It is an informal or implied simile in which the words ‘like’ ‘as’ are
avoided. For example, He is like a Giant - Simile and He is a Giant - Metaphor.
Examples -
 You are the apple of my eye.
 Ocean’s sound is music to my ear.
 Heart of gold.
 He is a night owl.
 Time is money.
3. Personification - In Personification, non-living things, abstract ideas or qualities
are mentioned as humans or living things.
Example -
 Angry clouds surrounded the island.
 Earth was thirsty for water.
 The flowers talked to them in the garden.
 The wind howled that night.
 The snowflakes danced at night.
 I heard the wind whistling.
 The water danced across my window.
 My dog is telling me to start dinner.
 The moon is smiling at me.
 Her alarm hummed in the background.

4. Apostrophe - In this figure of speech, the writer mentions the absent or

inanimate objects as alive and writes about them.
 Example -
 “O, Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?”
 “Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are”
 “Walter, remember when the world was young and all the girls knew
Walter's name? Walter, isn't it a shame the way our little world has
changed.”
5. Oxymoron - An Oxymoron is when two words are used together in a sentence
but they seem to be in contrast with each other. An oxymoron is a figure of
speech that willingly uses two differing ideas. This contradiction creates a
paradoxical image in the reader or listener's mind that creates a new concept or
meaning for the whole.
Difference between Antithesis & Oxymoron

 Antithesis is a figure of speech that places two completely contrasting ideas

or clauses in juxtaposition. For example:

 “Art is long, and Time is fleeting.”

 An oxymoron is a figure of speech that contains two opposing or contrasting

words placed adjacent to each other within a phrase to produce an effect.

For example:

 “Why, then, O brawling love! O loving hate!”

 Life is bittersweet.
 They knew they could feel the joyful sadness on his arrival.
 Sweet sorrow.
 Peace force.
 Free market.
 Jumbo ant.
 darkness visible” (Milton);
 “make haste slowly” (Suetonius)
 “loving hate” (Romeo and Juliet)
6. Hyperbole - Hyperbole is when you use words to exaggerate what you mean or
emphasize a point. It is used to make something seem bigger or more important
than it actually is.
 Example -
 It has been ages since I have had a proper meal.
 Usain Bolt runs faster than the wind.
 I could do this forever.
 She’s older than this world.
 Everybody knows me.
7. Pun - A pun is generally used in plays where one word has two different
meanings. It is used to create humour. Humorous use of words of different
meanings or the words of the same sound but different meanings is known as
Pun.
Example -
 A bicycle can’t stand on its own because it is two-tired.
 Where Is life worth living? It depends upon the liver.

 Obviously, the constitution is against prostitution and congress is against

progress. (con means against and pro means for) do you find giant snails? On
the ends of the giants' fingers.
 Firefighting sparks my interest.
 She’s a skillful pilot whose career has really taken off.
 He kept his spirits up by pouring spirits down.

 “First, we need to acknowledge the elephant in the room” (Zootopia)

 “I always told you, Gwendolen, my name was Ernest, didn’t I? Well, it is
Ernest after all. I mean it naturally is Ernest.” (‘The Importance of Being
Earnest’ by Oscar Wilde)
 “No, ’tis not so deep as a well nor so wide as a church-door, but ’tis
enough, ’twill serve. Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave
man.” (‘Romeo and Juliet’ by William Shakespeare)
 “You wouldn’t hit a guy with glasses, would you?
Oh…you hit a guy, with glasses. Well played.” (Wreck It Ralph)
8. Alliteration - It is a series of words, which commence with the same letter.
Alliteration consists of the repetition of a sound or of a letter at the beginning of
two or more words.
For Example -
 Dirty dolphins dove across the ocean.
 Purple pandas painted portraits.
 She sells seashells.
 Nick needed new notebooks.
 Fred fried frogs’ legs on Friday.
 “The fair breeze blew,
 The white foam flew,
 And the furrow followed free.
9. Onomatopoeia - It is the figure of speech where the word is used to describe a
sound. When we explain any action by putting the sounds into language, it is
known as onomatopoeia. It is generally used in fiction or in nursery rhymes, for
eg- Old Macdonald had a farm E-I-E-I-O. Words like whoosh, splat, buzz, oink,
click, etc., are used to create this effect.
Example –
 I could hear the leaves rustling and the wind howling.
 Bam! He hit the truck at the speed of 80 kmph.
 The buzzing bee flew over my head
 The stone hit the water with a splash
 Shh! No talking in the library please.
 Ding Dong there was someone at the door.
 Ouch! You just stepped on my toe.
 Ahem! I can hear everything you are saying about me.

10. Anaphora - When many phrases or verses start with the same word, it is known
as anaphora.
Example -
 I came, I saw, I conquered.
 We shall not stop. We shall go on and on. We shall move forward.
11. Assonance- When we use repetition of vowel sounds, it is known as
assonance.
Example -

 Rise high in the bright sky.

 The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain.
 Men sell wedding bells.
 I like your eyes.
  “A whole new world/A dazzling place I never knew/But when I’m way up here/It’s
crystal clear that now/I’m in a whole new world with you.”
 “A rolling stone gathers no moss”
 We bought eight bright dresses for the children.
 “The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plains”
 “I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter
 We received three emails each week.
 The rain in Spain, stays mainly on the plain. (From the musical ‘My Fair Lady’)
 Hear the mellow wedding bells. (The Bells – Edgar Allen Poe)
Consonance

Consonance is the repetition of the same consonant sound in a phrase or sentence.

Consonance Examples

1. The rain pitter pattered in the puddle.

2. The cook cooked the cutest cupcakes.
3. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

12. Euphemism - It is known as a euphemism when we replace blunt, offensive, or

harsh terms with soft, mild, vague, or indirect terms.
Example -
 Using letting you go instead of firing
 Using a little thin on top instead of getting bald
 Using passed away instead of killed or died
 Using stick to the truth instead of calling someone a liar
 He is telling us a fairy tale. (a lie)
 He has fallen asleep. (he is dead)
13. Irony - If you use terms that contrast with what you say and what you do, it is
known as irony. It’s like a difference between what is said and what is meant.
Example -
 A traffic cop got a ticket for parking in a no-parking zone.
 The Titanic was said to be unsinkable but got sunk on its first trip.
  When the viewer knows who the killer is in the movie, but the actor doesn’t
know that.
 Your hands are as clean as mud
 The dinner you served was as hot as ice
14. Synecdoche - If a part is represented by a whole or a whole is represented by a
part, it is known as synecdoche.
Example -
 Colgate – any toothpaste
 Wheels – a car
 Employed people – workers
 The traffic – many vehicles
 He took us for a spin in his new wheels. (Wheels = car)
 There are hundreds of boots on the ground searching for the fugitives.
(Boots = soldiers or police)
 There was no comment from The White House. (The White House = The
President)
 Fifty sail for fifty ships.
 She had been sixteen summers. (years)
 They left their father’s roof. (home)


15. Understatement - When you try to say or show something of no importance or

less importance.
Example -
 Referring a big wound to just a scratch
 Saying it little dry instead of desert
 Referring big destruction to just an accident

16. Antithesis

Antithesis is a literary technique that places opposite things or ideas next to one

another in order to draw out their contrast.

Example: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . .” —Charles Dickens, A

Tale of Two Cities

 Hope for the best; prepare for the worst.

 Keep your mouth closed and your eyes open.
 “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the age of wisdom, it
was the age of foolishness.” – Charles Dickens
 “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” – Neil Armstrong
 “Better to reign in Hell, than to serve in Heaven.” – John Milton
 Speech is silver, but silence is gold.
 “Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.” – William Shakespeare
 Keep your friends close; keep your enemies closer.
 “To err is human; to forgive divine.” – Alexander Pope
 Money is the root of all evil: poverty is the fruit of all goodness.

17. Epigram
an epigram is a short, interesting and insightful idea or thought about a specific subject
expressed in a witty, satirical and funny manner.

What Makes an Epigram Different from a Proverb?

To know the ways in which an epigram differs from a proverb, check out the following
table.

Epigram Proverb

 An epigram is a short, interesting and witty  A proverb is a short statement that

thought or idea on a particular subject, conveys a basic truth in a direct or
usually presented in a funny manner. satirical manner.

 An epigram is usually said by someone  A proverb is not quoted by a specific

and documented. person, but a general saying passed
on from one generation to another.

 For example:  For example:

 “It is better to light a candle than  A stitch in time saves nine.

curse the darkness.” – Eleanor
Roosevelt
Common Examples of Epigrams
Here are a few examples of epigrams that you can go through.

 There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not
being talked about. – Oscar Wilde
 “There are no gains without pains.” – Benjamin Franklin
 “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” – Oscar Wilde
 “The Child is father of the Man.” – William Wordsworth
 “Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.” – Oscar Wilde
 “Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind.” – John F.
Kennedy
 “The only ‘ism’ Hollywood believes in is plagiarism.” – Dorothy Parker
 “If we don’t end war, war will end us.” – H. G. Wells
 “Live simply, so that others may simply live.” – Mother Teresa
 “All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That’s
his.” – Oscar Wilde

18. Paradox
It is a statement that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense and yet is
perhaps true. The paradox is a rhetorical device used to attract attention, to secure
emphasis.

Examples

 He loves being in the public eye but also deeply values and protects his privacy.
 Failures are the pillars of success.
 Cowards die many times before their death.
 must be cruel, only to be kind—Hamlet by Shakespeare.
 Nobody goes to the seaside at the weekend, because it’s too crowded.
 Youth is wasted on the young.Source: theidioms.com
 “Some of the biggest failures I ever had were successes.” (As said by American
actress Pearl Bailey).
 “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.” (As said by English
novelist George Orwell).

19. Repetition

Repetition is when a word or phrase is repeated for effect or emphasis. Teachers often
teach things like times tables by repetition and musicians repeat choruses in songs. A
good example is Martin Luther King’s – ‘I have a dream’ speech.

Repetition Examples
1. I’m telling you I won’t do it; I simply won’t do it.
2. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.
3. He told me about it, years and years and years ago.
4. Home sweet home.

20. Enjambment
Enjambment is a literary device in which a line of poetry carries its idea or thought
over to the next line without a grammatical pause.

I Love You as the plant that doesn’t bloom but carries

the light of those flowers, hidden, within itself,
and thanks to your love the tight aroma that arose
from the earth lives dimly in my body.
1. I think I had never seen
A verse as beautiful as a flower.
2. Autumn showing off colors slowly
Letting the splendid colors
Flow softly to earth below.
3. The poet labors all his days
To build the beauty in his rhyme.
4. When rain drops are
Exposed to sunlight, even
Colorless become vibrant.
5. Longer days have come,
Cuckoos are here with joyous
Shades of dark green arise!