Figures of Speech Quiz

Questions and Answers

Match the following literary devices with their definitions:

Analogy = A connection between two similar things usually to clarify or explain something Metaphor/Extended Metaphor = A figure of speech that is not literally applicable to the situation Simile = A comparison of two different things to make the description more specific and easy to visualize Conceit = Makes a comparison between two very different things with the use of a far fetched connection between them

Match the following literary devices with their examples:

Epithet = Superman 'the Man of Steel' Euphemism = 'Let go' instead of 'fired' Hyperbole = 'The homework is going to take years' Imagery = Visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work

Match the following expressions with their definitions:

Apostrophe = When some absent or nonexistent person or thing is addressed as if present and capable of understanding Cliché = A phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought Epithet = An adjective or descriptive phrase expressing a quality characteristic of the person or thing mentioned Euphemism = A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing

Match the following literary device with its definition:

Verbal irony = When the intention of the speaker contradicts the reality of what's occurring Situational Irony = Something that occurs while being very different from what was expected Dramatic Irony = When a character/speaker is unaware of the full truth while it's clear to the audience/reader Oxymoron = A figure of speech that combines contradictory words with opposing meanings Signup and view all the answers

Match the following figures of speech with their examples:

Paradox = 'It was the beginning of the end,' 'Save money by spending it' Personification = 'As the sky cleared and the clouds vanished, the sun smiled upon us.' Pun = 'Having a boiled egg as a snack is hard to beat.' Understatement (litotes) = 'I’m not unfamiliar with that video game.' Signup and view all the answers

Match the following rhetorical devices with their descriptions:

Synesthesia = A rhetorical device used to describe objects using human senses Synecdoche and metonymy = Synecdoche: The word for a part of something is used to refer to the whole thing. Metonymy: A word closely associated with something is used to refer to the thing itself Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Irony

Verbal irony: when the intention of the speaker contradicts the reality of what's occurring
Example: Saying "What lovely weather it is today!" when it's raining or stormy outside
Situational irony: something that occurs while being very different from what was expected
Examples: A fire station burning down, a police station being robbed, a scammer getting scammed
Dramatic irony: when a character/speaker is unaware of the full truth while it's clear to the audience/reader
Example: In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo enters the tomb thinking Juliet is dead and drinks poison to be with Juliet in death, while Juliet wakes up just after Romeo dies

Figures of Speech

Oxymoron: a figure of speech that combines contradictory words with opposing meanings
Examples: "bittersweet", "old news", "deafening silence", "organized chaos", "completely unfinished", "pretty ugly", "original copy"
Paradox: a statement that is logically self-contradicting, running contrary to one's expectation
Examples: "It was the beginning of the end", "Save money by spending it", "If I know one thing, it's that I know nothing"

Personification and Synesthesia

Personification: the attribution of human-like characteristics to nonhuman objects or animals
Example: "As the sky cleared and the clouds vanished, the sun smiled upon us"
Synesthesia: a rhetorical device used to describe objects using human senses
Example: "His cold gaze met mine"

Wordplay and Rhetorical Devices

Pun: a joke that exploits the different possible meanings of a word
Example: "Having a boiled egg as a snack is hard to beat"
Synecdoche: when the word for a part of something is used to refer to the whole thing
Example: "She's a redhead"
Metonymy: when a word closely associated with something is used to refer to the thing itself
Example: "I swore loyalty to the crown"
Understatement (litotes): an ironic understatement that uses negation to form a statement
Example: "I'm not unfamiliar with that video game…"

Comparisons

Analogy: a connection between two similar things, usually to clarify or explain something
Metaphor/Extended Metaphor: a figure of speech that is not literally applicable to the situation
Simile: a comparison of two different things to make the description more specific and easy to visualize
Conceit: makes a comparison between two very different things with the use of a far-fetched connection between them
Apostrophe: when some absent or nonexistent person or thing is addressed as if present and capable of understanding
Cliché: a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought
Examples: "There are more fish in the sea", "Think outside the box", "There's no I in Team"
Epithet: an adjective or descriptive phrase expressing a quality characteristic of the person or thing mentioned
Examples: "earth-shaker" Poseidon, "wide-seeing" Zeus, "gray-eyed" Athena, Superman "the Man of Steel"
Euphemism: a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing
Examples: "Let go" instead of "fired", "Bit the dust" instead of "died", "Big boned" instead of "fat"
Hyperbole: exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally
Examples: "The homework is going to take years", "I could eat a whole cow"
Imagery: visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work