Figures of Speech PDF

FIGURES OF SPEECH  Figures of Speech – figures of speech are plainly defined as saying one thing in terms of something else. Whenever you say something, but you don't mean it literally, you are using a figure of speech.  SIMILE – a figure of speech that...

FIGURES OF SPEECH  Figures of Speech – figures of speech are plainly defined as saying one thing in terms of something else. Whenever you say something, but you don't mean it literally, you are using a figure of speech.  SIMILE – a figure of speech that compares two different things in an interesting way by using the words “like” or “as”. Example: "as snug as a bug in a rug" (to be very comfortable and cozy; tucked up tight)  METAPHOR – directly compares two things - saying that one thing is the other. Example: “My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.” (Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet)  HYPERBOLE – is an extreme exaggeration used to make a point. Hyperboles are comparisons, like similes and metaphors, and they are not meant to be taken literally. Example: “It was so cold, I saw polar bears wearing jackets.”  IRONY – a literary device in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are. Examples: I posted a video on YouTube about how boring and useless YouTube is. The name of Britain’s biggest dog was “Tiny.”  PERSONIFICATION – is a figure of speech in which a thing, an idea or an animal is given human attributes. Example: “He did not realize that his last chance was walking out the door.”  UNDERSTATEMENT – is a figure of speech employed to intentionally make a situation seem less important than it really is. Example: Telling a friend about the expensive trip you just took to Disney World: "It's a little pricy."  APOSTROPHE – is a figure of speech sometimes represented by an exclamation, such as “Oh.” A writer using apostrophe speaks directly to someone who is not present or is dead, or speaks to an inanimate object. Example: an excerpt Macbeth by William Shakespeare “Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee! I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.”  OXYMORON – A word or group of words that is self-contradicting. Examples: Wise fool Bittersweet Deafening Silence  METONYMY – is a figure of speech in which one object or idea takes the place of another with which it has a close association. As a literary device, it is a way of replacing an object or idea with something related to it instead of stating what is actually meant. Examples: In words: Hollywood (represents association with the movie industry) Press (represents associations with news organizations) In sentence: I need to decide if I will go Greek in college next year. (Greek is metonymy for sorority or fraternity membership)  SYNECDOCHE – is a figure of speech in which, most often, a part of something is used to refer to its whole. Examples: Have you got your wheels, man? (wheels – part of a car) The captain commands one hundred sails. (sails – part of a ship) Synecdoche Vs. metonymy – In synecdoche, the relationship is one of either part-to-whole or whole-to-part. In metonymy, the relationship between the two things is not part-to- whole or whole-to-part, but is rather one of being closely conceptually related.  For example, the phrase, "The pen is mightier than the sword" contains two metonymies: one in which "pen" stands in for writing, and another in which "sword" stands in for physical power. A pen is not a part of writing, and a sword is not part of physical power—each thing is related to the concept it evokes.  ANTITHESIS – The opposition by way of contrast of different words or expressions. – The rhetorical contrast of ideas by means of parallel arrangements of words, clauses or sentences.  Examples: “Many are called, but few are chosen.” “That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”  Disney's Beauty and the Beast is based upon antithesis. From a very "big picture" standpoint, Belle is the quintessence of beauty and the Beast is the epitome of ugliness. However, even though they're initially presented as polar opposite, they still find a way to each other. And what is the Beast's reward in the end? His beastliness is turned into beauty.  ANAPHORA Repetition of a word or expression at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, sentences or verses. Examples: “We cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground.” “Mad world! Mad kings! Mad composition.”  EUPHEMISM – refers to polite, indirect expressions that replace words and phrases considered harsh and impolite, or which suggest something unpleasant. Examples: The greatest debater passed away last night. The inmates were sent in the correctional facility.  PUN - is a joke that makes a play on words. It uses words that have several meanings or words that sound similar but have different meanings. Examples: She had a photographic memory but never developed it. I really wanted a camouflage shirt, but I couldn't find one. Sound Devices  SOUND DEVICES The use of specific vowels, consonants, accents and the combination of these three make up the sound of the poem. Most poetry is composed to be read aloud. Sound devices can influence the reader/listener’s perception of the poem both intellectually and emotionally.  ALLITERATION – Repeated consonant sound Example: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.  ASSONANCE – Repeated vowel sounds Example: The June moon loomed over the horizon.  ONOMATOPOEIA – is the use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to. Examples: The fire crackled and the popcorn popped. “buzz” or “boom,” always mimic the noises to which they refer.