Figures of speeches

Figure of Speech Examples

A figure of speech is a word or phrase that has a meaning something different than its literal meaning. It can be a metaphor orsimile that is designed to further explain a concept. Or, it can be a different way of pronouncing a word or phrase such as withalliteration to give further meaning or a different sound.

Examples of Figures of Speech

Using Alliteration

Alliteration is the repetition of beginning sounds. Examples are:

• Sally sells seashells.
• Walter wondered where Winnie was.
• Blue baby bonnets
• Nick needed notebooks.
• Fred fried frogs.

Using Anaphora

Anaphora is a technique where several phrases or verses begin with the same word or words. Examples are:

• I came, I saw, I conquered - Julius Caesar
• Mad world! Mad kings! Mad composition! King John - William Shakespeare
• We laughed, we loved, we sang
• With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, - Abraham Lincoln
• We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. - Winston Churchill

Using Assonance

Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in words that are close together. Examples are:

• A - For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore (Poe)
• E - Therefore all seasons shall be sweet to thee (Coleridge)
• I - From what I’ve tasted of desire, I hold with those who favor fire (Frost)
• O - Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn (Wordsworth)
• U - Uncertain rustling of each purple curtain (Poe)

Using a Euphemism

Euphemism is a word or phrase that replaces a word or phrase to make it more polite or pleasant. Examples are:

• A little thin on top instead of bald
• Homeless instead of bum
• Letting him go instead of fired him
• Passed away instead of died
• Put to sleep instead of euthanize

Using Hyperbole

Hyperbole uses exaggeration for emphasis or effect. Examples are:

• I’ve told you a hundred times
• It cost a billion dollars
• I could do this forever
• She is older than dirt
• Everybody knows that

Using Irony

Irony is using words where the meaning is the opposite of their usual meaning. Examples are:

• After begging for a cat and finally getting one, she found out she was allergic.
• A traffic cop gets suspended for not paying his parking tickets.
• The Titanic was said to be unsinkable.
• Dramatic irony is knowing the killer is hiding in a closet in a scary movie.
• Naming a Chihuahua Brutus

Using Metaphor

Metaphor compares two unlike things or ideas. Examples are:

• Heart of stone
• Time is money
• The world is a stage
• She is a night owl
• He is an ogre

Using Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia is a word that sounds like what it is describing. Examples are:

• Whoosh
• Splat
• Buzz
• Click
• Oink

Using Oxymoron

Oxymoron is two contradictory terms used together. Examples are:

• Peace force
• Kosher ham
• Jumbo shrimp
• Small crowd
• Free market

Using Personification

Personification is giving human qualities to non-living things or ideas. Examples are:

• The flowers nodded
• Snowflakes danced
• Thunder grumbled
• Fog crept in
• The wind howled

Using Simile

Simile is a comparison between two unlike things using the words "like" or "as." Examples are:

• As slippery as an eel
• Like peas in a pod
• As blind as a bat
• Eats like a pig
• As wise as an owl

Using Synecdoche

Synecdoche is when a part represents the whole or the whole is represented by a part. Examples are:

• Wheels - a car
• The police - one policeman
• Plastic - credit cards
• Coke - any cola drink
• Army - a soldier

Using Understatement

Understatement is when something is said to make something appear less important or less serious. Examples are:

• It's just a scratch - referring to a large dent
• It is sometimes dry and sandy - referring to the driest desert in the world
• The weather is a little cooler today - referring to sub-zero temperatures
• I won’t say it was delicious - referring to terrible food
• The tsunami caused some damage - referring to a huge tsunami