FIGURES OF SPEECH Euphemism
Alliteration The substitution of an inoffensive term for one considered offensively
explicit. To say something in a more acceptable way.
The repetition of an initial consonant sound.
Example: "We're teaching our toddler how to go potty," Bob said.
Example: She sells seashells by the seashore.
Hyperbole
Antithesis
An extravagant statement; the use of exaggerated terms for the purpose of
The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases.
emphasis or heightened effect.
Example: As Abraham Lincoln said, "Folks who have no vices have very
Example: I have a ton of things to do when I get home.
few virtues."
Irony
Apostrophe
The use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning. Also,
Directly addressing a non-existent person or an inanimate object as though
a statement or situation where the meaning is contradicted by the
it were a living being.
appearance or presentation of the idea.
Example: "Oh, you stupid car, you never work when I need you to," Bert
Example: "Oh, I love spending big bucks," said my dad, a notorious penny
sighed.
pincher.
Assonance
Metaphor
Identity or similarity in sound between internal vowels in neighbouring
A direct comparison between two dissimilar things that have something in
words.
common.
Example: How now, brown cow?
Example: "All the world's a stage."
Metonymy Personification
A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is substituted for another with A figure of speech in which an inanimate object or abstraction is given
which it is closely associated; also, the rhetorical strategy of describing human qualities or abilities.
something indirectly by referring to things around it. Example: That kitchen knife will take a bite out of your hand if you don't
Example: "That stuffed suit with the briefcase is a poor excuse for a handle it safely.
salesman," the manager said angrily.
Pun
Onomatopoeia A play on words, sometimes on different senses of the same word and
The use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or sometimes on the similar sense or sound of different words.
actions they refer to. Example: Jessie looked up from her breakfast and said, "A boiled egg
Example: The clap of thunder went bang and scared my poor dog. every morning is hard to beat."
Oxymoron Simile
A comparison using "like" or "as" between two fundamentally dissimilar
A figure of speech in which contradictory terms appear directly next to one
things that have certain qualities in common.
another.
Example: Roberto was white as a sheet after he walked out of the horror
Example: "This is just a fine mess you got us into!”
movie.
Paradox
Synecdoche
A statement that appears to contradict itself. Opposites used together.
A figure of speech in which a part is used to represent the whole.
Example: "This is the beginning of the end," said Eeyore, always the
Example: Tina is learning her ABC's in preschool.
pessimist.
