A figure of speech is a rhetorical device that achieves a special effect by using
words in a distinctive way. Though there are hundreds of figures of speech, here
we'll focus on 20 top examples.
You'll probably remember many of these terms from your English classes.
Figurative language is often associated with literature and with poetry in
particular. Whether we're conscious of it or not, we use figures of speech every
day in our own writing and conversations.
For example, common expressions such as "falling in love," "racking our brains,"
and "climbing the ladder of success" are all metaphors—the most pervasive
figure of all. Likewise, we rely on similes when making explicit comparisons ("light
as a feather") and hyperbole to emphasize a point ("I'm starving!").
Top 20 Figures of Speech
Using original figures of speech in our writing is a way to convey meanings in
fresh, unexpected ways. Figures can help our readers understand and stay
interested in what we have to say.
1. ALLITERATION: The repetition of an initial consonant sound. Example: She
sells seashells by the seashore.
2. Anaphora: The repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of
successive clauses or verses. Example: Unfortunately, I was in the wrong place
at the wrong time on the wrong day.
3. Antithesis: The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases.
Example: As Abraham Lincoln said, "Folks who have no vices have very few
virtues."
4. APOSTROPHE: Directly addressing a nonexistent person or an inanimate
object as though it were a living being. Example: "Oh, you stupid car, you never
work when I need you to," Bert sighed.
5. Assonance: Identity or similarity in sound between internal vowels in
neighboring words. Example: How now, brown cow?
6. Chiasmus: A verbal pattern in which the second half of an expression is
balanced against the first but with the parts reversed. Example: The famous chef
said people should live to eat, not eat to live.
7. Euphemism: The substitution of an inoffensive term for one considered
offensively explicit. Example: "We're teaching our toddler how to go potty," Bob
said.
8. Hyperbole: An extravagant statement; the use of exaggerated terms for the
purpose of emphasis or heightened effect. Example: I have a ton of things to do
when I get home.
9. IRONY: The use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning. Also,
a statement or situation where the meaning is contradicted by the appearance or
presentation of the idea. Example: "Oh, I love spending big bucks," said my dad,
a notorious penny pincher.
10. LITOTES: A figure of speech consisting of an understatement in which an
affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite. Example: A million dollars is no
small chunk of change.
11. METAPHOR: An implied comparison between two dissimilar things that have
something in common. Example: "All the world's a stage."
12. METONYMY: A figure of speech in a word or phrase is substituted for
another with which it's closely associated; also, the rhetorical strategy of
describing something indirectly by referring to things around it.
Example: "That stuffed suit with the briefcase is a poor excuse for a salesman,"
the manager said angrily.
13. Onomatopoeia: The use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the
objects or actions they refer to. Example: The clap of thunder went bang and
scared my poor dog.
14. OXYMORON: A figure of speech in which incongruous or contradictory terms
appear side by side. Example: I am as graceful as a bull in a china shop when I
dance.
15. Paradox: A statement that appears to contradict itself. Example: "This is the
beginning of the end," said Eeyore, always the pessimist.
16. PERSONIFICATION: A figure of speech in which an inanimate object or
abstraction is endowed with human qualities or abilities. Example: That kitchen
knife will take a bite out of your hand if you don't handle it safely.
17. Pun: A play on words, sometimes on different senses of the same word and
sometimes on the similar sense or sound of different words. Example: Jessie
looked up from her breakfast and said, "A boiled egg every morning is hard to
beat."
18. SIMILE: A stated comparison (usually formed with "like" or "as") between two
fundamentally dissimilar things that have certain qualities in common. Example:
Roberto was white as a sheet after he walked out of the horror movie.
19. SYNECDOCHE: A figure of speech in which a part is used to represent the
whole. Example: Tina is learning her ABC's in preschool.
20. Understatement: A figure of speech in which a writer or speaker deliberately
makes a situation seem less important or serious than it is. Example: "You could
say Babe Ruth was a decent ballplayer," the reporter said with a wink.
A figure of speech is an expression in which the words are not used in their literal sense.
A figure of speech is designed to portray an idea more clearly or more interestingly. The most
common types of figures of speech are metaphors, similes, idioms, personification, hyperbole, and
euphemisms
Examples of Figures of Speech
Here are some examples of figures of speech in the categories which most commonly employ words
in their non-literal meaning:
Metaphor
A metaphor asserts that one thing is something that it literally is not. For example:
This bedroom is a prison.
He's a real gannet.
He listened with a stone face.
We don't need dinosaurs in this company.
Simile
A simile likens one thing to another (usually achieved by the use of the word like or as). For example:
He eats like a gannet.
This sandwich tastes like sawdust between two doormats.
She sings like an angel.
It's like water off a duck's back.
Personification
Personification is when non-human objects are given human traits. For example:
The tide waits for no man.
My car tends to give up on long hills.
Summer's healing rays
Hyperbole
Hyperbole is an exaggeration or extravagant statement used for effect. For example:
I have a million problems.
We won a tonne of cash.
I'll die if I don't finish this crossword.
Idiom
An idiom is commonly used expression whose meaning does not relate to the literal meaning of its
words. For example:
Be careful not to miss the boat.
This is the last straw.
You can't pull the wool over my eyes.
Don't sit on the fence. Say what you mean.
Euphemism
A euphemism is the use of agreeable or inoffensive words to replace rude or offensive ones. For
example:
kicked the bucket = has died
knocked up = is pregnant
letting you go = you're fired
