FIGURES OF SPEECH

DEFINITION OF FIGURES OF SPEECH

Figures of speech are special words used in sentences to create pictures and imaginations in our minds. They help us to understand exactly what the speaker is talking about. Therefore figures of speech can simply be defined as the words which are used for vivid or dramatic effect. They conjure mental picture in mind and when properly used, they add color to the beauty of a piece of writing especially in poetry.

SOME FIGURES OF SPEECH THAT ARE OFTEN USED ARE:

1.      Metaphor
2.      Simile
3.      Personification
4.      Alliteration
5.      Irony
6.      Euphemism
7.      Climax
8.      Onomatopoeia
9.      Allegory
10. Bathos
11. Rhetorical question and
12. Assonance
13. Hyperbole

1.      Metaphor: This is a direct comparison between two things/people which are common in some respect. The attribute of one is directly given to the other. In metaphor, we say A is B.

Examples:

a.      He is a lion
b.      The boy is his father
c.       You are the pillar of your house

*The examples above means that the boy has power like lion, the boy looks like his father, and in the last example Janet is a peacock means that Janet is as proud as a peacock.

2. Simile: This is an indirect comparison between two different things or people but which have some common or similar characteristic(s). Words “like” and “as” is used to make that comparison.

Examples:

a.      Lola is as beautiful as her mother
b.      Stop roaring like a lion
c.       Peter runs like an antelope
 

3. Personification: This is a literary device which gives the attributes of a person to inanimate objects

Examples:

a.      The sun peeped at me through the window
b.      The sun spreads its gentle rays on the earth
c.       Night threaten
d.      Civilization is sweeping our society like wildfire

4. Alliteration: This is the repetition of the same consonant sounds at the beginning of words.

Examples:

a.      The earth is ours to plough and plant (“P” alliterates)
b.      And let lice lick our intestines (“L” alliterates)
c.       Living a life of lovable legend (“L” alliterates)

5. Irony: This is a situation whereby one says something different from what he meant. It is the expression of one’s meaning by saying the direct opposite of what one is thinking but using tone of voice to indicate one’s real meaning.

Example:

a.      Mary has broken the plate, what a nice girl she is!

6. Euphemism: This is a situation where we speak of an unpleasant event in a pleasant way.

Examples:

a.      Mr. Roland has kicked the bucket (died)
b.      She is a woman of easy virtue (She is a prostitute)
c.       The girl has been put in the family way (impregnated)

7. Climax: It is the arrangement of events or incidents in ascending order such that the tension hightens in succession. It is the arrangement of ideas from the lowest to the highest

Example:

a.      Mr. Ben lost his shoes, his children and his wife.

8. Onomatopoeia: It is the formation of words in which the sounds suggest the meaning

Examples:

a.      The barking dog
b.      The canon boon
c.       The thundering rain

9. Bathos: This occurs when there is a sudden change in writing, speech or drama from something important or deeply felt to what is foolish or absurd.

10. Rhetorical Question: This is a type of question that deserves no answers. It is only used to make a statement or produce an effect.

Example:

a.      Should our leaders be so callous?

11. Assonance: This is the repetition of the vowel sounds in a line of poem.

Examples:

a.      Make and date (“A”) assonates)
b.      The stony man in a holy home (“O” assonates)
c.       Hit the wall with this stick (“I” assonates)

12. Oxymoron: This is the placing of opposite or contradictory words or phrases side by side in order to emphasize.

Examples:

a.      It is a painful laughter
b.      Bitter sweet

13. Paradox: It is a statement that contains opposite ideas that makes it look stupid although it may be true

Examples:

a.      The child is the father of the man
b.      More haste, less speed

14. Anti – Climax: This is opposite of climax. It is the arrangement of ideas from the highest to the lowest

Example:

a.      The man lost his wife, his children and his shoes.

15. Hyperbole or exaggeration: This is a situation where a speaker makes something small sounds big. It is the use of over – statement.

Examples:

a.      Flora’s teeth are sharper than razor
b.      I am strong enough to stop a moving train.

16. Pun: It is the humorous use of a word that has two meanings, or of different words that sound the same. It is a play of words.

Examples:

a.      Better be late that be the late. (The first “late means not punctual but the second means dead)
b.      You must a servant in order to be a savant.

Readers Also Read

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 DEFINITION AND TYPES OF CLAUSE/ PHRASE

Suggested Topic  

Dissonance In Communication