FIGURES OF SPEECH

Figures of speech can be broadly classified into two main categories: tropes and schemes.

TROPES

(Tropes (DICTION) involve a deviation from the ordinary or primary meaning of a word or phrase.)

1. Metaphor

• Definition: A direct comparison between two unlike things without using "like" or "as."
• Examples:
  • The world is a stage, and we are merely players.
  • Her voice is music to his ears.
  • He has a heart of stone.

2. Simile

• Definition: A comparison between two unlike things using "like" or "as."
• Examples:
  • Her smile is as bright as the sun.
  • The water glistened like diamonds.
  • He was as quiet as a mouse.

3. Personification

• Definition: Attributing human qualities to inanimate objects, animals, or abstract ideas.
• Examples:
  • The trees danced in the wind.
  • The car coughed and sputtered before starting.
  • Time flies when you're having fun.

4. Hyperbole

• Definition: An exaggerated statement for emphasis or effect.
• Examples:
  • I’ve told you a million times!
  • I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.
  • It took forever to finish the homework.

5. Litotes

• Definition: An understatement that uses double negatives or a negation to affirm a positive.
• Examples:
  • He's not the brightest bulb in the box.
  • It’s not uncommon to see deer in this area.
  • She’s no ordinary student.

6. Synecdoche

• Definition: A part is used to represent the whole or vice versa.
• Examples:
  • All hands on deck! (Hands represent sailors.)
  • Nice wheels! (Wheels represent a car.)
  • The White House issued a statement. (White House represents the President or government.)

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7. Metonymy

• Definition: A related term is substituted for the thing itself.
• Examples:
  • The pen is mightier than the sword. (Pen represents writing or diplomacy; sword represents warfare.)
  • Hollywood is obsessed with superhero movies. (Hollywood represents the film industry.)
  • He drank the entire bottle. (Bottle represents the drink inside it.)

8. Irony

• Definition: Saying the opposite of what is meant, often for humorous or emphatic effect.
• Examples:
  • Oh, great! Another homework assignment!
  • The fire station burned down.
  • You’re such a great driver! (Said after someone crashes.)

9. Oxymoron

• Definition: A combination of contradictory or incongruous words.
• Examples:
  • Bittersweet
  • Living dead
  • Jumbo shrimp

10. Paradox

• Definition: A statement that seems self-contradictory but may reveal a deeper truth.
• Examples:
  • This is the beginning of the end.
  • The only constant in life is change.
  • You must lose yourself to find yourself.

11. Pun

• Definition: A play on words that exploits multiple meanings or similar sounds.
• Examples:
  • I used to be a baker, but I couldn’t make enough dough.
  • Why was the math book sad? It had too many problems.
  • I’m reading a book on anti-gravity—it’s impossible to put down.

12. Apostrophe

• Definition: Addressing an absent person, abstract idea, or inanimate object.
• Examples:
  • O Death, where is thy sting?
  • Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are.
  • Come on, phone, don’t die on me now!

13. Euphemism

• Definition: A mild or indirect word or expression used in place of one considered harsh or blunt.
• Examples:
  • He passed away. (Instead of "He died.")
  • She’s expecting. (Instead of "She’s pregnant.")
  • Let’s downsize the company. (Instead of "Let’s fire employees.")

14. Allusion

• Definition: An indirect reference to a person, event, or piece of literature.
• Examples:
  • This place is like a Garden of Eden. (Reference to the Bible.)
  • He’s a real Romeo with the ladies. (Reference to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.)
  • She met her Waterloo when she tried to argue with him. (Reference to Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo.)

15. Zeugma

• Definition: A word applies to multiple parts of the sentence, often in different senses.
• Examples:
  • She broke his car and his heart.
  • He took his hat and his leave.
  • She opened the door and her heart to the stray puppy.

16. Allegory

• Definition: A narrative or description that has a second, symbolic meaning.
• Examples:
  • George Orwell’s Animal Farm (An allegory of communism and the Russian Revolution.)
  • Plato’s Allegory of the Cave (A metaphor for knowledge and enlightenment.)

17. Onomatopoeia

• Definition: Words that imitate sounds.
• Examples:
  • The bees buzzed in the garden.
  • The clock went tick-tock.
  • The bacon sizzled on the stove.

18. Symbolism

• Definition: Using a symbol to represent an idea or concept.
• Examples:
  • A dove symbolizes peace.
  • A red rose represents love and romance.
  • The color black symbolizes death or mourning.

19. Understatement

• Definition: Representing something as less significant than it is.
• Examples:
  • It’s just a scratch. (Referring to a large dent in a car.)
  • He’s not the worst singer. (For someone who is truly awful.)
  • Winning the lottery is a nice surprise.

20. Periphrasis

• Definition: The use of a descriptive phrase instead of a simple term.
• Examples:
• The elongated yellow fruit (Instead of "banana.")
• He who must not be named (Instead of a direct name.)
• The City of Lights (Instead of "Paris.")

SCHEMES

(Schemes (SYNTAX) involve a deviation from the ordinary arrangement of words.)

1. Parallelism

• Definition: Repeating a grammatical structure for balance and rhythm.
• Examples:
  • I came, I saw, I conquered.
  • Easy come, easy go.
  • He wanted to play, to laugh, and to explore.

2. Antithesis

• Definition: Juxtaposing opposing ideas in a parallel structure.
• Examples:
  • It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
  • Give me liberty, or give me death.
  • Many are called, but few are chosen.

3. Anaphora

• Definition: Repeating a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.
• Examples:
  • Every day, every night, every moment, I think of you.
  • We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields.
  • I have a dream that one day… I have a dream that my four little children…

4. Epistrophe

• Definition: Repeating a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses.
• Examples:
  • See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.
  • Government of the people, by the people, for the people.
  • I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

5. Anadiplosis

• Definition: Repeating the last word of one clause at the beginning of the next.
• Examples:
  • Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.
  • The general became a slave. The slave who became a gladiator. The gladiator who defied an empire.
  • Strength builds resilience. Resilience builds character.

6. Chiasmus

• Definition: A reversal of grammatical structures in successive phrases or clauses.
• Examples:
  • Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.
  • She has all my love; my heart belongs to her.
  • Never let a fool kiss you or a kiss fool you.

7. Polysyndeton

• Definition: Using multiple conjunctions in close succession for emphasis.
• Examples:
  • He ran and jumped and laughed and played.
  • The meal was filled with turkey and stuffing and gravy and cranberry sauce.
  • The sky was dark, and the wind was cold, and the rain fell relentlessly.

8. Asyndeton

• Definition: Omitting conjunctions to create a concise, forceful effect.
• Examples:
  • I came, I saw, I conquered.
  • She is talented, ambitious, driven, fearless.
  • They dove, splashed, swam, floated.

9. Isocolon

• Definition: Using parallel structures of the same length and rhythm.
• Examples:
  • Buy one, get one.
  • Signed, sealed, delivered.
  • Finders keepers, losers weepers.

10. Climax

• Definition: Arranging words or phrases in increasing order of importance or intensity.
• Examples:
  • He was admired by his friends, respected by his community, and loved by his nation.
  • She dreamed of fame, wealth, and ultimate glory.
  • I will work hard, achieve success, and leave a legacy.

11. Anticlimax (Bathos)

• Definition: Arranging words or phrases in decreasing order of importance or intensity, often for humor.
• Examples:
  • He lost his family, his fortune, and his car keys.
  • For God, for country, for that chocolate bar.
  • The soldiers fought bravely, enduring pain, suffering, and a broken nail.

12. Epanalepsis

• Definition: Repeating the initial word or phrase at the end of the clause.
• Examples:
  • The king is dead, long live the king.
  • In times like these, it is important to remember times like these.
  • The truth will set you free, but first, it will make you miserable.

13. Hypophora

• Definition: Asking a question and immediately answering it.
• Examples:
  • Why should we care? Because our future depends on it.
  • What makes a good leader? Integrity, vision, and courage.
  • Who’s the best person for the job? It’s me.

14. Rhetorical Question

• Definition: Asking a question for effect, not expecting an answer.
• Examples:
  • Isn’t it obvious?
  • Why bother?
  • Who wouldn’t want to be happy?

15. Ellipsis

• Definition: Omitting words that are understood from the context.
• Examples:
  • I ordered the steak; he, the salmon. (Omitted: ordered.)
  • You’re early; I’m late. (Omitted: am.)
  • Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.

16. Apposition

• Definition: Placing a noun or phrase next to another noun to explain or clarify it.
• Examples:
  • My brother, the doctor, is visiting us.
  • The insect, a large cockroach, scurried across the floor.
  • She loved her hometown, a small and peaceful village.

17. Parenthesis

• Definition: Inserting a clause or phrase into a sentence that interrupts the flow but adds information.
• Examples:
  • He finally answered (after taking five minutes to think) that he didn’t know the answer.
  • The dog (which was surprisingly friendly) wagged its tail.
  • My mom—who is always late—finally arrived.

18. Anastrophe

• Definition: Changing the normal word order for emphasis.
• Examples:
  • Powerful you have become, the dark side I sense in you.
  • Patience I lack.
  • Into the room ran the children.

19. Epizeuxis

• Definition: Repeating a word or phrase for emphasis.
• Examples:
  • The horror, the horror!
  • Alone, alone, all alone, alone on a wide, wide sea!
  • Never, never, never give up!

20. Polyptoton

• Definition: Repeating a root word in different forms.
• Examples:
  • Who shall watch the watchmen?
  • To be ignorant of one's ignorance is the malady of ignorance.
  • Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds.

21. Antimetabole

• Definition: Repeating words in reverse order for contrast or emphasis.
• Examples:
  • Eat to live, not live to eat.
  • You like it; it likes you.
  • Fair is foul, and foul is fair.

22. Tautology

• Definition: Repeating the same idea in different words unnecessarily.
• Examples:
  • Free gift
  • I saw it with my own eyes.
  • Let’s collaborate together.