CHAPTER 2: FIGURES OF SPEECH

REVIEW

Which of the following is a poem written in the Anglo-Saxon period?

a. "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love”

b. “Beowulf”

c. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”

2. Which language was introduced into England by the Normans?

a. Latin

b. Spanish

c. French
3. Which of the following is NOT a meaning of the word “Renaissance”?

a. rebirth

b. return

c. revival
4. The English prose of the 17th century achieved full richness with

a. the Authorized Version of the Bible

b. Hamlet

c. The Vanity of Human Wishes

5. The Romantic Age placed new emphasis on ________ as a source of
aesthetic experience

a. conjugal love

b. reason

c. personal expression
6. Which male writer wrote about the appalling living conditions in the
Victorian era?

a. Geoffrey Chaucer

b. Edmund Spencer

c. Charles Dickens
7. One of the typical writers of the Enlightenment is

a. Jonathan Swift

b. John Milton

c. Coleridge
8. Who is the author of The Canterburry Tales:

a. William Langland

b. Geoffrey Chaucer

c. Edmund Spencer
9. The Middle Age was held to begin in England with:

a. A hundred years war

b. Black death

c. The Norman conquest

10. The Romantic period - and its focus on nature - followed as a response to
which era of science and rationality?

a. The Victorian era

b. The 20th century

c. The Age of Enlightenment

11. When did the Enlightenment take place:

a. Mid-seventeenth to late eighteenth centuries

b. Early nineteenth century

c. Fifteenth century
12. What was the most important theme of the romantic period?

a. Nature

b. Supernatural

c. Myths
THE WIZARD OF OZ
THE SCAREROW’S
LAMENT
“If only I had a brain”
THE TINMAN

“I want to find a heart”

FIGURES OF SPEECH
§ Figure of speech is use of words in certain conventional
patterns of thought and expression.
FIGURES OF SPEECH
§ Each of these figures of speech has its own name. For example:

1. “The spy was covered like a rat”

The first is simile, when the spy is compared with a rat, with the connective work
like
FIGURES OF SPEECH
§ Each of these figures of speech has its own name. For example:

2. “The crowd surged!”

The second is metaphor, when the author compares the movement of the crowd to
that of an oncoming wave without using the connective words like or as
FIGURES OF SPEECH
§ Each of these figures of speech has its own name. For example:
3. “The entire nation screamed vengeance.”
The third is Personification, speaks of justice as though it were a person.
Figures of speech are the flowers of rhetoric. They give to poetry much of
its beauty and fragrance, its sweetness and germinal power. John Milton
wrote, in "On His Being Arrived at the Age of Twenty-Three"
How soon hath Time, the subtle thief of youth.
Stolen on his wing my three and twentieth year!
My hasting days fly on with full career.
But my late spring no bud or blossom shew'th.
Without consciously analyzing the personification, metonymy, and
metaphor used, the reader still senses the richness of imagery and
poetic thought. Everyday speech also uses many such figures.
SIMILE
He is as brave as a lion
Her expression was as cold as ice
Swim like a fish
As light as a feather
SIMILE
Simile is figure of speech used in describing or explaining something. It points out
a likeness between two different objects or ideas by using a connective word. This
connective word is usually “like” or “as”. An example of a simile would-be,

"He is as cross as a bear today", or "She ran like a deer.”

Often a simile becomes so compact that we drop the connecting word.

Then the simile becomes a metaphor. For example, the simile "He is like a fox”

becomes a metaphor in "He is a fox.”

English idiom: "Cross as a bear".

Meaning: Grumpy; ill-humored; annoyed.

• As slow as a sloth
• As busy as a bee
• As innocent as a lamb
• As proud as a peacock
• As fast as a cheetah
• As blind as a bat
METAPHOR
§ It is raining cats and dogs

§ He is the star of our class

§ Life is a highway.

§ Her eyes were diamonds.

 METAPHOR
§ Metaphor is an expression taken from one field of experience and used to
say something in another field.
§ For example, when we say, "He's a sly fox" we are using metaphor. That is,
we are using the name of an animal to describe a man.
§ A metaphor suggests a comparison without using the word like or as. The
statement "He is like a sly fox,” or "He is sly as a fox" is a simile.
§ Everyday speech is rich in metaphors. If we ask someone, "Did you land a
job today?" the reply may be, “No, not a bite”. These words from the special
language of fishing are used to express thoughts about job-hunting.
METAPHOR
Common words actually develop new senses when they are repeatedly used as

metaphors. For instance, we hardly realize that in the phrase ”table leg", the

word leg was originally a metaphor. But when told not to "make pigs of

yourselves” We are probably aware of the unpleasant comparison the metaphor

suggests.
Iron Lady All the world’s a stage
§ Metaphors are important in the speech of politicians, scientists, and
journalists. Politicians speak of the “Iron-Lady” to refer to the hard-to-with
British woman Prime minister.

§ Great works of literature are enriched by metaphor. Psalm 23 of the Bible

"The Lord is my shepherd” is based on a metaphor. It begins with the
words, and suggests the relation of God to humanity by considering the
relation of a shepherd to sheep. The plays of Shakespeare contain brilliant
metaphors, such as the passage in As You Like It beginning, "All the world's
a stage."
PERSONIFICATION
§ The opportunity knocked at his door

§ The plants in her house silently begged to be watered

§ Lightning danced across the sky

§ The wind howled in the night.

PERSONIFICATION
While the metaphor and simile have fixed and slightly differing
grammatical structures, other figures of speech are generally much freer
in their construction.

An example is the use of personification - the application of human

qualities to something that is not human "The walls have ears,” "Money
talks” and "Fear stalked the land" are instances of personification.
METONYMY

§ “The pen is mightier than the sword”

§ I’m a Silicon Valley guy. I just think people from Silicon Valley can do

anything.
METONYMY
• Metonymy is a figure of speech by which a phrase or word is used
for a related phrase or word.
• For example, when we "turn on the light" we actually flip a switch,
closing an electric circuit and causing the light.
• But we give the name of the effect to the cause. When we "listen to
records” we really hear music, but we name the cause to mean the
effect.
• When we ask for "another cup” really mean more coffee. The
container symbolizes what it contains.
METONYMY
• “The White House" is for the President of the United States"
• "The Crown” is for king or queen.
• These are common forms of metonymy.
SYNECDOCHE /sɪˈnek.də.ki/

§ “a pair of hands” refers to “the worker”

§ “the law” refers to “the police officer”

SYNECDOCHE
In Synecdoche, which is related to metonymy, we name the part
for the whole.
For instance, on board a ship, the order "All hands on deck" calls
the crew to assemble on the deck. The word hands is used to refer
to the members of the ship's crew.
Other examples:
- Her uncle has seven mouths to feed.
- Mary is a girl of nineteen summers,
- Ten are moving into the harbor.
SYNECDOCHE VS. METONYMY: HOW TO TELL THEM APART

Metonymy is another form of figurative language. It can easily be confused

with synecdoche. Both metonymy and synecdoche use a word or phrase to
represent something else.
IDENTIFYING SYNECDOCHE VS. METONYMY

• Example A: Let's take my new wheels out for a spin.

The word "wheels" refers to a vehicle.

Using a Part to Represent a Whole -> Synecdoche

• Example B: Let's take my new ride out for a spin.

The “word” ride is not part of a car

-> "ride" is an example of metonymy for a car

IDENTIFYING SYNECDOCHE VS. METONYMY

A synecdoche takes an element of a word or phrase and uses it to

refer to the whole or vice versa.

A metonymy replaces the word or phrase entirely with a related

term that is not literally a part of it.
IRONY
§ Your hands are as clean as mud
§ The dinner you served was as hot as ice
§ Coming home to a big mess and saying, “it’s great to be back”
§ Telling a rude customer to “have a nice day”
IRONY
§ Irony is a device used in speaking and writing to deliberately express ideas so
they can be understood in two different ways. There are three basic kinds of
irony: (1) verbal irony, (2) dramatic irony, and (3) irony of fate.

§ Verbal irony is used to strengthen a statement by forcing the listener or reader

to seek its true meaning. Suppose, for example, that a ballet dancer trips
several times and her choreographer is using irony, and actually means the
opposite of what the words seem to say.
Dramatic irony occurs in drama or fiction when a character - or the
audience or reader a knows something that the other characters do not
know.
In the Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, Oedipus kills a man. He
does not know that the man is Laius, his father. Oedipus puts a curse on the
slayer of Laius. The irony is that Oedipus has unknowingly cursed himself.
OEDIPUS AND THE
SPHINX
Oedipus, in Greek mythology,
the king of Thebes who
unwittingly killed his father and
married his
mother. Homer related that
Oedipus’s wife and mother
hanged herself when the truth
of their relationship became
known, though Oedipus
apparently continued to rule at
Thebes until his death.
Irony of fate occurs in a play or story when events work out contrary to
expectations.
Suppose that the characters are preparing a party for a returning soldier. But
the soldier has just been killed in an accident on the characters and the actual
situation.
Irony is also a favored device in literary criticism of the 1900’s. It is used
especially for distinguishing among the voice, beliefs, and actions of authors,
narrators or speakers, characters, and readers.
• Irony is a contrast between what is expected to happen and what
actually occurs.

• A paradox is a seemingly contradictory statement; however, the

statement reveals an inherent truth.
Irony and paradox are related but distinct literary devices.

Irony is when there is a difference between what is expected and what actually happens.

For example, if someone says "I love working on Mondays" when most people dislike Mondays, that
would be ironic.

A paradox, on the other hand, is a statement that appears to be self-contradictory or absurd, but may
still be true.

For example, the statement "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." is a
paradox because something cannot be more equal than another. That goes against the very definition of
equal

In summary, irony is a difference between expectation and reality, while a paradox is a statement that
contradicts itself.
 UNDERSTATEMENT
Understatement or litotes expresses a positive meaning by using a negative form.

"I'm not bad" means "I'm fine”

”She won't be sorry" is for "She will be very glad".

A sign on freshly seeded grass may say only "Please", but probably means "Have
enough sense to stay on the sidewalk, where you belong!"
 UNDERSTATEMENT
Understatement is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker deliberately makes a
situation seem less important or serious than it is. Contrast with hyperbole.

For ex: when the heavily decorated war hero says 'I have a few medals,' or someone
who has just won on American Idol observes “I did OK'"
§ I have told you a million times to not touch my stuff!
§ She has got a pea-sized brain
§ I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.
§ She’s as old as the hills.
OVERSTATEMENT
Overstatement or Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement not meant to be
taken literally but for a special effect.

"I'm bored to death", "her eyes are even brighter than the sun” and "I
have a mountain of books to read" are expressions of overstatement.
FARCE, SLAPTICK AND BUFFOONERY

Farce, Slapstick, and Buffoonery involve such pranks [amusing

tricks] as throwing apple-pies in actors' faces or pushing
unsuspecting persons into swimming pools.
PARODY AND BURLESQUE
Parody and Burlesque change the wording of a well-known story or song to
produce comic results. Parody and burlesque are both forms of mocking imitation.
 PARADOX
“Some of my biggest triumphs have also been failures,” (According to US actress
Pearl Bailey)
“War is good. Slavery is freedom. “Ignorance is power,” (As said by English author
George Orwell)
Save money by spending it
If I know one thing, it’s that I know nothing

These figures of speech, like ironies, emphasize something by discussing the exact opposite of it. A
paradox, on the other hand, differs from an irony in that it does not make the contrast as evident.
PARADOX
”It was the beginning of the end."

This statement seems illogical at first, but when looking at the end as
something that takes place over more than an instant, it does make sense for it
to have a beginning
PARADOX
Paradox is a self-contradictory statement that in reality may express a certain
amount of truth, intended to cause surprise or arrest attention.
"The child is father of the man",
"More haste, less speed"
"She can resist anything except temptation" are paradoxical expressions.
MIMICRY
Mimicry imitates another person's habits, gestures, or speech for comic effect.

A representation used for imitation of another person’s alleged words, works of

arts, in the manner that simulates exact characteristic of the original author.
OXYMORON /ˌɒk.sɪˈmɔː.rɒn/

§ This is another fine mess you have got us into

§ Suddenly the room filled with a deafening silence
§ The comedian was seriously funny
§ You are clearly confused by the situation you have found yourself in

This figure of speech, which should not be confused with ironies and
paradoxes, links two opposing ideas at once. This indicates that two
opposing concepts are utilised inside a single sentence to create levity in
an oxymoron figure of speech.
OXYMORON
Oxymoron contains apparently contradictory terms which appear in conjunction for
startling effect.
"Cold passion",
"Best - hated",
"Cold fire", and
"Loving hale" are examples of oxymoron
ALLITERATION
“Live and learn”
"Round the rugged rocks the ragged rascal ran"
FIGURES OF SPEECH
ALLITERATION AND ONOMATOPOEIA
/ˌɒn.əˌmæt.əˈpiː.ə/

§ There are a number of other literary devices frequently categorized as figures of

sound. They are used generally in poetry and fiction to create sound effect in words.
§ Alliteration is the use of the same sound, usually a consonant, at the beginning of
neighboring words in a sentence or phrase such as "the dear, dead days beyond
recall" or Shakespear’s “Full fathom five thy father lies” from The Tempest.
§ Onomatopoeia uses words to imitate natural sounds such as the ringing of bells, the
singing of birds, or the voices of animals. In a broader sense it refers to any
combination of imitative sounds and rhythms that are used to reinforce the sense or
moods of a passage of poetry or prose.
ONOMATOPOEIA
ONOMATOPOEIA /ˌɒn.əˌmæt.əˈpiː.ə/

Beat an empty barrel with the handle of a broom

Hard as they were able Boom, boom, boom,
With a silk umbrella and the handle of a broom
Boomlay, boomlay, boomlay, boom.
ASSONANCE /ˈæs.ən.əns/

Assonance is the repetition of the same vowel sound.

“And so all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling - my darling - my life and my bride.”
PARALLELISM
§ Parallelism is the use of two words, phrases, or lines in which the meaning of the
first one is restated or paralleled by the second one.
§ Some of the most common sayings and phrases from history make use of parallelism, for
example:
Stupid is as stupid does.
We came, we saw, we conquered.
Feed a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed a man for life.
"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." - Neil Armstrong.

"Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing." - Goethe.

ANTITHESIS /ænˈtɪθ.ə.sɪs/

The exact opposite

Antithesis is a striking contrast of ideas marked by the choice and arrangement of

words in the same sentence to secure emphasis.

"Give me liberty or give me death"

“To err is human; to forgive is Divine"

"Speech is silver but silence is gold” are example of antithesis.

It involves the bringing out of a contrast in the ideas by an obvious contrast in

the words, clauses, or sentences, within a parallel grammatical structure.
 PARADOX, ANTITHESIS, OXYMORON
The terms "paradox," "antithesis," "oxymoron," are all literary devices used to create specific effects
in writing. However, they have different meanings and are used in different ways.

A paradox is a statement that seems to be self-contradictory or absurd, but which may actually be
true. For example, "less is more" is a paradox because it suggests that having less can be better than
having more.

An antithesis is a statement that presents two contrasting ideas in a balanced way. For example, "to
be or not to be" is an antithesis because it presents the idea of life and death in a balanced way.

An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines two contradictory or opposing terms. For example,
"jumbo shrimp" is an oxymoron because jumbo and shrimp are opposite in size
EUPHEMISM
§ This mall has good facilities for differently-abled people
§ He passed away in his sleep
§ Passed away” instead of “died”
§ “Let go” instead of “fired”

Euphemism is the use of expressions indirect but more pleasing to the ear in place of more
direct and accurate ones that sound rather negative.
PUN
§ Denial is a river in Egypt (referring to The Nile using the word Denial).
§ Her cat is near the computer to keep an eye on the mouse.
§ No matter how much you push the envelope, it will still be stationery.
§ Everyone thinks my runny nose is funny, but it’s snot.
PUN
Pun is the humorous use of a word or words that are alike or nearly alike in sound
in order to reveal the different meanings.

Puns are among the most frequently used figures of speech in daily conversation. They may
be great conversation starters since they make you sound clever and occasionally even
humorous
CLIMAX
Climax is the arrangement of ideas in the order of less or
more importance.
Simple, erect, severe, austere, sublime, extreme
To gossip is a fault, to libel a crime, to slander a sin.
Figures of Speech Examples

Personification The opportunity knocked at his door

Metaphor It is raining cats and dogs
Simile He is as brave as a lion
Alliteration She sells seashells on the seashore
Onomatopoeia The buzzing bee flew over my head
Hyperbole She has got a pea-sized brain
Euphemism He passed away in his sleep
Irony Your hands are as clean as mud
Pun Everyone thinks my runny nose is funny, but it’s snot.
Paradox “Some of my biggest triumphs have also been failures,”
Oxymoron You are clearly confused by the situation you have found yourself in

Assonance How now, brown cow?

Metonymy “The pen is mightier than the sword”
1. The righteous shall flourish as the palm tree.

2. I heard the humming of bees.

3. The camel is the ship of the desert.

4. Life is bittersweet.

5. I did do those things that I do cannot do.

6. Death lays his icy hands on kings.

7. Sheldon is a walking dictionary.

8. The sausages tasted awfully good.

9. Gloria glared at glasses.

10. My dear, you have all my heart.

1. The righteous shall flourish as the palm tree. (Simile)

2. I heard the humming of bees (Onomatopoeia)

3. The camel is the ship of the desert. (Metaphor)

4. Life is bittersweet (Oxymoron)
5. I did do those things that I do cannot do. (Paradox)
6. Death lays his icy hands on kings. (Personification)

7. Sheldon is a walking dictionary. (Metaphor)

8. The sausages tasted awfully good. (oxymoron)

9. Gloria glared at glasses (Alliteration)

10. My dear, you have all my heart. (metonymy)