FIGURES OF

SPEECH
 WHAT ARE FIGURES OF SPEECH?
Figures of speech is a departure from the ordinary form of
expression, or the ordinary course of ideas in order to produce a
greater effect.

It is an intentional deviation from literal statement or a common

usage that emphasizes, clarifies, or embellishes both written or
spoken language.

Figures of speech make up a huge portion of the English language,

making it more creative, more expressive, and just more interesting.
 LIST OF FIGURES OF
SPEECH
1. Simile 9. Irony / Sarcasm 17. Anti-climax
2. Metaphor 10. Pun 18. Alliteration
3. Personification 11. Epigram 19. Onomatopoeia
4. Apostrophe 12. Antithesis 20. Tautology
5. Metonymy 13. Oxymoron 21. Synecdoche
6. Hyperbole 14. Interrogation 22. Litotes
7. Transferred Epithet 15. Exclamation 23. Inversion
8. Euphemism 16. Climax
 REPETITION
• Repetition
is the repeating of a word, within short spaces of words,
with no particular placement of words to lay emphasis.

• E.g.:

• 1. A handsome is a handsome does.

• 2. The sad truth is that that the truth is sad.
• 3.
Betty bought some butter, but the butter was bitter. So she
bought another better butter to make her bitter butter better.
• 4. Walk, walk, and walk, until you reach your destination.
 EPISTROPHE
• When a word is repeated at the end of a sentence, it brings
attention to the word as important in the text.

• E.g.:

• 1. May God love you. May God bless you. May God keep you.
• 2.
I want the best. And we need the best, and we deserve the
best!
• 3.
The government is of the people, for the people, and by the
people.
• 4.
You can become what you want. So dream something, invent
something, start something, build something, and create
something!
 ANAPHORA
• When a word/s is repeated at the beginning of a sentence, it brings
attention to the word as important in the text.

• E.g.:

• 1. From the memories of the bird that chanted to me,

from the memories under that yellow sun,
from those beginning notes of yearning,
from the time together we spent…
• 2. It rained on his lousy tombstone, and it rained on the grass on
his stomach. It rained all over the place.
 TA U T O L O G Y
• Tautology is expressing the words with similar meanings twice in
different ways to create emphasis.

• E.g.:

• 1. It is a foolish who wastes his time uselessly.

• 2. The evening with the sunset was beautiful.
• 3. Be careful, there’s a lot of frozen ice on the road.
• 4. He is always making predictions about the future.
 CLIMAX
• Climax is used where words or ideas are arranged in the
ascending order of importance to lay emphasis.

E.g.:
1. He begs, he lies, he steals, he kills for money.
2. Out of the frying pan, and into the fire.
3. I came, I saw, and I conquered.
4. Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
 ANTI-CLIMAX
• Anti-climax is used where words or ideas are arranged in the
descending order of importance to lay emphasis, or ridicule.

E.g.:
1. I won’t give you a thousand, a hundred, or even ten bucks.
2. He lost his friends, his car, and his phone.
3. I would have taken lift in a truck, a car, or a bike, whichever
came my way.
4. I wouldn’t give you my laptop nor my mobile.
 SIMILE
• There’s
a comparison between two dissimilar objects. (Indirect
Comparison)
• There is at least one quality common/ similar in the.
• Simile is introduced with the words such as ‘like’, ‘ as’, or ‘so’.

E.g.:
1. Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale.
2. The girls came to his rescue as god’s angels would do.
3. The camel is like the ship of the desert.
4. She looked like a doll.
 M E TA P H O R
(Implied Simile)
Note: Every Simile can be compressed into a Metaphor, and every Metaphor can be
expanded into a Simile.
• There’s a comparison between two dissimilar objects. (Direct
Comparison)
• There is at least one quality common in them.
• The comparison is done without the words ‘like’, ‘as’, and ‘so’.

E.g.:
1. The camel is the ship of the desert.
2. She is a doll.
3. Life is a dream.
4. Revenge is a kind of wild justice.
 A L L I T E R AT I O N
• The sound of a letter is repeated in neighbouring or closely
connected words.

E.g.:
1. She sells sea shells on the sea shore /sh/ and /s/
2. Sweet birds sang a sweet song.
3. Can you keep the cat from clawing the couch? It’s creating
chaos. /k/
4. Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale.
 P E R S O N I F I C AT I O N
• When an inanimate (non-living) object is given human qualities of
doing an action or feeling anything, the figure of speech is
personification.

E.g.:
1. The books are looking at me.
2. The flowers on the way smile at everyone.
3. Death laid its icy hands on him.
4. My heart was dancing after hearing the news.
5. The grey curtains looked sad in the bright white room.
 O N O M AT O P O E I A
• This figure of speech indicates sounds of different objects and
convey the message behind it.

E.g.:
1. Vroom! Went my bike!
2. The bees buzzed.
3. The child fell with a thud.
4. My door bell rang- ‘Ting!’
 I N T E R R O G AT I O N /
RHETORICAL QUESTIONS
• When a question is asked to which the answer is not expected, but
it is asked to prove a point more effectively.

E.g.:
1. Haven’t I told you so many times?
2. Shall we not take revenge if you treat us badly?
3. Why don’t you do your homework on time?
4. How can you be so irresponsible?
 HYPERBOLE
• An idea is exaggerated to create emphasis, evoke stronger
feelings, and create stronger impressions.
(May not be possible in real)

E.g.:
1. He cried buckets full.
2. Ten thousand daffodils I saw at a glance.
3. I’ve spent a dozen sleepless nights on this project.
4. It cost me an arm!
 APOSTROPHE
• Apostrophe is when the speaker breaks off from addressing the audience
and directs the speech to a third party such as an individual, sometimes
absent from the scene. Often the addressee is a personified, or an
inanimate object.

E.g.:
1. Oh god! Help me!
2. Mother nature is suffering.
3. Hey rose, how sweet you smell and how bright you look!
4. Car, please get to work on time today.
5. Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are!
 EUPHEMISM
• When a harsh, unpleasant fact or truth is explained in an agreeable,
pleasant, and tolerable way. It is done to neutralize the intensity of
words.

E.g.:
1. He went heavenly abroad.
2. God’s finger touched him and he slept forever.
3. He crashed into a truck.
4. You are telling me a fairy tale.
5. Death laid its icy hands on him.
 INVERSION
• In this figure of speech, the correct grammatical frame of sentence
is completely disturbed for a poetic or creative effect.

E.g.:
1. We, in a hall, are sitting. (We are sitting in a hall)
2. Open the book, you. (You open the book)
3. In my hand I carry my bags and purse. (I carry my bags and
purse in my hand)
4. On a page I’m writing the letter to be sent. (I’m writing the letter
on a page to be sent)
 U N D E R S TAT E M E N T
• Understatement is when you represent something as less than
what it is. This is to serve little importance and to minimalize what
is being said. It can be taken as an opposite of hyperbole.

E.g.:
1. At least all the plants will get watered. (Talking about a
hurricane)
2. It wasn’t a big deal. (About an achievement for which you’ve
worked hard)
3. It’s a small scratch. (Whereas it’s really a big dent)
4. I will sleep for just one minute. (You want to have a good sleep)
 CHIASMUS
(kaІ’æzmǝs)

• Chiasmus is a figure of speech in which two or more clauses are balanced

against each other by the reversal of their structure in order to produce an
artistic effect.
(Criss-cross)
E.g.:
1. Never let a fool kiss you or a kiss fool you.
2. You forget what you want to remember, and you remember what you
want to forget.
3. Love as if you would one day hate, and hate as if you would one day love.
4. The instinct of a man is to pursue everything that flies from him, and to
fly from all that pursues him.
 ANTI THESIS
• Anti thesis is when opposite two ideas are placed together to
create an amusing effect.
(Contrast)
E.g.:
1. Man proposes, god disposes.
2. That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind
3. Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.
4. Many are called, but few are chosen.
5. To err is human, to forgive divine.
 E X C L A M AT I O N
• An exclamation (interjection) is a word or phrase that expresses
strong emotion, such as surprise, pleasure, or anger.
They end with an exclamation mark, not a full stop.

E.g.:
1. What a piece of work art is!
2. Oh god! Help me!
3. Oh Nature! Teach our hands to care more for you.
4. Ten thousand daffodils I saw at a glance!
 LITOTES
• Litotes is a roundabout way of saying something, using the opposite of
you’re intending to say or mean. The negative is used to express the
positive.

E.g.:
1. They don’t seem like the most happiest couple in the world when not
together. (They’re the happiest couple when they’re together)
2. Her cooking isn’t terrible. (Her cooking is actually good)
3. India is no ordinary country. (India is a great country)
4. I can’t argue with you on that point. (I agree with you there)
5. She wasn’t a bad dancer. (She was a good dancer )
 IRONY / SARCASM
•Irony occurs when there’s a marked contrast between what is said
and what is meant. The statements sound unusual and funny to the
listener.
E.g.:
1. A fire station burns down.
2. A marriage counsellor files for divorce.
3. The police station gets robbed.
4. The pilot has vertigo.
5. A heart surgeon died of a heart attack.
6. The cobbler’s children have no shoes.
 METONOMY
(Literally, change of name)

• Where an object is designated by the name of something that is

generally associated with it. Ordinary words are taken and they are
dressed up in something more creative and poetic to give it more depth
or just sound beautiful.
1. A pen is mightier than the sword.
(Pen = the written words, sword = military aggression)
2. He succeeded for the throne. (Throne = monarchy)
3. It’s a pleasure to read Wordsworth. (Wordsworth = for the books he
has written)
4. Sorrow tricked down from my eyes. (Sorrow = tears due to sadness)
5. The bench will declare the result. (Bench = judges)
 SYNECDOCHE
• Synecdoche is where a part is used to express a whole, or a whole
is used to express a part of something.

E.g.:
1. All the best brains of India couldn’t solve the problem.
(brains=smartest people)
2. He has many mouths to feed. (mouths = people who will eat)
3. She gave me a hand for the task. (hand = the girl who helped)
4. India won the match against Pakistan (India = a team of players)
 EPIGRAM
• Epigram is a brief witty statement about a topic. It usually contains
irony. Two different ideas are placed together which can take you for a
surprise.
(It is done to create humour)
E.g.:
1. Silence is more eloquent than words.
2. I can resist everything but temptation.
3. Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.
4. No one is completely unhappy at the failure of his best friend.
5. It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.
 OX Y M O R O N
• Oxymoron is a figure of speech that has two contradictory or
opposite words appearing side-by-side, or in one phrase.
E.g.:
1. He is a busy idler.
2. The room had a deafening silence in it.
3. Parting is such a sweet sorrow.
4. She cried happy tears.
5. I accept all your perfect imperfections.
6. Always give away your larger half.
 PUN
(Play on words)

• A pun is a funny statement based on the interplay of homophones (words with

same pronunciation but different meaning). It may also use words that sound
slightly similar. It basically creates confusion when you hear it practically.
1. The tallest building in the town is the library – it has thousands of stories! (floor)
2. He gave her a matchless box as a present. (no other match, without matches)
3. The life of the liver depends upon the liver. (0rgan, the person)
4. The cyclist was two tired to win the race. (bicycle, too tired)
5. Her cat is near the computer to keep an eye on the mouse. (of PC, animal)
6. This vacuum sucks! (takes in, is no good)
7. Draw a W. (double u, letter W)
8. Atheism is a non-prophet organisation.