FIGURES OF SPEECH

ALLITERATION Onomatopoeia is a word that sounds like what it is

Alliteration is the repetition of the beginning describing. Examples are:
sounds of neighboring words. Examples are:  Whoosh
 She sells seashells.  Splat
 Walter wondered where Winnie was.  Buzz
 Blue baby bonnets  Click
 Nick needed new notebooks.  Oink
ANAPHORA OXYMORON
Anaphora is a technique where several phrases (or Oxymoron is two contradictory terms used
verses in a poem) begin with the same word or together. Examples are:
words. Examples are:  Peace force
 I came, I saw, I conquered - Julius Caesar  Kosher ham
 Mad world! Mad kings! Mad composition!  Jumbo shrimp
- King John II, William Shakespeare  Small crowd
 With malice toward none; with charity for all;  Free market
with firmness in the right - Abraham Lincoln PERSONIFICATION
ASSONANCE Personification is giving human qualities to non-
Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in living things or ideas. Examples are:
words that are close together. Examples are:  The flowers nodded
 A - For the rare and radiant maiden whom the  Snowflakes danced
angels named Lenore (Poe)  Thunder grumbled
 E - Therefore all seasons shall be sweet to  The wind howled
thee (Coleridge) SIMILE
 I - From what I’ve tasted of desire, I hold with Simile is a comparison between two unlike things
those who favor fire (Frost) using the words "like" or "as." Examples are:
 O - Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn  As slippery as an eel
(Wordsworth)  Like peas in a pod
 U - Uncertain rustling of each purple curtain  As blind as a bat
(Poe)  Eats like a pig
EUPHEMISM  As wise as an owl
Euphemism is a mild, indirect, or vague term SYNECDOCHE
substituting for a harsh, blunt, or offensive term. Synecdoche is when a part represents the whole
Examples are: or the whole is represented by a part. Examples
 'A little thin on top' instead of 'going bald' are:
 'Homeless' instead of 'bum'  Wheels - a car
 'Letting him go' instead of 'firing him'  The police - one policeman
 'Passed away' instead of 'died'  Plastic - credit cards
HYPERBOLE  Coke - any cola drink
Hyperbole uses exaggeration for emphasis or  Army - a soldier
effect. Examples are: UNDERSTATEMENT
 I’ve told you a hundred times Understatement is when something is said to make
 I could do this forever something appear less important or less serious.
 She is older than dirt Examples are:
 Everybody knows that  It's just a scratch - referring to a large dent
IRONY  The weather is a little cooler today - referring
Irony is when there is a contrast between what is to sub-zero temperatures
said and what is meant, or between appearance  It was interesting - referring to a bad or
and reality. Examples are: difficult experience
 “How nice!” she said, when I told her I had to  It stings a bit - referring to a serious wound or
work all weekend. (Verbal irony) injury
 The Titanic was said to be unsinkable but sank
on its first voyage. (Situational irony)
 The audience knows the killer is hiding in a
closet in a scary movie but the actors do not.
(Dramatic irony)

METAPHOR
Metaphor compares two unlike things or ideas.
Examples are:
 Heart of stone
 Time is money
 The world is a stage
 She is a night owl
 He is an ogre
ONOMATOPOEIA