Figure of Speech
1. Personification –
human quality
E.g.
- The Moon is laughing.
Personification: The Moon is given the human quality of
Laughing.
- The river is running.
Personification: The river is given the human quality of
running.
- The waves are dancing
Personification: The waves are given human quality of
dancing.
- Wind made the trees to dance.
Personification: The trees are given the human quality of
dancing.
- The pine trees frowned at the sun.
Personification: The pine trees are given the human action
of ‘frowning’ (disappointing) .
- The sky rejoices in the morning’s birth.
Dual Personification: Bothe the sky and the morning are
given human abilities of ‘rejoicing’ and ‘being born’. respectively.
- The forests are dying.
Personification: The forest is given the human ability of
‘dying’.
- Wildlife is crying. (Try yourself)
- Mother earth is sighing. (Try yourself)
- And let us greet our Motherland and bow before her feet and say.
Personification: The Motherland is given human ability of
‘having feet’ and we are bowing. It is an act of human being.
2. Alliteration –
repetition of same alphabet
- It clogs and clutters up the mind.
Alliteration: The sound of the letter ‘c’ is repeated
for poetic effect.
- Such wondrous fine fantastic tales.
Alliteration: The sound of the letter ‘f’ is repeated for
poetic effect.
- And pirates wearing purple pants.
Alliteration: The sound of the letter ‘p’ is repeated for
poetic effect.
- The rain came heavily and fell in floods.
Alliteration: The sound of the letter ‘f’ repeated for
poetic effect.
- The hare is running races in her mirth.
Alliteration: The letter ‘r’ is repeated for poetic effect.
- It’s sharing sorrow and work and mirth. (Try yourself)
- It’s struggling on with the will to win.
- And greedy industries play their polluted pranks.
- The soup’s too hot, the corn’s too cold.
- The tip toe softly to the doorI wish I’d stayed a minute more.
Alliteration: The sounds of the letters ‘s’ and ‘m’ are
repeated for poetic effect.
- Mother! your millions meet and swear on this, our proud Republic Day. (Try yourself)
- The grinning mask of death and doom worn by cress enemies of truth. (Try yourself)
- Famine and drought and dread and doom. (Try yourself)
- Let India’s millions chant in chorus. (Try yourself)
- Down with all ruthless tyranny, down with all exploitation which Renders the poor: the poorer - and renders the bloated rich, more rich!
Alliteration: The sounds of the letter ‘p’ and ‘r’ are
repeated for poetic effect.
3. Repetition –
repetition of same word
- They sit and stare and stare and sit.
Repetition: The words ‘sit’ and ‘stare’ are repeated
pleasantly for poetic effect.
- They ...used...to...read! They read and read, and read and read, and then proceed. (Try yourself)
- So, please, oh please, we beg, we pray. (Try yourself)
4. Tautology – same
meaning
- Pure unadulterated butter available here.
Tautology: The meaning of the word ‘unadulterated’ is
already contained in the word ‘pure’.
5. Antithesis – opposite
words or ideas
- Speech is silvern, but silence is golden.
Antithesis: Two opposite ideas of speech and silence are
placed together for poetic effect.
6. Hyperbole – over
statement
- And stare until their eyes pop out.
Hyperbole: The idea expressed is highly exaggerated.
- It makes a child so dull and blind.
Hyperbole: The idea expressed is highly exaggerated.
- His powers of thinking rust and freeze.
Hyperbole: The idea expressed is highly exaggerated.
- For buying the hundreds of elctronic gadgets.
Hyperbole: The idea expressed is highly exaggerated.
- Millions of fish are dying
7. Interrogation –
questions
- How could anyone not know?
Interrogation: Idea is expressed in the form of a question.
8. Exclamation –
expression
- Oh! how wonderful is the rain.
Exclamation: The idea is conveyed explicitly.
- Oh the value of the elderly!
Exclamation: The idea is conveyed explicitly.
9. Onomatopoeia – sound
- The clock is running tik - tik - tik.
Onomatopoeia: Sense of sound is conveyed through the word
‘tik - tik - tik’
- There was a roaring in the wind all night.
Onomatopoeia: Sense of sound is conveyed through the word
‘roaring’.
- The Jay makes answer as the Magpie chatters.
Onomatopoeia: Sense of sound is conveyed through the word
‘chatters’
- For something in it crunches.
Onomatopoeia: Sense of sound is conveyed through the word
‘crunches’.
- Echoing and re - echoing a new hope and a new desire.
Onomatopoeia: Sense of sound is conveyed through the words
‘echoing’ and ‘re-echoing’
10. Climax - Ideas are arranged in the order of increasing
importance.
- The spectators smiled, giggled and finally burst into laughter.
Climax: Ideas are arranged in the order of increasing
importance.
- They’ll loll and slop and lounge about And stare until their eyes pop out.
Climax: Ideas are arranged in the order of increasing
importance.
- That nauseating, foul, unclean, Repulsive television screen!
Climax: Ideas are arranged in the order of increasing
importance.
- I’d tuck you in all safe at night. And hear your prayers, turn off the lights.
11. Metaphor- An implicit (indirect) comparison is made
without using words such as ‘like’, ‘as’ and ‘so’.
- Before this monster was invented?
Metaphor: The television is indirectly compared to a
monster.
- Our world is an institution.
Metaphor: The world is indirectly compared to an
institution.
- They hold so many keys.
Metaphor: The experience of the elderly is indirectly
compared to keys.
- As a nation we are mission our greatest true resource.
Metaphor: The nation is indirectly compared to a resource
12. Simile - An explicit comparison is made between two
things by using words such as ‘like’, ‘as’ and ‘so’
- I wandered lonely as a cloud.
Simile: The loneliness of the poet is compared to that of
the cloud using the word ‘as’.
- His brain becomes as soft as cheese.
Smile: The softness of the brain is directly compared to that
of cheese.
- That attracts the industries to produce like maggots.
Simile: The industries are directly compared to maggots.
12. Apostrophe: Inanimate things are directly addressed.
- O Mother! teach our hands to bear.
Apostrophe: The earth is directly addressed as if it were a
living being.
- Republic Day of India! Your dawning shall begin to work.
Apostrophe: Republic day is directly addressed as it were a
living being.
13. Synecdoche - Here one idea is understood by means of
another.
- My hands were busy through the day.
Synecdoche: Part (hands) for the whole (the person).
- My hands once busy now are still.
Synecdoche: Part (hands) for the whole (the person).
