Figure of Speech

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).