Figures of Speech

Figures of Speech A figure of speech is a word, phrase or

sentence or paragraph which is used with the intention of producing a special effect on the listener or reader.

Figures of speech are often used and crafted for emphasis, freshness, expression, or

clarity.

Types of Figures of Speech

SimileMetaphorHyperbole

Irony or SarcasmMetonymy

SIMILEA simile is an expression in which

something is compared to something else and the comparison is made explicitly by the use of a function word such as like or as.

He eats like a pig.

You are as pretty as a picture.

My hands are as cold as ice.

METAPHOR

Imaginative way of describing something by referring to something else which has the qualities that you want to express.

Margaret Teacher is made of iron 

Tony is a rat.

HYPERBOLEA hyperbole is an or

an .

exaggerationoverstate

ment

=

His feet are as big as boats!I nearly died laughing!

IRONY OR SARCASMThese figures of speech are

used as subtle forms of humor. They imply saying the opposite of what we really mean.

I love when you snore all night.

What a nice surprise! You’re late again.

METONYMYIt represents something else which it suggests.

I want to be away from my books for a while.

I bought fifty head of cattle.

THANK YOU