Figures Of Speech (With Definitions and Examples)

Here are some figures of speech with sample sentences.

FIGURES OF SPEECH – There are a lot of this but we will be focusing on a few ones that are widely used in the English language.

There are numerous figures of speech and they are widely use to make a greater impact and effect to the reader. The several types are use to make comparisons, contrasts, associations, exaggerations and constructions. 

This is most especially used to make a language sound more poetic and interesting. The challenge, on the other hand, is not just about learning them but also learning when and how to use them.

Here are some with examples.

• Simile – This is comparing two things that are different from each other but have similar qualities or characteristics. The words ‘as’ or ‘like’ are used to form sentences. It makes a direct comparison.

Examples:

1. He is as brave as a lion.
2. She has this expression as cold as ice.
3. Her lips was as red as a blood.

• Metaphor – This is a comparison of two things that have something in common but generally different from each other. It makes implied comparison without using ‘as’ or ‘like’.

Examples:

1. It is raining cats and dogs.
2. Jenny was a cheetah in the race today.
3. My boyfriend has a heart of gold.

• Personification – This is used to attribute human characteristics to something that is not human – to personify. It is representing something like it is a human.

Examples:

1. The flowers swayed with the winds.
2. The surfboard dances with the ocean’s waves.
3. I saw this cake and it kept calling me.

• Hyperbole – This is a rhetorical device that is used to describe something a lot better than it actually is. In other words, it is used to describe something in exaggeration.

Examples:

1. I am so hungry I could eat all the food here.
2. He waited forever to have this moment.
3. It’s a busy day today. I have a million things to do!

• Irony – According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, irony is defined as “the use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning”. This is often conveyed as a joke.

Examples:

1. A pulmonologist (lung doctor) smokes.
2. A person eats sweets while preaching about healthy eating.
3. Saying “The weather is lovely today” while it is raining.