Figures of Speech A figure of speech may be said to occur whenever a speaker or writer, for the sake of freshness or emphasis, departs from the usual denotations of words. Figures of speech are not devices to state what is demonstrably untrue. Indeed they often state truths that more literal language cannot communicate; they call attention to such truths; they lend them emphasis

Some kinds of figures of speech: Metaphor Simile Personification Hyperbole Understatement Metonymy

metaphor When a writer or speaker asserts that something in most ways actually unlike it, the figure is called a metaphor example: What is our life? A play of passion (Sir Walter Ralegh)

simile Simile is a comparison of two things, indicated by some connective, usually like, as, then, or a verb such as resembles example: Your fingers are like sausages

personification Another figure somewhat similar to metaphor is personification. Abstraction is endowed with the qualities of a human being in such a way as to render a normally disembodied idea dramatically effective. example: Death lays his icy hand on kings (Shirley)

hyperbole Hyperbole is deliberate, and often outrageous, exaggeration. It may be used to magnify a fact or an emotion in such a way as to attribute great importance to it. example: Mark how these statues like men move,

understatement The opposite device of hyperbole is understatement. Here the effect is almost always to magnify the matter discussed, by implying that the means of expression is inadequate to the task example: We know, too, they are very fond of war A pleasure—like all pleasures—rather dear; Calling war “rather dear” is understatement; calling it a pleasure—which iy certainly is not—is irony. Understatement is usually ironic, as this simultaneous occurrence of devices suggests

Metonymy Metonymy is the use of an attribute of an object or of something closely associated with it to represent that object. example: Sceptre and crown Must tumble down And in the dust be equal made With the poor crooked scythe and spade (James Shirley) Here “sceptre and crown” stand for rulers, while “scythe and spade” stand for commoners.