All of us use different figures of speech in our everyday lives, no matter which language we speak. Being familiar with different types of figures of speech can not only increase your vocabulary in a particular language but also help you in your career. This is especially true for those who want to pursue a career in translation, poetry or writing. Also, having a solid idea of the different figures of speech can come in handy for a wide range of exams, including both language proficiency exams and different competitive exams for work or study. Want to familiarise yourself with this? Take a look at this blog for detailed information on the popular types of figures of speech.
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It is an integral part of any language, which is used extensively not only in our day-to-day speech but also in written texts and oral literature. These are words or phrases used in a distinctive way to produce a rhetorical effect.To say it in very simple terms, it is a phrase whose actual meaning is different from its literal meaning.
Figures of Speech are developed and expressed through a variety of different rhetorical techniques. All of us use different figures of speech in our daily conversations, both deliberately and subconsciously.
Let’s learn more about figures of speech and their examples below.
| Figures of Speech | Examples |
| Euphemism | He passed away in his sleep |
| Irony | Your hands are as clean as mud |
| Anaphora | Dr Martin Luther King Jr: “I Have a Dream” Speech |
| Apostrophe | Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are |
| Pun | Everyone thinks my runny nose is funny, but it’s snot. |
| Paradox | “Some of my biggest triumphs have also been failures,” |
| Oxymoron | You are clearly confused by the situation you have found yourself in |
| Assonance | How now, brown cow? |
| Metonymy | “The pen is mightier than the sword” |
In writing, when figures of speech are used effectively, these devices enhance the writer’s ability for description and expression so that readers have a better understanding of what is being conveyed. Here are some ways that writers benefit from incorporating it into their work:
Numerous figures of speech that are used as literary devices may be seen in works of literature. These add meaning to literature and showcase the power and beauty of figurative language. Here are some examples in well-known literary works:
In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars.
Fitzgerald makes use of simile here as a figure of speech to compare Gatsby’s party guests to moths. The imagery used by Fitzgerald is one of delicacy and beauty and creates an ephemeral atmosphere. However, the likening of Gatsby’s guests to moths also reinforces the idea that they are only attracted to the sensation of the parties and that they will depart without having made any true impact or connection. This simile underscores the themes of superficiality and transience in the novel.
Both described at the same time how it was always March there and always Monday, and then they understood that José Arcadio Buendía was not as crazy as the family said, but that he was the only one who had enough lucidity to sense the truth of the fact that time also stumbled and had accidents and could therefore splinter and leave an eternalized fragment in a room.
In this passage, Garcia Marquez utilizes personification as a figure of speech. Time is personified as an entity that “stumbled” and “had accidents.” This is an effective use of figurative language in that this personification of time indicates a level of human frailty that is rarely associated with something so measured. In addition, this is effective in the novel because time has a great deal of influence on the plot and characters of the story. Personified in this way, the meaning of time in the novel is enhanced to the point that it is a character in and of itself.
A book is a loaded gun in the house next door…Who knows who might be the target of the well-read man?
In this passage, Bradbury utilizes metaphor as a figure of speech to compare a book to a loaded gun. This is an effective literary device for this novel because, in the story, books are considered weapons of free thought and possession of them is illegal. Of course, Bradbury is only stating that a book is a loaded gun as a means of figurative, not the literal meaning. This metaphor is particularly powerful because the comparison is so unlikely; books are generally not considered to be dangerous weapons. However, the comparison does have a level of logic in the context of the story in which the pursuit of knowledge is weaponized and criminalized.
Wondering what the hard and fast rule is to ace this section? The only thing that will help you is practice. We have curated a list of the best books that will help you ace it like a pro:
| Figures of Speech: The Art of Ornate Diction | Buy Here |
| Figures of Speech: Sixty Ways to Turn a Phrase | Buy Here |
| A Handbook of Scansion and Figures of Speech | Buy Here |
| Fantastic Figures of Speech (Fun with English) | Buy Here |
| Figures of Speech: Figures of Speech | Buy Here |
