CHRISTOPHER E ADUVISO JR GRADE VI – DIAMOND FIGURES OF SPEECH

FIGURES OF SPEECH lend themselves particularly well to literature and poetry. They
also pack a punch in speeches and movie lines. Indeed, these tools abound in nearly
every corner of life

A. ALLITERATION is the repetition of the beginning sounds of neighboring words.

Examples:
 She sells seashells.
 Walter wondered where Winnie was.
 Blue baby bonnets bobbed through the bayou.
 Nick needed new notebooks. Fred fried frogs' legs on Friday.

B. ASSONANCE is the repetition of vowel sounds (not just letters) in words that are close
together. The sounds don't have to be at the beginning of the word.
Examples:
 For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore.
 Therefore, all seasons shall be sweet to thee.
 Oh hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.

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CHRISTOPHER E ADUVISO JR GRADE VI – DIAMOND FIGURES OF SPEECH

C. HYPERBOLE in the Greek language translates to ‘excess’. And that is what it does, it
exaggerates. We use hyperboles to emphasize the importance or overstate something.
This exaggerates claims and statements are never meant to be taken at their literal
meaning. They are used to create a strong and lasting impression
Examples:
 I've told you to stop a thousand times.
 That must have cost a billion dollars.
 I could do this forever.
 She's older than dirt.

D. IRONY occurs when there's a marked contrast between what is said and what is meant,
or between appearance and reality.
Examples:
 1."How nice!" she said, when I told her I had to work all weekend.
 2. A traffic cop gets suspended for not paying his parking tickets.
 3. The Titanic was said to be unsinkable but sank on its first voyage.

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CHRISTOPHER E ADUVISO JR GRADE VI – DIAMOND FIGURES OF SPEECH

E. METAPHOR uses compares two things that are in no way similar. It does so to bring
out the symbolism. A metaphor is a word or phrase used to show its similarity to another
thing. It helps to explain an idea, but if you take a metaphor at its literal meaning it will
sound absurd.
Examples:
 Heart of stone
 Time is money
 The world is a stage

F. ONOMATOPEIA This is a figure of speech where words or phrases indicate sounds.

Often to bring about more imagery and better describe a setting, authors use words to
involve all five of our senses. Onomatopeia refers to those words that imitate the sounds
of an object or person.
Examples:
 “The bees buzzed around in the garden”. Here the word ‘buzzed’ is indicating the
sound coming from the bees.
 “The leaves were rustling. “
 “The door was squeaking.“

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CHRISTOPHER E ADUVISO JR GRADE VI – DIAMOND FIGURES OF SPEECH

G. PERSONIFICATION Another very interesting figure of speech is personification. In

this, we personify or represent a non-human entity as human. We give an inanimate
object or an intangible idea of some human qualities such as emotions, or gestures or
even speech. this is done to portray the object as alive and help the listener or reader
paint a vivid picture.
Examples:
 The flowers nodded.
 The snowflakes danced.
 The thunder grumbled.

H. SIMILE is a figure of speech that uses comparison. In a simile, we use two specific
words “like” and “as” to compare two unlikely things, that actually have nothing in
common. This is done to bring out the dramatic nature of the prose and invoke vivid
images and comparisons. It is one of the most common forms of a figure of speech and
is used in everything from day-to-day talk to poems.
Examples:
 As slippery as an eel
 Like peas in a pod
 As blind as a bat

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