Fredie I.

Laron
Grade 7- I

I. What are Figures of Speech?

A figure of speech is a word or phrase using figurative language—language that has

other meaning than its normal definition. In other words, figures of speeches rely on
implied or suggested meaning, rather than a dictionary definition.  We express and
develop them through hundreds of different rhetorical techniques, from specific types
like metaphors and similes, to more general forms like sarcasm and slang.

A. Metaphor

Many common figures of speech are metaphors. That is, they use words in a manner
other than their literal meaning. However, metaphors use figurative language to
make comparisons between unrelated things or ideas. The “peak of her career,” for
example, is a metaphor, since a career is not a literal mountain with a peak, but the
metaphor represents the idea of arriving at the highest point of one’s career.

B. Idiom

An idiom is a common phrase with a figurative meaning. Idioms are different from other
figures of speech in that their figurative meanings are mostly known within a particular
language, culture, or group of people. In fact, the English language alone has about
25,000 idioms. Some examples include “it’s raining cats and dogs” when it is raining
hard, or “break a leg” when wishing someone good luck.

Example

This sentence uses an idiom to make it more interesting:

There’s a supermarket and a pharmacy in the mall, so if we go there, we can kill two

birds with one stone.

The idiom is a common way of saying that two tasks can be completed in the same
amount of time or same place.

C. Proverb

A proverb is a short, commonplace saying that is universally understood in today’s

language and used to express general truths. “Don’t cry over spilt milk” is a popular
example. Most proverbs employ metaphors (e.g. the proverb about milk
isn’t literally about milk).

Example

This example uses a proverb to emphasize the situation:

I know you think you’re going to sell all of those cookies, but don’t count your
chickens before they hatch!

Here, “don’t count your chickens before they hatch” means that you shouldn’t act like
something has happened before it actually does.
D. Simile

A simile is a very common figure of speech that uses the words “like” and “as” to
compare two things that are not related by definition. For example, “he is as tall as a
mountain,” doesn’t mean he was actually 1,000 feet tall, it just means he was really tall.

Example

This example uses a simile for comparison:

The internet is like a window to the world—you can learn about everything online!

The common phrase “window to the world” refers to a hypothetical window that lets you
see the whole world from it. So, saying the internet is like a window to the world implies
that it lets you see anything and everything.

E. Oxymoron

An oxymoron is when you use two words together that have contradictory meanings.
Some common examples include small crowd, definitely possible, old news, little giant,
and so on.

F. Metonym

A metonym is a word or phrase that is used to represent something related to bigger

meaning. For example, fleets are sometimes described as being “thirty sails strong,”
meaning thirty (curiously, this metonym survives in some places, even when the ships in
question are not sail-powered!) Similarly, the crew on board those ships may be
described as “hands” rather than people.

G. Irony

Irony is when a word or phrase’s literal meaning is the opposite of its figurative
meaning. Many times (but not always), irony is expressed with sarcasm (see Related
Terms). For example, maybe you eat a really bad cookie, and then say “Wow, that was
the best cookie I ever had”—of course, what you really mean is that it’s the worst cookie
you ever had, but being ironic actually emphasizes just how bad it was!

IV. The Importance of Figures of Speech

In general, the purpose of a figure of speech is to lend texture and color to your writing.
(This is itself a figure of speech, since figures of speech don’t actually change the colors
or textures on the page!) For instance, metaphors allow you to add key details
that make the writing more lively and relatable. Slang and verbal irony, on the other
hand, make the writing seem much more informal and youthful (although they can have
the opposite effect when misused!) Finally, other figures of speech, like idioms and
proverbs, allows a writer to draw on a rich cultural tradition and express complex ideas
in a short space.

 
V. Examples of Figures of Speech in Literature

Example 1

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They
have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many
parts.” (William Shakespeare, As You Like It)
This is one of the most famous metaphors ever crafted in the English language.
Shakespeare uses his extended metaphor to persuade the audience of the similarities
between the stage and real life. But rather than making his play seem more like life, he
suggests that life is more like a play. His metaphor calls attention to the performative,
creative, and fictional aspects of human life.

Example 2

“Our words are but crumbs that fall down from the feast of the mind.”
(Khalil Gibran, Sand & Foam)
Gibran’s timeless metaphor succeeds for a number of reasons. For one thing, it is not a
cliché – had Gibran said “words are just the tip of the iceberg,” he would have been
making roughly the same point, but in a much more clichéd way. But the feast of the
mind is a highly original metaphor. In addition, it’s a successful double metaphor. The
crumbs and the feast are two parts of the same image, but they work together rather
than being “mixed” (see How to Use Figures of Speech).

Example 3

“If you chase two rabbits, you will lose them both.” (Russian Proverb)
Like many proverbs, this one draws on a simple metaphor of chasing rabbits. The
rabbits can stand in for all sorts of objectives, from jobs to relationships, but the coded
message is quite clear – focus your energy on a single objective, or you will likely fail.
This literal statement, though, is quite dry and not terribly memorable, which shows the
power of figures of speech.

A. Metaphor

Many common figures of speech are metaphors. That is, they use words in a manner
other than their literal meaning. However, metaphors use figurative language to
make comparisons between unrelated things or ideas. The “peak of her career,” for
example, is a metaphor, since a career is not a literal mountain with a peak, but the
metaphor represents the idea of arriving at the highest point of one’s career.

B. Idiom

An idiom is a common phrase with a figurative meaning. Idioms are different from other
figures of speech in that their figurative meanings are mostly known within a particular
language, culture, or group of people. In fact, the English language alone has about
25,000 idioms. Some examples include “it’s raining cats and dogs” when it is raining
hard, or “break a leg” when wishing someone good luck.

Example

This sentence uses an idiom to make it more interesting:

There’s a supermarket and a pharmacy in the mall, so if we go there, we can kill two
birds with one stone.

The idiom is a common way of saying that two tasks can be completed in the same
amount of time or same place.

C. Proverb

A proverb is a short, commonplace saying that is universally understood in today’s

language and used to express general truths. “Don’t cry over spilt milk” is a popular
example. Most proverbs employ metaphors (e.g. the proverb about milk
isn’t literally about milk).

Example

This example uses a proverb to emphasize the situation:

I know you think you’re going to sell all of those cookies, but don’t count your
chickens before they hatch!

Here, “don’t count your chickens before they hatch” means that you shouldn’t act like
something has happened before it actually does.

D. Simile

A simile is a very common figure of speech that uses the words “like” and “as” to
compare two things that are not related by definition. For example, “he is as tall as a
mountain,” doesn’t mean he was actually 1,000 feet tall, it just means he was really tall.

Example

This example uses a simile for comparison:

The internet is like a window to the world—you can learn about everything online!

The common phrase “window to the world” refers to a hypothetical window that lets you
see the whole world from it. So, saying the internet is like a window to the world implies
that it lets you see anything and everything.

E. Oxymoron

An oxymoron is when you use two words together that have contradictory meanings.
Some common examples include small crowd, definitely possible, old news, little giant,
and so on.

F. Metonym

A metonym is a word or phrase that is used to represent something related to bigger

meaning. For example, fleets are sometimes described as being “thirty sails strong,”
meaning thirty (curiously, this metonym survives in some places, even when the ships in
question are not sail-powered!) Similarly, the crew on board those ships may be
described as “hands” rather than people.

G. Irony
Irony is when a word or phrase’s literal meaning is the opposite of its figurative
meaning. Many times (but not always), irony is expressed with sarcasm (see Related
Terms). For example, maybe you eat a really bad cookie, and then say “Wow, that was
the best cookie I ever had”—of course, what you really mean is that it’s the worst cookie
you ever had, but being ironic actually emphasizes just how bad it was!