‫بسم ہللا الرحمن الرحیم‬

Name Muhammad Asghar

Dept. BS English
REG NO Huss 19111156
University KFUEIT RYK
Notes FIGURE OF SPEECH
 Figure of speech:
A figure of speech is a deviation from
ordinary use of words in order to increase their effect.
Basically, it is a figurative language that may consist of a
single word or phrase. It may be a simile, a metaphor or
personification to convey the meaning other than the
literal meaning.
1.Simile:
Simile is a figure of speech that compares two
things indirectly by using the words “ like” and “As”
Examples:
1. They fought like cats and dogs.
2. He is as tall as giraffe.
3. Cute as kitten.
4. Blind as bat.
5. You are as brave as lion.
6. The glow of his face was as bright as sunshine.
7. After the examination, students felt as light as feather.
8. He is like a lion.
2. Metaphor:
Metaphor is a figure of speech that
compares two things directly. We do not use the words
like and as.
Examples
1. He is a lion.
2. He is a night owl.
3. She is a shining star
4. Time is money.
5. Laughter is a best medicine.
6. My teacher is an angel.
7. You have a heart ❤️of gold.
8. This class is a zoo.
9. Camel 🐫 is the ship 🚢 of desert.
3. Personification:
A figure of speech in which human
qualities are given to a nonhuman subject.
Examples:
1. The leaves danced in the autumn wind.
2. The lightening lashed out with angers.
3. Flowers were dancing in the garden

4.EUPHEMISM:
Euphemism is a mild, indirect or vague term
that often substitutes a harsh, blunt or offensive term.
OR Soft words are used for harsh and unpleasant words.
OR A word or phrase used to avoid saying an unpleasant
or offensive word.
Examples:
1. Passed away, instead of died.
2. Letting you go, instead of firing.
3. She is pregnant — (harsh)
She is expecting — (soft)
4. She is a prostitute— harsh
She is a lady of night. — soft
5. They had a sex. — harsh
They slept together. — soft

5. HYPERBOLE:
 Hyperbole from a Greek word meaning “excess”
Excess: An amount of something that is more than
necessary, permitted or desirable
Hyperbole = Overstatement
Litotes. = Understatement
Definition: ‫لمبی لمبی چھوڑنا‬
A hyperbole is an exaggeration or overstatement for
the sake of making a greater or less, better or worst
impression.
Examples:
1. I am so hungry I could eat a horse.
2. I am so tired, I could sleep for a year.
3. I have told you a thousand time about this.
4. I would move mountain for her.
5. My brother is taller than the Qutubminar.
6. Litotes:
The word litotes is of Greek origin, meaning “simple”
and is derived from the word litos meaning “plain, small,
smooth”
Definition:
Litotes is a figure of speech in which a negative
statement is used to emphasize a positive meaning.
It is opposite of hyperbole.
Examples:
1. She is not unlike her mother.
2. Your apartment is not unclean
3. “Not unwelcome” (welcome)
7. Oxymoron:
Are two contradictory terms used together.
 The word means “pointedly foolish”
 Two words or phrases of opposite significance are set
together for effect. OR
Two conflicting qualities are predicted at once of the
same thing.
Examples:
1. Cruel kindness
2. Open secret
3. Wisest fool
4. He is regularly irregular
5. He is the wisest fool in the country.
8. Irony:
Occurs when there is a marked contrast between what is
said and what is meant, or between appearance and
reality.
Examples:
1. Walking into an empty theater and asking, “it’s too
crowded.”
2. “How nice” she said when I told her I had to work all
weekend.

9. Anaphora:
Anaphora is a technique where several phrases or verses
begin with the same word or words.
. Anaphora is a rhetorical device that features the
repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of
successive sentences, phrases or clauses.
Examples:
1. Go big or go home
2. Be bold. Be brief. Be gone.
3. We came, we saw, we conquered.
10. Cataphora:
Cataphora is a figure of speech in which an expression or
often a pronoun used initially in a sentence refers to a
subject or the expression which is used later.
Cataphoric reference means that a word in a text refers
to another later in the text and you need to look forward
to understanding.
Examples:
1. When he arrived home, John went to sleep.
2.When he arrived, Ahmad noticed that the door was
open.
3. When I went to meet him, he was not at home.
11. Anadiplosis:
The term anadiplosis is a Greek word which means “to
repeat”
Definition:
The figure of speech which refers to the repetition of a
word in such a way that the second clause starts with the
same word which marks the end of the previous clause.
Examples:
1. We ordered a pizza pie. A pizza pie that changed our
lives.
2. For Lycidas is dead, dead ere him prime ki
12. Synecdoche:
Synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a part of
something represents the whole, or it may use a whole
to represent a part.
Examples:
A part for the whole
1. He has many mouth to feed.
 Whole for the part
1. Pakistan won the first 20-20 match against India.

The police — one policeman Plastic — credit card

13. Onomatopoeia:
Is defined as a word which imitates the natural sounds of
a thing. It creates a sound effect that mimics the thing
described, making the description more expressive and
interesting.
Examples:
The word “whisper” not only represents the wispy or
breathy sound of people talking quietly, but also
describes the action of people talking quietly.Meow,
Moo, Neigh, are also onomatopoeia.
14. Metonymy:
Calling something not by it’s true name, but by
something associated with it. OR
In which one word or phrase is substituted for another
with which it is closely associated.
Examples:
1. It is the duty of crown 👑 to look after the country.
(King)
2. I am reading Shakespeare. (His play)
3. Grey hairs should be respected.(Old man)
15. Alliteration:
Having the same first consonant sound. OR
The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the
beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.
Examples:
1. Little Laxman like Litchi.
2. Sheep should sleep in a shed.
3. Come and clean your closet kevin.
4. David’s dog drunk dirty water down by the dam.
5. Even elephants enjoy eating eggs every day.
6. All Adam ate in August was apples and almonds.
16. Assonance:
Repeat the same vowel but start with different
consonant sound. OR
Assonance is the repetition of vowel sound
Rhyme:
Repetition of both vowel and consonant sounds.
Examples:
1. Jerry went here and there nowhere. (er)
2. Bear is near but no need to fear. (ea)
3. How is your cow now? (o)
4. Go slow over the road. (o)
17. Pun:
A joke using word.
A joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a
word or the fact that there are words which sounds alike
but have different meanings.
OR Make a joke exploiting the different possible
meanings of a word.
Examples:
1. An ambassador a man who live abroad for the good of
his country.
2. Pilots have easy access to cloud storage.
3. When two orthopedists started a new surgery, it was a
joint operation.

18. Antithesis:
Greek word antithenai which means to “oppose”
 Meaning of antithesis – a person or thing that is the
direct opposite of someone or something else.
Definition:
Antithesis is a figure of speech of simple contrast in it,
it is the setting of one thing against another. The
opposing clauses, phrases or sentences usually within
parallel grammatical structures.
Examples:
‫ معاف کرنا ہّٰللا کا کام ہے ۔‬، ‫غلطی کرنا انسان کا کام ہے‬
To err is human, to forgive Allah/divine (Alexander pope)
2. Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice. (Shakespeare)
3. That’s one small step for a man, one giant step for
mankind.