FIGURES OF SPEECH

• Personification- attributes human nature or qualities to

abstract objects. E.g The opportunity knocked at his door.
• Metaphor- used for implying comparison between two
things that have something in common but are in general
different from each other. E.g Life is a highway
• Simile- compares two things that are different from each
other but have similar qualities. E.g He is as brave as a lion
• Alliteration- a sentence that consists of a series of words
that have the same consonant sound at the beginning. E.g
she sells sea shells on the sea shore.
• Onomatopoeia- used to express sound, involves the use of
words that imitate the sounds associated with the action
referred to. E.g The buzzing bee flew over head
• Hyperbole- consists of exaggeration. It is the usage of
exaggerated terms in order to emphasize the effect of
something. E.g I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.
• Euphemism- the usage of a mild word in substitution of
something that is more explicit or harsh when referring to
something unfavorable or unpleasant. E.g he passed away
in his sleep {passed away instead of “died”}
• Irony- the usage of words conveys the opposite of their
literal meaning. Often used in a humorous manner. E.g
your hands are as clean as mud.
• Anaphora- it is a repetition of a word or phrase at the start
of several sentences of clauses. “Get busy living or get
busy dying”
• Apostrophe- it addresses the subject that is not present in
the work. E.g seven, you are my lucky number.
• Oxymoron- links two opposing ideas. E.g this is another
fine mess you have got us into
• Assonance - internal vowels in nearby words that are the
same or comparable in sound. E.g the light of the fire is a
sight