2021-22

FIGURES OF SPEECH
ENGLISH HOLIDAY HOMEWORK

NAME: ZAINAB
SYED
CLASS: 10 SUBMITTED TO:
SECTION: A MS. SUSHMITA
 WHAT IS FIGURES OF SPEECH?
• A figure of speech is a phrase or word used in a non-literal sense for
rhetorical or rich effect. It is an expression that is different from its
literal meaning.

• A figure of speech is a way of describing something or someone

interestingly and vividly. The words or phrases may not mean
exactly what they suggest, but they paint a clear picture in the mind
of the reader or listener.

• A figure of speech can be in the form of a phrase or a single word.

The figures of speech are also knowns as rhetorical figures.
 TYPES OF FIGURES OF
SPEECH
•Alliteration.
•Metaphors.
•Personification.
•Onomatopoeia.
•Simile.
•Hyperbole.
•Irony
 ALLITERATION
• Alliteration is a figure of speech in which two usually consecutive words
begin with the same consonant sound but not always the same latter.
• The word doesn’t always have to be right next to each other, but when you
say or read them, the sound is repeated.

• Alliteration helps us to make what we say

or write more interesting to listen to or
read. Writers and poets use alliteration to
make their writing memorable and fun to
read.
 Use in book
• Alliteration is used in the lines ‘Has given my heart’ and
‘And saved some part’, as same consonants are used
repeatedly in those lines in poem ‘’Dust of Snow’.
• In the lines “some say, world will, favour fire
alliteration is used in poem ‘Fire and Ice’.
 METAPHORS
• A metaphor is a figure of speech that is used to make a comparison between two
things that aren't alike but do have something in common.
• A metaphor is a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike
things.

• Metaphor is a means of asserting that two things

are identical in comparison rather than just
similar. This is useful in literature for using
specific images or concepts to state abstract
truths.
• Common examples: Time is money.
 USE IN THE BOOK
• Metaphor is used when the poet compared the falling snow flakes
from hemlock tree to dust in poem ‘Dust of Snow’.

• In ‘A Letter To God’ metaphor is used in the following sentences:

a. Huge mountains of clouds
b. The big drops are ten cent pieces and the little ones are fives.
c. Curtain of rain
d. Frozen pearls
e. Plague of locusts
f. an ox of a man
 PERSONIFICATION
• Personification is a figure of speech in which an idea or
thing is given human attributes and/or feelings or is spoken
of as if it were human.

• This allows writers to create life and motion within

inanimate objects, animals, and even abstract ideas by
assigning them recognizable human behaviors and
emotions.

• Personification is a literary device found often in children’s literature. This

is an effective use of figurative language because personification relies on
imagination for understanding
 USE IN THE
BOOK
• In the poem ‘Fire and Ice’, poet
personifies fire and ice by giving
them a mind which is capable of
destruction.
• Seagull is personified to have human like emotions
and characteristics in ‘His First Flight’ from ‘Two
Stories about Flying’
 ONOMATOPOEIA
• Onomatopoeia is a figure of speech in which words
evoke the actual sound of the thing they refer to or
describe
• It is the process of creating a word that phonetically imitates, resembles,
or suggests the sound that it describes
• They can make a poem or piece of writing appeal to the sense of hearing
• The “boom” of a firework exploding, the “tick tock” of a clock, and the
“ding dong” of a doorbell are all examples of onomatopoeia.
 SIMILE
• A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two things.

• Similes differ from other metaphors by highlighting the similarities

between two things using comparison words such as "like", "as", "so", or "
than", while other metaphors create an implicit comparison.

• It compares two different things in an interesting way. The objective of a

simile is to spark an interesting connection in a reader's or listener's mind.

• A simile is one of the most common forms of figurative language

• Examples of similes can be found just about anywhere from poems to song lyrics and even in
everyday conversations.
 Use in the book
• Similes used in ‘A Letter To God’
a)The field was white, as if covered with
salt.
b) working like an animal in the fields
 HYPERBOLE
• Hyperbole is the use of exaggeration as a rhetorical
device or figure of speech. It uses extreme exaggeration
to make a point or show emphasis. It is the opposite of
understatement.
• In poetry and oratory, it emphasizes, evokes strong feelings, and creates strong
impressions.
• You can find examples of hyperbole in literature and everyday speech.
• Some example are:
I’ve told you to clean your room a million times!
I had a ton of homework.
If I can’t buy that perfect prom dress, I’ll die!
 IRONY
• Irony is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or
event in which what on the surface appears to be the
case or to be expected differs radically from what is
actually the case.

• Irony is the contrast between how things seem and how they are. A
contrast between expectation and reality.

• Storytellers of all stripes use irony as a literary device to create

tension, humor, or as the central conceit in a plot.
 Use in the book
• At first poet was filled with suicidal thoughts, but when the crow shook
and dropped some of the snowflakes from the hemlock tree on the poets'
body, his mood changed into positivity. This tells us that a very minute,
moment can change one's life. This is the irony used in the poem. P-2

• Title of triumph of surgery is ironic.

• Lencho thinks that the post office people have taken the money although
in reality they had sent him the money. He thinks they have stolen his
money and call them crooks
 SIGNIFICANCE
• Figurative language creates pictures in the mind of the reader or
listener. These pictures help convey the meaning faster and more
vividly than words alone.
• We use figures of speech in "figurative language" to add colour
and interest, and to awaken the imagination. Figurative language
is everywhere, from classical works like Shakespeare or the
Bible, to everyday speech, pop music and television
commercials.
• It makes the reader or listener use their imagination and
understand much more than the plain words.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

• https://literarydevices.net/
• https://www.theidioms.com/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/
• https://www.litcharts.com/
• https://www.masterclass.com/
• https://blog.reedsy.com/