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Figure of Speech: Alliteration

This document defines and provides examples of various figures of speech. It begins by explaining that a figure of speech uses words or phrases with meanings different from their literal definitions. Some examples of figures of speech given are metaphor, simile, alliteration, hyperbole, and euphemism. The document then provides the definitions and examples of specific figures of speech, including alliteration, anaphora, assonance, euphemism, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, personification, simile, synecdoche, and understatement. It concludes with an exercise identifying the figures of speech in various phrases.

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Suhail Alam Khan
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862 views

Figure of Speech: Alliteration

This document defines and provides examples of various figures of speech. It begins by explaining that a figure of speech uses words or phrases with meanings different from their literal definitions. Some examples of figures of speech given are metaphor, simile, alliteration, hyperbole, and euphemism. The document then provides the definitions and examples of specific figures of speech, including alliteration, anaphora, assonance, euphemism, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, personification, simile, synecdoche, and understatement. It concludes with an exercise identifying the figures of speech in various phrases.

Uploaded by

Suhail Alam Khan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Figure of Speech

A figure of speech is a word or phrase that possesses a separate meaning from its literal
definition.
o It can be a metaphor or simile, designed to make a comparison.
o It can be the repetition of alliteration or the exaggeration of hyperbole to provide a dramatic
effect.
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.
Let's start with one of the more lyrical devices, alliteration.

Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of the beginning sounds of neighboring words.

Examples include:

 She sells seashells.


 Walter wondered where Winnie was.

Anaphora
Anaphora is a technique where several phrases or verses begin with the same word or words.

Examples include:

 I came, I saw, I conquered. - Julius Caesar


 Mad world! Mad kings! Mad composition! - King John II, William Shakespeare

Assonance
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 include:

 A - For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore. (Poe)
 E - Therefore, all seasons shall be sweet to thee. (Coleridge)

Euphemism
Euphemism is a mild, indirect, or vague term that often substitutes a harsh, blunt, or offensive
term.
Examples include:

 'A little thin on top' instead of 'going bald.'


 'Fell of the back of a truck' instead of 'stolen.'

Hyperbole
Hyperbole uses exaggeration for emphasis or effect.

Examples include:

 I've told you to stop a thousand times.


 That must have cost a billion dollars.

Irony
Irony occurs when there's a marked contrast between what is said and what is meant, or between
appearance and reality.

Examples include:

 "How nice!" she said, when I told her I had to work all weekend. (Verbal irony)
 A traffic cop gets suspended for not paying his parking tickets. (Situational irony)

Metaphor
A metaphor makes a comparison between two unlike things or ideas.

Examples include:

 Heart of stone
 Time is money

Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia is the term for a word that sounds like what it is describing.

Examples include:

 Whoosh
 Splat

Oxymoron
An oxymoron is two contradictory terms used together.
Examples include:

 Peace force
 Kosher ham

Personification
Personification gives human qualities to non-living things or ideas.

Examples include:

 The flowers nodded.


 The snowflakes danced.

Simile
A simile is a comparison between two unlike things using the words "like" or "as."

Examples include:

 As slippery as an eel
 Like peas in a pod

Synecdoche
Synecdoche occurs when a part is represented by the whole or, conversely, the whole is
represented by the part.

Examples include:

 Wheels - a car
 The police - one policeman

Understatement
An understatement occurs when something is said to make something appear less important or
less serious.

Examples include:

 It's just a scratch - referring to a large dent.


 It's a litttle dry and sandy - referring to the driest desert in the world.
EXERCISE
DIRECTIONS: Identify the figure of speech relating to each of the words, phrases, or
sentences below:

1. Plastic - credit cards


2. Coke - any cola drink
3. Hired hands - workers
4. 'Letting you go' instead of 'firing you.'
5. 'Passed away' instead of 'died.'
6. 'Economical with the truth' instead of 'liar.'
7. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of
foolishness. - A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
8. With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right. - Abraham Lincoln
9. We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end... we shall never surrender. - Winston
Churchill
10. The Titanic was said to be unsinkable but sank on its first voyage. (Situational irony)
11. Naming a tiny Chihuahua Brutus. (Verbal irony)
12. When the audience knows the killer is hiding in a closet in a scary movie, but the actors do
not. (Dramatic irony)
13. Blue baby bonnets bobbed through the bayou.
14. Nick needed new notebooks.
15. Fred fried frogs' legs on Friday.
16. I could do this forever.
17. She's older than dirt.
18. Everybody knows that.
19. The world is a stage
20. She's a night owl
21. He's an ogre
22. Buzz
23. Click
24. Oink
25. The thunder grumbled.
26. The fog crept in.
27. The wind howled.
28. Jumbo shrimp
29. Sweet sorrow
30. Free market
31. The weather is cooler today - referring to sub-zero temperatures.
32. It was interesting - referring to a bad or difficult experience.
33. It stings a bit - referring to a serious wound or injury.
34. I - From what I've tasted of desire, I hold with those who favor fire. (Frost)
35. O - Oh hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn. (Wordsworth)
36. U - Uncertain rustling of each purple curtain (Poe)
37. As blind as a bat
38. Eats like a pig
39. As wise as an owl
40. As fast as an arrow

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