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Poetic Devices

Mh board 12th English

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sashiya092
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9 views

Poetic Devices

Mh board 12th English

Uploaded by

sashiya092
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Figures of Speech

Personification

Personification attributes human nature or human qualities to abstract or inanimate


objects.

➢ The opportunity knocked at his door


➢ The plants in her house silently begged to be watered
➢ Lightning danced across the sky
➢ The wind howled in the night.

Metaphor

A metaphor is used to imply a comparison between two things that have something in
common but are in general different from each other.

➢ It is raining cats and dogs


➢ He is the star of our class
➢ Life is a highway.
➢ Her eyes were diamonds.

Simile

A simile is a figure of speech that compares two things that are different from each other
but have similar qualities. These are generally formed through the usage of the words ‘as’ or
‘like’.

➢ He is as brave as a lion
➢ Her expression was as cold as ice
➢ Swim like a fish
➢ As light as a feather

Alliteration

Alliteration is a sentence that consists of a series of words that have the same consonant
sound at the beginning.

➢ She sells sea shells on the seashore


➢ A good cook could cook as many cookies as a good cook who could cook cookies
➢ All Adam ate in August was apples and almonds
➢ Barry bought a book to bring to the backyard barbecue

Onomatopoeia
This is a figure of speech that is used to express a sound. To be more precise, it involves the
use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the action or object referred to i.e.
hiss, clap etc.

➢ The buzzing bee flew over my head


➢ The stone hit the water with a splash
➢ The boulder hit the ground with a flump.
➢ Leaves rustle in the wind and are whipped into the air.

Hyperbole

A hyperbole is a figure of speech that consists of an exaggeration. It is the usage of


exaggerated terms in order to emphasize or heighten the effect of something.

➢ I have told you a million times to not touch my stuff!


➢ She has got a pea-sized brain
➢ I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.
➢ She’s as old as the hills.

Euphemism

Euphemism is the usage of a mild word in substitution of something that is more explicit or
harsh when referring to something unfavourable or unpleasant.

➢ This mall has good facilities for differently-abled people


➢ He passed away in his sleep
➢ Passed away” instead of “died”
➢ “Let go” instead of “fired”

Irony

Irony or sarcasm is a figure of speech in which the usage of words conveys the opposite of
their literal meaning. These are often used in a humorous manner.

➢ Your hands are as clean as mud


➢ The dinner you served was as hot as ice
➢ Coming home to a big mess and saying, “it’s great to be back”
➢ Telling a rude customer to “have a nice day”

Anaphora

It is a repetition of a word or phrase at the start of several sentences of clauses.

➢ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “I Have a Dream” Speech


➢ Charles Dickens: A Tale of Two Cities
➢ “Be bold. Be brief. Be gone.”
➢ “Get busy living or get busy dying.”

Apostrophe

It addresses a subject that is not present in the work. In this case, the object is absent or
inanimate.

➢ Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are


➢ Welcome, O life!
➢ Alarm clock, please don’t fail me.
➢ Seven, you are my lucky number!

Pun

Puns are among the most frequently used figures of speech in daily conversation. They may
be great conversation starters since they make you sound clever and occasionally even
humorous.

➢ Denial is a river in Egypt (referring to The Nile using the word Denial).
➢ Her cat is near the computer to keep an eye on the mouse.
➢ No matter how much you push the envelope, it will still be stationery.
➢ Everyone thinks my runny nose is funny, but it’s snot.

Paradox

These figures of speech, like ironies, emphasize something by discussing the exact
opposite of it. A paradox, on the other hand, differs from irony in that it does not make the
contrast as evident.

➢ “Some of my biggest triumphs have also been failures,” (According to US actress


Pearl Bailey)
➢ “War is good. Slavery is freedom. “Ignorance is power,” (As said by English author
George Orwell)
➢ Save money by spending it
➢ If I know one thing, it’s that I know nothing

Oxymoron

This figure of speech, which should not be confused with ironies and paradoxes, links two
opposing ideas at once. This indicates that two opposing concepts are utilized inside a
single sentence to create levity in an oxymoron figure of speech.

➢ This is another fine mess you have got us into


➢ Suddenly the room filled with a deafening silence
➢ The comedian was seriously funny
➢ You are clearly confused by the situation you have found yourself in

Assonance

Internal vowels in nearby words that are the same or comparable in sound.

➢ How now, brown cow?


➢ The light of the fire is a sight
➢ Go slow over the road
➢ Try as I might, the kite did not fly

Metonymy

Metonymy is a figure of speech when one term or phrase is used in place of another with
which it is closely related. It is also a rhetorical technique used to describe something
indirectly by making references to objects around it.

➢ “That stuffed suit with the briefcase is a poor excuse for a salesman,” the manager
said angrily.
➢ The pen is mightier than the sword”
➢ I’m a Silicon Valley guy. I just think people from Silicon Valley can do anything.
➢ Most of the successful people in Hollywood are failures as human beings.

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