Figures of Speech
Unit Three Figures of__ speech
2.2 Metaphor 2.2.1 Definition of metaphor:
Metaphor also involves a comparison between two or more unlike things which share at least one property or characteristic, but the comparison is not explicitly stated. Instead, it is implied or condensed.
A metaphor also compares, but a metaphor is a bit more sophisticated than a simile. For one thing, in a metaphor, the words like or as are missing. So readers have to recognize the comparison on their own without those easy words which help us to spot a simile so quickly.
Figures of speech often provide emphasis, freshness of expression, or clarห้องสมุดไป่ตู้ty. However, clarity may also suffer from their use, as any figure of speech introduces an ambiguity between literal and figurative interpretation. A figure of speech is sometimes called a rhetorical device or a locution.
英语常用修辞格的翻译
省略；Ellipsis
eg：妈妈让他洗碗，她就不洗。 译文：Mother tells her to wash the dishes， but she will not（do it）
移就；Transferred Epithet
把本来用以修饰人的形容词移属于同人有关的抽象物 或具体物，这种貌似错误、实为妙用的修辞格叫做 “移就”（Transferred Epithet），它通过词语巧妙 的“移植”，来取得常规搭配所无法得到的效果。
转喻；Metonymy
Biblioteka eg： 秃头站在白背心的略略正对面，弯了腰， 去研究背心上的文字。（鲁迅：《示众》） 译文：Baldy，standing almost directly opposite White Jerkin，stooped to study the characters written on his jerkin. 有时采用意译更为合适 eg： 英雄所见略同。 译文：Great minds think alike.
递升；Climax
把事物按由小到大、由短到长、由低到高、由轻到重、由近 到远、由易到难、由浅到深等次序说下去，这种修辞手法叫 递升，英语里称作 climax。运用这一修辞手法，能够使要表 达的思想逐步加深、感情逐步强化，因而能增强语言的说服 力和感染力。 eg：事情就是这样，他来进攻，我们把他消灭了，他就舒服了。 消灭一点，舒服一点；消灭得多，舒服得多；彻底消灭，彻 底舒服。（ 毛泽东：《关于重庆谈判》） 译文：This is the way things are：if they attack and we wipe them out，they will have that satisfaction；wipe out some，some satisfaction；wipe out more，more satisfaction；wipe out the whole lot，complete satisfaction.
figuresofspeech
figuresofspeech1. 比喻(metaphor)比喻就是打比方。
可分为明喻和暗喻：明喻(simile)：用like, as, as...as, as if(though) 或用其他词语指出两个不同事物的相似之处。
O my love's like a red, red rose. 我的爱人像一朵红红的玫瑰花。
The man can't be trusted. He is as slippery as an eel. 那个人不可信赖。
他像鳗鱼一样狡猾。
He jumped as if he had been stung.他像被蜇了似的跳了起来。
Childhood is like a swiftly passing dream. 童年就像一场疾逝的梦。
暗喻(metaphor)：用一个词来指代与该词所指事物有相似特点的另外一个事物。
例如：He has a heart of stone. 他有一颗铁石心肠。
The world is a stage. 世界是一个大舞台。
2. 换喻(metonymy)用某一事物的名称代替另外一个与它关系密切的事物的名称，只要一提到其中一种事物，就会使人联想到另一种。
比如用the White House 代替美国政府或者总统，用the bottle 来代替wine 或者alcohol，用the bar 来代替the legal profession，用crown代替king等。
His purse would not allow him that luxury. 他的经济条件不允许他享受那种奢华。
The mother did her best to take care of the cradle. 母亲尽最大努力照看孩子。
He succeeded to the crown in 1848. 他在1848年继承了王位。
The kettle is boiling. (water in the kettle)He took to the bottle.他爱上了喝酒。
Figures of speech
1.明喻（simile）明喻是直接把一物同某种与其具有同一性质或特点的另一物相比较，常用的比喻词有as，like，seem，as though等
2.暗喻（metaphor）暗喻是间接的把一物同与其具有某种相似点的另一屋相比较，不用比喻词
3.拟人（personification）拟人是指把非人的事物当作人来写，把人的特点赋予事物或某种抽象概念，用本来只适用于人的名词，形容词，动词来描写事物，使其具有人的某些属性
4.夸张（hyperbole）故意夸大事实，给人以深刻的印象，起强调作用。
夸张常与暗喻连在一起
5.委婉语（euphemism）使用委婉词来避免提及刺耳或不愉快的东西
6.反语（irony）讲反话，故意使用同本意相反的说法
7.对偶（antithesis）两个相同或相似的语言结构的对仗或对照
8.转喻（METONYMY）借用与某物相关
或关联的东西代称某物
Gray hair should be respected 老人应该受到尊重这里的gray hair代表老人
9.类比（ANALOGY）巴两种本质上不同的事物之间的共同点加以比较，来说明道理，把抽象的概念具体化，吧深奥的哲理浅显化
10.矛盾修饰法（oxymoron）修饰语与被修饰语之间看来似乎是矛盾的，但实则相反相成poor rich men 贫穷的富人
11.对照（contrast）把意义相反的字词、短语或句子等平行的排列起来，在结构上对称，揭示出事物间的对立或矛盾12.排比（parallelism）结构类似的句子成分或句子，几个单词连串。
Figures_of_Speech
4. Metonymy [mɪ'tɒnɪmɪ] 转喻
• It is substituting the name of one thing for that of another with which it is closely associated. • E.g. 1) Sword and cross in hand, the European conquerors fell upon the Americans. 2) His purse would not allow him that luxury.
7. Irony ['aɪrənɪ] 讽刺
• It is the use of words which are clearly opposite to what is meant, in order to achieve a special effect.
• E.g. Well, of course, I knew that gentlemen like you carry only large notes. 店员的这句话意在讽刺这位穿破衣的顾客 ，“gentlemen”实则“beggar”而已。
13. Parallelism [‘pærəlelɪzəm] 排比法
• It consists of phrases or sentences of similar constructions and meaning placed side by side, balancing each other. • E.g. 1) Studies serve for delight, for ornament and for ability. 2) Bob is a hard hitter, a sure fielder and swift runner.
(完整版)英文修辞手法详解Figuresofspeech
Figures of speech (修辞)are ways of making our language figurative. When we use words in other than their ordinary or literal sense to lend force to an idea, to heigh ten effect, or to create suggestive imagery, we are said to be speaking or writing fi guratively. Now we are going to talk about some common forms of figures of speec h.1) Simile：(明喻）It is a figure of speech which makes a comparison between two unlike elements having at least one quality or characteristic (特性)in common. To make the comparison, words like as, as...as, as if and like are used to transfer the quality we associate with one to the other. For example, As cold waters to a thirst y soul, so is good news from a far country.2) Metaphor：(暗喻）It is like a simile, also makes a comparison between two unli ke elements, but unlike a simile, this comparison is implied rather than stated. For example, the world is a stage.3) Analogy: (类比）It is also a form of comparison, but unlike simile or metaphor which usually uses comparison on one point of resemblance, analogy draws a parall el between two unlike things that have several common qualities or points of resem blance.4) Personification: (拟人）It gives human form of feelings to animals, or life and personal attributes(赋予) to inanimate(无生命的) objects, or to ideas and abstraction s(抽象). For example, the wind whistled through the trees.5) Hyperbole: (夸张）： It is the deliberate use of overstatement or exaggeration t o achieve emphasis. For instance, he almost died laughing.6) Understatement: (含蓄陈述）It is the opposite of hyperbole, or overstatement. It achieves its effect of emphasizing a fact by deliberately(故意地) understating it, i mpressing the listener or the reader more by what is merely implied or left unsaid than by bare statement. For instance, It is no laughing matter.7) Euphemism: (委婉）It is the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive(无冒犯) expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant. For instance, we refer to "die" as” pass away".8) Metonymy (转喻）It is a figure of speech that has to do with the substitution of the mane of one thing for that of another. For instance, the pen (words) is mi ghtier than the sword (forces).9) Synecdoche (提喻）It is involves the substitution of the part for the whole, or the whole for the part. For instance, they say there's bread and work for all. She was dressed in silks.10) Antonomasia (换喻）It has also to do with substitution. It is not often mentio ned now, though it is still in frequent use. For example, Solomon for a wise man. Daniel for a wise and fair judge. Judas for a traitor.11) Pun: (双关语）It is a play on words, or rather a play on the form and meani ng of words. For instance, a cannon-ball took off his legs, so he laid down his arm s. (Here "arms" has two meanings: a person's body; weapons carried by a soldier.)12) Solipsism: (一语双叙）It has two connotations. In the first case, it is a figure by which a word, or a particular form or inflection of a word, refers to two or m ore words in the same sentence, while properly applying to or agreeing with only o n of them in grammar or syntax(句法). For example, He addressed you and me, an d desired us to follow him. (Here we are used to refer to you and me.)In the second case, it a word may refer to two or more words in the same sente nce. For example, while he was fighting, and losing limb and mind, and dying, othe rs stayed behind to pursue education and career. (Here to losing one's limbs in liter al; to lose one's mind is figurative, and means to go mad.)13) Zeugma: (轭式搭配）It is a single word which is made to modify or to gover n two or more words in the same sentence, wither properly applying in sense to o nly one of them, or applying to them in different senses. For example, the sun shal l not burn you by day or the moon by night. (Here noon is not strong enough to burn)14) Irony: (反语）It is a figure of speech that achieves emphasis by saying the opposite of what is meant, the intended meaning of the words being the opposite of their usual sense. For instance, we are lucky, what you said makes me feel realgood.15) Innuendo: (暗讽）It is a mild form of irony, hinting in a rather roundab out (曲折)way at something disparaging(不一致) or uncomplimentary(不赞美) to the person or subject mentioned. For example, the weatherman said it would be worm. He must take his readings in a bathroom.16) Sarcasm: (讽刺）It Sarcasm is a strong form of irony. It attacks in a taunting and bitter manner, and its aim is to disparage, ridicule and wound the feelings of the subject attacked. For example, laws are like cobwebs, which may catch small f lies, but let wasps break through.17) Paradox: (似非而是的隽语）It is a figure of speech consisting of a statement or proposition which on the face of it seems self-contradictory, absurd or contrary t oestablished fact or practice, but which onfurther thinking and study may prove to be true, well-founded, and even to contain a succinct point. For example more hast e, less speed.18) Oxymoron: (矛盾修饰）It is a compressed paradox, formed by the conjoinin g(结合) of two contrasting, contradictory or incongruous(不协调) terms as in bitter-s weet memories, orderly chaos(混乱) and proud humility(侮辱).19) Antithesis: (对照）It is the deliberate arrangement of contrasting words or i deas in balanced structural forms to achieve emphasis. For example, speech is silver; silence is golden.20) Epigram: (警句）It states a simple truth pithily(有利地) and pungently(强烈地). It is usually terse and arouses interest and surprise by its deep insight into certain aspects of human behavior or feeling. For instance, Few, save the poor, feel for the poor.21) Climax: (渐进）It is derived from the Greek word for "ladder" and implies the progression of thought at a uniform or almost uniform rate of significance or inte nsity, like the steps of a ladder ascending evenly. For example, I came, I saw, I co nquered.22) Anti-climax or bathos: (突降） It is the opposite of Climax. It involves stating one's thoughts in a descending order of significance or intensity, from strong to weak, from weighty to light or frivolous. For instance, But thousands die, without or this or that, die, and endow(赋予) a college, or a cat.23) Apostrophe：(顿呼）In this figure of speech, a thing, place, idea or perso n (dead or absent) is addressed as if present, listening and understanding what is being said.For instance, England! awake! awake! awake!24) Transferred Epithet: (转类形容词）It is a figure of speech where an epithet (an adjective or descriptive phrase) is transferred from the noun it should rightly m odify(修饰) to another to which it does not really apply or belong. For instance, I s pent sleepless nights on my project.25) Alliteration: (头韵）It has to do with the sound rather than the sense of wo rds for effect. It is a device that repeats the same sound at frequent intervals(间隔) and since the sound repeated is usually the initial consonant sound, it is also calle d "front rhyme". For instance, the fair breeze blew, the white foam flew, the furrow followed free.26) Onomatopoeia: (拟声）It is a device that uses words which imitate the soun ds made by an object (animate or inanimate), or which are associated with or sug gestive(提示的) of some action or movement。
英语修辞手法Figures_of_speech
Example of metaphor
Life is a yo-yo（哟哟球）. It's a series of ups and downs.
Mixed metaphors
One danger in using metaphors is the possibility of beginning with one comparison and ending with another This is called a mixed metaphor （混合隐喻；多重隐喻）
understatement含蓄陈述
The opposite of hyperbole Stating an idea in words that are less strong than anticipated（预期的）. to make something appear smaller or less important than it really is.
religion
God – gosh/golly Jesus – jeez Devil – Old Nick
Toilets
men's room / women's room the little boy's room / the little girl's room restroom Bathroom Wash my hands the head, (sailor's terminology术语) latrine (common military term)
Mixed metaphors
Shakespeare Hamlet proposes ―to take arms against a sea of troubles‖（是起而反抗 这数不清的忧伤） The Tall Guy (1989 film) ―She‗s like a hungry leopard(豹) in full bloom."
修辞格 Figures of Speech
1. 明喻Simile 用like，as或其他词，指出两个不同 事物的相似之处 O my love's like a red, red rose. That man can't be trusted. He's as slippery as an eel.
The old man's hair is as white as snow.
Age is weak and cold, Youth is wild, and Age is tame.
- William Shakespeare
Q：找出下列句子哪些词有拟人的用法？
The match will soon be over and defeat is staring us in the face. This time fate was smiling to him.
- Percy Bysshe Shelley
散文中有时候也使用头韵 I see also the dull, drilled, docile, brutish masses of the Hun soldiery plodding on like a swarm of crawling locusts. The Russian danger is therefore our danger, ... just as the cause of any Russian fighting for his hearth and home is the cause of free men and free peoples in every quarter of the globe.
11. 头韵Alliteration 两个或更多的词以相同的复印字母开始。常用于诗歌。
figure of speech
Figures of speechFigures of speech (修辞)are ways of making our language figurative. When we use words in other than their ordinary or literal sense to lend force to an idea, to heighten effect, or to create suggestive imagery, we are said to be speaking or writing figuratively. Now we are going to talk about some common forms of figures of speech.1) Simile：(明喻）It is a figure of speech which makes a comparison between two unlike elements having at least one quality or characteristic (特性)in common. To make the comparison, words like as, as...as, as if and like are used to transfer the quality we associate with one to the other. For example, As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.2) Metaphor：(暗喻）It is like a simile, also makes a comparison between two unlike elements, but unlike a simile, this comparison is implied rather than stated. For example, the world is a stage.3) Analogy: (类比）It is also a form of comparison, but unlike simile or metaphor which usually uses comparison on one point of resemblance, analogy draws a parallel between two unlike things that have several common qualities or points of resemblance.4) Personification: (拟人）It gives human form of feelings to animals, or life and personal attributes(赋予) to inanimate(无生命的) objects, or to ideas and abstractions(抽象). For example, the wind whistled through the trees.5) Hyperbole: (夸张）It is the deliberate use of overstatement or exaggeration to achieve emphasis. For instance, he almost died laughing.6) Understatement: (含蓄陈述）It is the opposite of hyperbole, or overstatement. It achieves its effect of emphasizing a fact by deliberately(故意地) understating it, impressing the listener or the reader more by what is merely implied or left unsaid than by bare statement. For instance, It is no laughing matter.7) Euphemism: (委婉）It is the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive(无冒犯) expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant. For instance, we refer to "die" as " pass away".8) Metonymy (转喻）It is a figure of speech that has to do with the substitution of the mane of one thing for that of another. For instance, the pen (words) is mightier than the sword (forces).9) Synecdoche (提喻）It is involves the substitution of the part for the whole, or the whole for the part. For instance, they say there's bread and work for all. She was dressed in silks.10) Antonomasia (换喻）It has also to do with substitution. It is not often mentioned now, though it is still in frequent use. For example, Solomon for a wise man. Daniel for a wise and fair judge. Judas for a traitor.11) Pun: (双关语）It is a play on words, or rather a play on the form and meaning of words. For instance, a cannon-ball took off his legs, so he laid down his arms. (Here "arms" has two meanings: a person's body; weapons carried by a soldier.)12) Syllepsis: (一语双叙）It has two connotations.In the first case, it is a figure by which a word, or a particular form or inflection of a word, refers to two or more words in the same sentence, while properly applying to or agreeing with only on of them in grammar or syntax(句法). For example, He addressed you and me, and desired us to follow him. (Here us is used to refer to you and me.)In the second case, it a word may refer to two or more words in the same sentence. For example, while he was fighting , and losing limb and mind, and dying, others stayed behind to pursue education and career. (Here to losing one's limbs in literal; to lose one's mind is figurative, and means to go mad.)13) Zeugma: (轭式搭配）It is a single word which is made to modify or to govern two or more words in the same sentence, wither properly applying in sense to only one of them, or applying to them in different senses. For example, The sun shall not burn you by day, nor the moon by night. (Here noon is not strong enough to burn)14) Irony: (反语）It is a figure of speech that achieves emphasis by saying the opposite of what is meant, the intended meaning of the words being the opposite of their usual sense. For instance, we are lucky, what you said makes me feel real good.15) Innuendo: (暗讽）It is a mild form of irony, hinting in a rather roundabout (曲折)way at something disparaging(不一致) or uncomplimentary(不赞美) to the person or subject mentioned. For example, the weatherman said it would be worm. He must take his readings in a bathroom.16) Sarcasm: (讽刺）It Sarcasm is a strong form of irony. It attacks in a taunting and bitter manner, and its aim is to disparage, ridicule and wound the feelings of the subject attacked. For example, laws are like cobwebs, which may catch small flies, but let wasps break through.17) Paradox: (似非而是的隽语）It is a figure of speech consisting of a statement or proposition which on the face of it seems self-contradictory, absurd or contrary to established fact or practice, but which on further thinking and study may prove to be true, well-founded, and even to contain a succinct point. For example more haste, less speed.18) Oxymoron: (矛盾修饰）It is a compressed paradox, formed by the conjoining(结合) of two contrasting, contradictory or incongruous(不协调) terms as in bitter-sweet memories, orderly chaos(混乱) and proud humility(侮辱).19) Antithesis: (对照）It is the deliberate arrangement of contrasting words or ideas in balanced structural forms to achieve emphasis. For example, speech is silver; silence is golden.20) Epigram: (警句）It states a simple truth pithily(有利地) and pungently(强烈地). It is usually terse and arouses interest and surprise by its deep insight into certain aspects of human behavior or feeling. For instance, Few, save the poor, feel for the poor.21) Climax: (渐进）It is derived from the Greek word for "ladder" and implies the progression of thought at a uniform or almost uniform rate of significance or intensity, like the steps of a ladder ascending evenly. For example, I came, I saw, I conquered.22) Anti-climax or bathos: (突降）It is the opposite of Climax. It involves stating one's thoughts in a descending order of significance or intensity, from strong to weak, from weighty to light or frivolous. For instance, But thousands die, without or this or that, die, and endow(赋予) a college, or a cat.23) Apostrophe：(顿呼）In this figure of speech, a thing, place, idea or person (dead or absent) is addressed as if present, listening and understanding what is being said. For instance, England! awake! awake! awake!24) Transferred Epithet: (转类形容词）It is a figure of speech where an epithet (an adjective or descriptive phrase) is transferred from the noun it should rightly modify(修饰) to another to which it does not really apply or belong. For instance, I spent sleepless nights on my project.25) Alliteration: (头韵）It has to do with the sound rather than the sense of words for effect. It is a device that repeats the same sound at frequent intervals(间隔) and since the sound repeated is usually the initial consonant sound, it is also called "front rhyme". For instance, the fair breeze blew, the white foam flew, the furrow followed free.26) Onomatopoeia: (拟声）It is a device that uses words which imitate the sounds made by an object (animate or inanimate), or which are associated with or suggestive(提示的) of some action or movement.。
Figures of Speech (simplified version)
Figures of Speech1 Simile 明喻Simile is the most common figure of speech in English. It is not direct statement or description. It is a comparison, but is different from an ordinary, literal comparison. Its form is “subject (tenor) + reference (vehicle)”, indicated by indicators of resemblance (simile markers): like, as, as…as, etc.O my Luve’s like a red, red rose. —by Robert Burnstenor + simile markers + vehicle2 Metaphor 暗喻A metaphor is also a comparison between two different things with a similar quality, unlike a simile, the comparison is implied. There are no simile markers. So metaphor is also called “Condensed Simile”Style is the dress of thought.subject + reference3 Personification 拟人It makes inanimate objects, naturalphenomena, abstractions or animals possess the qualities of human beings.Time and tide wait for no man.4 Zoosemy 拟物On the contrary, a zoosemy is to describe human beings with the qualities of animals, plants, inanimate objects or abstractions.She is shedding crocodile tears.5 Apostrophe顿呼A speaker or writer directly addresses to an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction. It is often introduced by the exclamation “O”.Apostrophe is often used to convey extreme emotion, for examples:“O eloquent, just, and mighty Death!”6 Analogy 类比Analogy is a form of comparison, comparing the two unlike things with many common qualities or points of resemblance, or even the differences. There are four sentence patterns.Water moves in waves the way (that) lighttravels.7 Hyperbole 夸张Hyperbole is the use of overstatement or exaggerated expression in quantity, shape and degree (level) to intensify feelings, to emphasize a point, or to create humour.He almost died laughing.8 Understatement 低调陈述Understatement is the opposite of hyperbole, or overstatement. In understatement the words play down the magnitude or value of the subject. It emphasizes a fact by deliberately understating it. Understatement can be divided into Litotes and Meiosis.LitotesA litotes is understatement used ironically, especially using a negative to express the contrary, to emphasize or weaken the expressions.This is no laughing matter. (=This is a serious matter.)MeiosisMeiosis is using weak expressions to replace strong ones, that is, using comparative degree of adjectives and adverbs or intensive adverbs (almost, hardly, kind of, rather, scarcely, something of, sort of, etc.) to weaken mood.It took a few dollars to build this indoor swimming pool.9 Metonymy 转喻The name of one thing substitutes for that of another with which it is closely associated in nature or meaning.Shakespeare is my favourite.The crown has lost much of its ancient power.10 Synecdoche 提喻When a part stands for the whole or the whole stands for a part, Synecdoche is applied.The farms were short of hands (helpers, labourers) at harvest time.The birds sang to welcome the smiling year (=spring).11 Antithesis 对句、对偶Antithesis is a counter-proposition and denotes a direct contrast to the original proposition.Man proposes, God disposes.Speech is silver; silence is gold.12 Epigram 警句An epigram is a brief, clever, and usually memorable statement that has the nature of a proverb.Hunger is the best sauce.=A hungry person is not choosy about his food.13 Parallelism 排比It’s the deliberate arrangement of two or more words, phrases, clauses or sentences that are symmetric in grammatical structure to create vigorous rhythm and deeper impression.My boss has traveled around the world by land, by sea, and by air.14 Climax 层进A climax is a figure of speech in whichwords, phrases, or clauses are arranged in order of increasing importance—the most important placed at the end of a sentence. For examples:He sacrificed his business, his home, and his honor for political gain.There are three things that will endure: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.15 Anti-climax 突降Similarly an anti-climax is an abrupt declension (either deliberate or unintended) on the part of a speaker or writer from the dignity of idea which he appeared to be aiming at.I have lost my beau and lip-stick too!He lost his wife, his child, his household goods, and his dog at one swoop.16 Anastrophe 倒装Anastrophe is a figure of speech involving an inversion of a language’s ordinary order of words; for example, saying “smart you are” to mean “you are smart”.Sweet was that evening.Extremely sorry I am for my mistakes.17 Repetition 反复Repetition is the simple repeating of a word, within a sentence or a poetical line, with no particular placement of the words, in order to emphasize.Immediate repetition“Stop it, stop it, stop it”, the woman cried.They kept talking, talking, talking all night long.Intermittent repetitionLike draws like.Easy come, easy go.Out of sight, out of mind.18 Anaphora 首语重复An anaphora is a rhetorical device that consists of repeating a sequence of words at the beginnings of neighboring clauses, thereby lending them emphasis.Mad world! Mad kings! Mad composition!19 Epistrophe尾词重复Epistrophe is the repetition of the same word or words at the end of successive phrases, clauses or sentences. It is an extremely emphatic device because of the emphasis placed on the last word in a phrase or sentence.When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child.20 Chiasmus 回文In rhetoric, chiasmus is the figure of speech in which two or more clauses are related to each other through a reversal of structures in order to make a larger point; that is, the clauses display inverted parallelism. The elements of a simple chiasmus are often labelled in the form A B B A, where the letters correspond to grammar, words, or meaning.In inverted meaningWho dotes, yet doubts; suspects, yet strongly loves.In inverted grammarHe knowingly lied and we blindly followed.(A B A B)In inverted wordMadam, I’m Adam.Ma is as selfless as I am.21 Anadiplosis 顶真、联珠法Anadiplosis (also called catchword repetition, or chain reapetition, means “a doubling, folding up”) is the repetition of the last word of a preceding clause. The word is used at the end of a sentence and then used again at the beginning of the next sentence. For examples:When I give I give myself.Strength through unity, unity through faith.22 Circumlocution 迂回法Circumlocution is an ambiguous or roundabout figure of speech. In its most basic form, circumlocution is using many words (such as “a to ol used for cutting things such as paper and hair”) to describe something simple (“scissors”). In this sense, the vast majority of definitions found in dictionaries arecircumlocutory.Grandfather: the father of one’s father23 Aposiopesis 跳脱、说话中断法Aposiop esis (means “maintaining silent”) is a rhetorical device wherein a sentence is deliberately broken off and left unfinished, the ending to be supplied by the imagination, giving an impression of unwillingness or inability to continue. An example would be th e threat “Get out, or else—!”24 Euphemism 委婉语It is the substitution of a mild or vague or roundabout expression for a harsh or direct or unpleasant one. For example:old people: senior citizensstupid pupil: slow learner / under-achiever 25 Irony 反语It is the expression of one’s meaning by saying something that is the direct opposite to what is meant, in order to achieve ironical emphasis.Oh, how I love queuing up. (In fact youhate queuing up.)26 Innuendo 暗讽、影射Innuendo is an allusive remark concerning a person or thing, especially of a depreciatory kind. It is a figure of speech in which moderate and allusive words and tone are used to make comments or pass criticisms upon a person or thing It hints or implies something uncomplimentary without plainly saying it.I stopped at page 412, with 407 pages to go. (He admitted that he literally couldn’t make himself finish a book he was reviewing.)27 Sarcasm讥讽While innuendo is a mild form of irony, sarcasm is just the opposite. Sarcasm is “a sharp, bitter, or cutting expression or remark; a bitter jibe or taunt.” Some authorities sharply distinguish sarcasm from irony,however others argue that sarcasm may or often does involve irony.It is even not impossible that My Hope for America is the worst book ever written by anypolitical leader anywhere…28 Syllepsis 异叙When a single word (usually a verb or an adjective, etc.) that governs or modifies two or more others must be understood differently with respect to each of those words.The man lost the game and his temper.(=The man failed in the game and was out of temper.)29 Zeugma 轭式修饰法Zeugma, f rom the Greek “a yoking, a bond”, is the use of a word to modify or govern two or more words although its use may be grammatically or logically correct with only one.The robber killed the boy and his luggage.(=The robber killed the boy and destroyed his luggage.)30 Oxymoron 矛盾修饰法In oxymoron apparently contradictory terms are combined to produce a peculiar effect.She read the long-awaited letter with atearful smile.The president was conspicuously absent on that occasion.31 Paradox 悖论A paradox is a figure of speech consisting of a statement or proposition which on the face of it seems self-contradictory, absurd or contrary to established fact or practice, but which on further thinking and study may prove to be true, well-founded, and even to contain a succinct point. For examples:More haste, less speed.32 Parody 仿拟A parody is a piece of writing, music, acting, etc. that deliberately copies the style of somebody or something in order to be amusing. For examples:In economics all roads lead to socialism. (All roads lead to Rome.)33 Allusion 典故An allusion is a figure of speech that makes a reference to, or representation of, a place,event, literary work, myth, or work of art, either directly or by implication. It is left to the reader or hearer to make the connection; where the connection is detailed in depth by the author, it is preferable to call it “a reference”.It was to be his Waterloo.Unaware of the sword of Damocles hanging over her, she pursued her own way.34 Synaesthesia 通感Synaesthesia is a sensation produced in one modality when a stimulus is applied to another modality, as when the hearing of a certain sound induces the visualization of a certain color. For examples:She had a sweet voice.It made a heavy sound.35 Transferred Epithet 移就An adjective or descriptive phrase is used to characterize object. It does not directly describe the quality or characteristic of object, but expresses the impression of object to people.What a happy mom ent I’ve ever had!She spent several sleepless nights for the coming examinations.36 Rhetorical Question反诘句By using interrogative sentence it expresses the positive meaning. It equals to the positive sentence, needless to answer.Didn’t I tell you the an swer? (=You know I told you.)37 Alliteration 头韵It refers to the repetition of the same initial sound(s) or letter(s) (usually consonants) in two or more successive words, such as “safe and sound” and “as proud as a peacock”.There was neither fish nor flesh.No sweet without sweat.38 Assonance 腹韵It refers to the repetition of the same vowel sound in group words, a sentence, or a line prose, usually with the same letters, such as “fair and square” and “near and dear”.No pains, no gains. (No gains withoutpains.)The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain.39 Consonance 尾韵It refers to the repetition of the same ending consonant sound in group words, a sentence, or a line prose, such as “rough and tough” and “a blessed ghost”.When I lent I was a friend, when I asked I was unkind.40 Pun 双关Pun, or paronomasia, is a play on words which is similar in sound but different in sense.HomophoneA: Have you any fish to eat?B: Sorry, Sir. Long time no sea (see).A: What flower does everyone have?B: Tulips (two lips).A: What tree comes in two?B: Pear tree (pair tree).HomonymA: What travels faster, heat or cold?B: Heat, because you catch cold easily.A: What is the difference between a soldier and a young girl?B: One powders the face; the other faces the powder.41 Onomatopoeia 拟声法Onomatopoeia is a kind of formation of words by imitating the sounds the things give out, such as crash, murmur, putt, whisper, jangle, ding-dong, tinkle, etc. It makes the expressions vivid, true (close) to life.He closed the door with a bang.They started giggling when seeing me.The railway was clicking.She always chattered for a long time.Figures of Speech1 Simile 明喻2 Metaphor 暗喻3 Personification 拟人4 Zoosemy 拟物5 Apostrophe顿呼6 Analogy 类比7 Hyperbole 夸张8 Understatement 低调陈述9 Metonymy 转喻10 Synecdoche 提喻11 Antithesis 对句、对偶12 Epigram 警句13 Parallelism 排比14 Climax 层进15 Anti-climax 突降16 Anastrophe 倒装17 Repetition 反复18 Anaphora 首语重复19 Epistrophe尾词重复20 Chiasmus 回文21 Anadiplosis 顶真、联珠法22 Circumlocution 迂回法23 Aposiopesis 跳脱、说话中断法24 Euphemism 委婉语25 Irony 反语26 Innuendo 暗讽、影射27 Sarcasm讥讽28 Syllepsis 异叙29 Zeugma 轭式修饰法30 Oxymoron 矛盾修饰法31 Paradox 悖论32 Parody 仿拟33 Allusion 典故34 Synaesthesia 通感35 Transferred Epithet 移就36 Rhetorical Question反诘句37 Alliteration 头韵38 Assonance 腹韵39 Consonance 尾韵40 Pun 双关41 Onomatopoeia 拟声法。
Figures_of_Speech解读
It has both a tenor and a vehicle.
All the world is a stage, and all the men and women merely players. (Shakespeare) Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. (William B. Yeats)
X is to A what Y is to B Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. Judicious praise is to children what the sun is to flowers. X is …no more than Y A home without love is no more than a body without a soul.
X … and Y （This is a special simile, which often occurs in English proverbs.） A word and a stone let go cannot be recalled.
2. Metaphor(暗喻)
A metaphor is the use of a word which denotes one thing to refer to another with a similar quality. It is also a comparison, which is implied without using like /as.
2) Patterns of simile X is like Y My wife’s new hat is like a lighthouse. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. X…as /(as…as)/ as if/ though Y You cannot hope to move me, as you cannot expect the sun to rise in the west. Men fear death, as children fear to go in the dark. (Francis Bacon)
Figures-of-speech
Simile
• a figure of speech makes a comparison between two unlike elements having at least one quality or characteristic in common. To make the comparison, words like as, as...as, as if and like are used to transfer the quality we associate with one to the other.
1. O, my love’s like a red, red rose, That’s newly sprung in June: O, my love’s like the melody That’s sweetly played in tune.
－Robert Burns
2. Kindness is the golden chain by which the world is bound.
recalled.
Metaphor
• A figure of speech containing an implied comparison, in which a word or phrase ordinarily and primarily used of one thing is applied to another. (Webster’s New World Dictionary)
• Type Four: than. • E.g., A home without love is no more than
a body without a soul.
Figures of Speech(例子)
Figures of Speech1. 比喻 (metaphor) 比喻就是打比方。
可分为明喻和暗喻：1) 明喻 (simile)：A figure of speech in which two essentially unlike things are compared.明喻：一种修辞手法，把两种基本不相像的东西进行比较.用like, as, as...as, as if(though) 或用其他词语指出两个不同事物的相似之处。
例如：“How like the winter hath my absence been” or “So are you to my thoughts as food to life” (Shakespeare).如“我的离开好象是冬天来临”或“你对我的思想就象食物对于生命一样重要”（莎士比亚）O my love's like a red, red rose. 我的爱人像一朵红红的玫瑰花。
The man can't be trusted. He is as slippery as an eel. 那个人不可信赖。
他像鳗鱼一样狡猾。
He jumped as if he had been stung.他像被蜇了似的跳了起来。
Childhood is like a swiftly passing dream. 童年就像一场疾逝的梦。
2)暗喻 (metaphor)：缩写 met.， metaph.A figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison.用一个词来指代与该词所指事物有相似特点的另外一个事物。
例如：He has a heart of stone. 他有一颗铁石心肠。
英语常见Figures of speech
Figures of speech (修辞)are ways of making our language figurative. When we use words in other than their ordinary or literal sense to lend force to an idea, to heighten effect, or to create suggestive imagery, we are said to be speaking or writing figuratively. Now we are going to talk about some common forms of figures of speech.1) Simile：(明喻）It is a figure of speech which makes a comparison between two unlike elements having at least one quality or characteristic (特性)in common. To make the comparison, words like as, as...as, as if and like are used to transfer the quality we associate with one to the other. For example, As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.2) Metaphor：(暗喻）It is like a simile, also makes a comparison between two unlike elements, but unlike a simile, this comparison is implied rather than stated. For example, the world is a stage.3) Analogy: (类比）It is also a form of comparison, but unlike simile or metaphor which usually uses comparison on one point of resemblance, analogy draws a parallel between two unlike things that have several common qualities or points of resemblance.4) Personification: (拟人）It gives human form of feelings to animals, or life and personal attributes(赋予) to inanimate(无生命的) objects, or to ideas and abstractions(抽象). For example, the wind whistled through the trees.5) Hyperbole: (夸张） It is the deliberate use of overstatement or exaggeration to achieve emphasis. For instance, he almost died laughing.6) Understatement: (含蓄陈述） It is the opposite of hyperbole, or overstatement. It achieves its effect of emphasizing a fact by deliberately(故意地) understating it, impressing the listener or the reader more by what is merely implied or left unsaid than by bare statement. For instance, It is no laughing matter.7) Euphemism: (委婉） It is the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive(无冒犯) expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant. For instance, we refer to "die" as " pass away".8) Metonymy (转喻） It is a figure of speech that has to do with the substitution of the mane of one thing for that of another. For instance, the pen (words) is mightier than the sword (forces).9) Synecdoche (提喻） It is involves the substitution of the part for the whole, or the whole for the part. For instance, they say there's bread and work for all. She was dressed in silks.10) Antonomasia (换喻）It has also to do with substitution. It is not often mentionednow, though it is still in frequent use. For example, Solomon for a wise man. Daniel for a wise and fair judge. Judas for a traitor.11) Pun: (双关语） It is a play on words, or rather a play on the form and meaning of words. For instance, a cannon-ball took off his legs, so he laid down his arms. (Here "arms" has two meanings: a person's body; weapons carried by a soldier.)12) Syllepsis: (一语双叙） It has two connotations.In the first case, it is a figure by which a word, or a particular form or inflection of a word, refers to two or more words in the same sentence, while properly applying to or agreeing with only on of them in grammar or syntax(句法). For example, He addressed you and me, and desired us to follow him. (Here us is used to refer to you and me.)In the second case, it a word may refer to two or more words in the same sentence. For example, while he was fighting , and losing limb and mind, and dying, others stayed behind to pursue education and career. (Here to losing one's limbs in literal; to lose one's mind is figurative, and means to go mad.)13) Zeugma: (轭式搭配） It is a single word which is made to modify or to govern two or more words in the same sentence, wither properly applying in sense to only one of them, or applying to them in different senses. For example, The sun shall not burn you by day, nor the moon by night. (Here noon is not strong enough to burn)14) Irony: (反语） It is a figure of speech that achieves emphasis by saying the opposite of what is meant, the intended meaning of the words being the opposite of their usual sense. For instance, we are lucky, what you said makes me feel real good.15) Innuendo: (暗讽） It is a mild form of irony, hinting in a rather roundabout (曲折)way at something disparaging(不一致) or uncomplimentary(不赞美) to the person or subject mentioned. For example, the weatherman said it would be worm. He must take his readings in a bathroom.16) Sarcasm: (讽刺） It Sarcasm is a strong form of irony. It attacks in a taunting and bitter manner, and its aim is to disparage, ridicule and wound the feelings of the subject attacked. For example, laws are like cobwebs, which may catch small flies, but let wasps break through.17) Paradox: (似非而是的隽语） It is a figure of speech consisting of a statement or proposition which on the face of it seems self-contradictory, absurd or contrary to established fact or practice, but which on further thinking and study may prove to be true, well-founded, and even to contain a succinct point. For example more haste, less speed.18) Oxymoron: (矛盾修饰） It is a compressed paradox, formed by the conjoining(结合) of two contrasting, contradictory or incongruous(不协调) terms as in bitter-sweet memories, orderly chaos(混乱) and proud humility(侮辱).19) Antithesis: (对照） It is the deliberate arrangement of contrasting words or ideas in balanced structural forms to achieve emphasis. For example, speech is silver; silence is golden.20) Epigram: (警句） It states a simple truth pithily(有利地) and pungently(强烈地). It is usually terse and arouses interest and surprise by its deep insight into certain aspects of human behavior or feeling. For instance, Few, save the poor, feel for the poor.21) Climax: (渐进） It is derived from the Greek word for "ladder" and implies the progression of thought at a uniform or almost uniform rate of significance or intensity, like the steps of a ladder ascending evenly. For example, I came, I saw, I conquered.22) Anti-climax or bathos: (突降）It is the opposite of Climax. It involves stating one's thoughts in a descending order of significance or intensity, from strong to weak, from weighty to light or frivolous. For instance, But thousands die, without or this or that, die, and endow(赋予) a college, or a cat.23) Apostrophe： (顿呼） In this figure of speech, a thing, place, idea or person (dead or absent) is addressed as if present, listening and understanding what is being said. For instance, England! awake! awake! awake!24) Transferred Epithet: (转类形容词） It is a figure of speech where an epithet (an adjective or descriptive phrase) is transferred from the noun it should rightly modify(修饰) to another to which it does not really apply or belong. For instance, I spent sleepless nights on my project.25) Alliteration: (头韵） It has to do with the sound rather than the sense of words for effect. It is a device that repeats the same sound at frequent intervals(间隔) and since the sound repeated is usually the initial consonant sound, it is also called "front rhyme". For instance, the fair breeze blew, the white foam flew, the furrow followed free.26) Onomatopoeia: (拟声） It is a device that uses words which imitate the sounds made by an object (animate or inanimate), or which are associated with or suggestive(提示的) of some action or movement.英语中所有19种修辞手法的全部解释和例句来源：张震的日志1.Simile 明喻明喻是将具有共性的不同事物作对比.这种共性存在于人们的心里,而不是事物的自然属性.标志词常用like, as, seem, as if, as though, similar to, such as等.例如:1>.He was like a cock who thought the sun had risen to hear him crow.2>.I wandered lonely as a cloud.3>.Einstein only had a blanket on, as if he had just walked out of a fairy tale.2.Metaphor 隐喻,暗喻隐喻是简缩了的明喻,是将某一事物的名称用于另一事物,通过比较形成.例如:1>.Hope is a good breakfast, but it is a bad supper.2>.Some books are to be tasted, others swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.3.Metonymy 借喻,转喻借喻不直接说出所要说的事物,而使用另一个与之相关的事物名称.I.以容器代替内容,例如:1>.The kettle boils. 水开了.2>.The room sat silent. 全屋人安静地坐着.II.以资料.工具代替事物的名称,例如:Lend me your ears, please. 请听我说.III.以作者代替作品,例如:a complete Shakespeare 莎士比亚全集VI.以具体事物代替抽象概念,例如:I had the muscle, and they made money out of it. 我有力气,他们就用我的力气赚钱.4.Synecdoche 提喻提喻用部分代替全体,或用全体代替部分,或特殊代替一般.例如:1>.There are about 100 hands working in his factory.(部分代整体)他的厂里约有100名工人.2>.He is the Newton of this century.(特殊代一般)他是本世纪的牛顿.3>.The fox goes very well with your cap.（整体代部分）这狐皮围脖与你的帽子很相配.5.Synaesthesia 通感,联觉,移觉这种修辞法是以视.听.触.嗅.味等感觉直接描写事物.通感就是把不同感官的感觉沟通起来，借联想引起感觉转移，“以感觉写感觉”。
英语写作Figures-of-speech
第一页，编辑于星期六：二十一点 五十三分。
1. Simile & metaphor
Simile is a figure of speech which makes a comparison between two unlike elements having at least one quality or characteristic in common. The comparison is purely imaginative, that is, the resemblance between the two unlike things in that one particular aspect exists only in our minds, in our "inward eye" and not in the nature of the things themselves.
blood with cold.
她的唇色鲜红，她的表情不羁。 她的枷锁黄如金。 她的皮肤白如麻风。
梦魇般的死中生命是她的存在， 用冰冷浓稠了的血液。
1. The hallway was zebra-striped with darkness and moonlight.
2. All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; …
Instead of big trees, I found underbrush. Cutting through involved, lumbering sentences was bad enough, but the real chore was removal of the burdocks of excess verbiage which clung to the manuscript.
英语写作 Figures of speech
Transferred epithet: an epithet is an adjective or descriptive phrase that serves to characterize somebody or something. A transferred epithet is one that is shifted from the noun it logically modifies to a word associated with that noun.
Simile:it is a compadifferent things and the comparison is indicated by the words as or like.
O my live’s like a red, red rose. That man can’t be trusted. He’s as slippery as an eel. The old man’s hair is as white as snow.
Euphemism: it is the substitution of a mild or vague expression for a harsh or unpleasant one.
To die: pass away, leave us, one’s heart has stopped beating. Old people: senior citizen Mad: emotionally disturbed Dustman: sanitation worker lavatory: bathroom, washing room Invasion: military action Concentration camp: strategic hamlets
英语诗歌修辞手法简介Figures_of_speech(课堂PPT)
13
Hyperbole:
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which exaggeration is used to emphasize a point, to create humor, or to achieve some similar effects.
3
Words are either literal or figurative
Literal 原意 Words used in their original meanings are
used literally. Figurative 比喻义 Words used in extended meanings for the
2
the chief functions of figures of speech
to embellish, to emphasize or to clarify. to give tone or atmosphere to discourse, to provide vivid examples to stimulate thought to give life to inanimate objects, to amuse, or to ornament.
18
e.g.
The wind whistle through the trees. Thunder roared and a pouring rain started. I watched the moonlight dancing on the
ripples of the lake. The ancient mansion spoke to me of
6
Major figures of speech in poetry
修辞手法 figures of speech
修辞手法figures of speech明喻simile 暗喻metaphor对偶antithesis 重复repetition拟人personification 转喻metonymy提喻synecdoche 委婉手法euphemism矛盾修辞oxymoron 夸张手法hyperbole双关语pun移就格transferred epithet (我们老师讲的是移情移就)押头韵alliteration1.Simile 明喻明喻是将具有共性的不同事物作对比.这种共性存在于人们的心里,而不是事物的自然属性.标志词常用like, as, seem, as if, as though, similar to, such as等.例如:1>.He was like a cock who thought the sun had risen to hear him crow.2>.I wandered lonely as c cloud.3>.Einstein only had a blanket on, as if he had just walked out of a fairy tale.2.Metaphor 隐喻,暗喻隐喻是简缩了的明喻,是将某一事物的名称用于另一事物,通过比较形成.例如:1>.Hope is a good breakfast, but it is a bad supper.2>.Some books are to be tasted, others swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.3.Metonymy 借喻,转喻借喻不直接说出所要说的事物,而使用另一个与之相关的事物名称.I.以容器代替内容,例如:1>.The kettle boils. 水开了.2>.The room sat silent. 全屋人安静地坐着.II.以资料.工具代替事物的名称,例如:Lend me your ears, please. 请听我说.III.以作者代替作品,例如:a complete Shakespeare 莎士比亚全集VI.以具体事物代替抽象概念,例如:I had the muscle, and they made money out of it.我有力气,他们就用我的力气赚钱.4.Synecdoche 提喻提喻用部分代替全体,或用全体代替部分,或特殊代替一般.例如:1>.There are about 100 hands working in his factory.他的厂里约有100名工人.2>.He is the Newton of this century.他是本世纪的牛顿.3>.The fox goes very well with your cap.这狐皮围脖与你的帽子很相配.5.Synaesthesia 通感,联觉,移觉这种修辞法是以视.听.触.嗅.味等感觉直接描写事物.例如:1>.The birds sat upon a tree and poured forth their lily like voice.鸟儿落在树上,倾泻出百合花似的声音.2>.Taste the music of Mozart.品尝Mozart的音乐.6.Personification 拟人拟人是把生命赋予无生命的事物.例如:1>.The night gently lays her hand at our fevered heads.2>.I was very happy and could hear the birds singing in the woods.7.Hyperbole 夸张夸张是以言过其实的说法表达强调的目的.它可以加强语势,增加表达效果..例如:1>.I beg a thousand pardons.2>.Love you. You are the whole world to me, and the moon and the stars.3>.When she heard the bad news, a river of tears poured out.8.Euphemism 委婉,婉辞法婉辞法指用委婉,文雅的方法表达粗恶,避讳的话.例如:1>.He is out visiting the necessary.他出去方便一下.2>.His relation with his wife has not been fortunate.他与妻子关系不融洽.3>.Deng Xiaoping passed away in 1997.9.Irony 反语反语指用相反意义的词来表达意思的作文方式.如在指责过失.错误时,用赞同过失的说法,而在表扬时,则近乎责难的说法.例如:1>.It would be a fine thing indeed not knowing what time it was in the morning.2>"Of course, you only carry large notes, no small change on you. "the waiter said to the beggar.10.Pun 双关双关就是用一个词在句子中的双重含义,借题发挥.作出多种解释,旁敲侧击,从而达到意想不到的幽默.滑稽效果.它主要以相似的词形.词意和谐音的方式出现.例如:1>.She is too low for a high praise, too brown for a fair praise and too little for a great praise.2>.An ambassador is an honest man who lies abroad for the good of his country.3>.If we don't hang together, we shall hang separately.11.Antithesis 对照,对比,对偶这种修辞指将意义完全相反的语句排在一起对比的一种修辞方法.例如:1>.Not that I loved Caeser less but that I loved Romemore.2>.You are staying; I am going.3>.Give me liberty, or give me death.12.Oxymoron 反意法,逆喻这也是一种矛盾修辞法,用两种不相调和的特征形容一个事物,以不协调的搭配使读者领悟句中微妙的含义.例如:1>.No light, but rather darkness visible.2>.The state of this house is cheerless welcome.。
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Synecdoche
• From Greek, meaning “simultaneous understanding” • A part of something is used to represent the whole or a whole thing is used to refer to part of it • A material is used to refer to something made of that material • A container is used to refer to its contents
Metonymy Examples
• Sweat – perspiration (refers to hard work, such as “He put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into achieving this goal.”) • Tongue – an oral muscle (refers to language or dialect, such as “Is Chinese your mother tongue?”)
Personification • Giving human-like characteristics to inanimate objects
Personification Examples
• “The wind howled through the trees.” • “What do you feed a machine with an appetite this big?” • “You’re in good hands with Allstate.” • “Oreo: Milk’s favorite cookie.” • “Fear knocked on the door. Faith answered. There was no one there.”
Metonymy • From the Greek “change of name” • Calling a thing not by its own name, but something closely/intimately related to it
Metonymy Examples
• White House – a building in Washington D.C. (refers to the president and his staff, such as “The White House said. . .”) • Wall Street – a street in Lower Manhattan (refers to the American financial and banking industry, such as “Wall Street announced that stock prices have dropped.”)
Euphemism
• From the Greek “use of good words” • A substitution for an offensive or unpleasant phrase or idea, such as saying “passed away” instead of “died” • Used to make the idea more acceptable to the reader, or to make it easies
• “The streets were a furnace, the sun an executioner.” • “But my heart is a lonely hunter that hunts on a lonely hill.” • “It was raining cats and dogs.” • “Language is a road map of culture. It tells you where its people came from and where they are going.”
Figures of Speech
Synecdoche, Metonymy, Euphemism, Irony, Sarcasm, Hyperbole
Simile
• A comparison between two unlike things, which actually have something in common • Uses the words “like” or “as”
Euphemism Examples
• Dan Foreman: Guys, I feel very terrible about what I'm about to say. But I'm afraid you're both being let go. Lou: Let go? What does that mean? Dan Foreman: It means you're being fired, Louie. • "The 'reconstruction' of New Orleans has become a euphemism for the destruction of the city's cultural and historic heritage."
More Euphemism Examples
• Dying – passed away, bit the dust, bought the farm, six feet under ground • Crazy – bonkers, scatter-brained, lost his marbles • Paul Kersey: You've got a prime figure. You really have, you know. Joanna Kersey: That's a euphemism for fat.
“A Dream Deferred” What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore-And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over-like a syrupy sweet?
Review • Simile • Metaphor • Personification • Alliteration (compare and contrast with consonance)
Objectives
• Define synecdoche and its six types and give examples • Define metonymy and give an example • Give examples of euphemism • Explain irony, as it is exemplified in “The Interlopers” • In groups, write a short story using at least ONE example of all six figures of speech
There will come soft rain and the smell of the grou And swallows circling with their shimmering sound
And frogs in the pools singing at night, And wild plum-trees in tremulous white; Robins will wear their feathery fire Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire; And not one will know of the war, not one Will care at last when it is done. Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree If mankind perished utterly; And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn, Would scarcely know that we were gone.
Synecdoche Examples
• He’s got a neat set of wheels. • Many hands make light work. • The Good Book says that we should love our neighbors. • Do you have a Band-Aid? • Do you take plastic? • They pumped him full of lead. • She wears glasses. • Do you know the price of a barrel?
Alliteration Examples
• “You’ll never put a better bit of butter on your knife.” • “The soul selects her own society.” • “Good men are gruff and grumpy, cranky, crabbed, and cross.” • “In a somer season, what soft was the sonnet. . .”
Synecdoche
• Common way to refer to a fictional character by one body part that really characterizes him/her • Many sonnets and love poems use synecdoche to describe the beloved person with body parts, from head to toe