英语修辞法梳理

1. 比喻(metaphor)比喻就是打比方。可分为明喻和暗喻：

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。

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。

The world is a stage. 世界是一个大舞台。

“a sea of troubles” “忧愁之海”

“All the world's a stage”(Shakespeare) “整个世界一台戏”(莎士比亚)

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。例如：

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。

3. 举隅，提喻(synecdoche) 以局部代表整体（如用手代表水手），以整体代表局部（如用法律代表警官），以特殊代表一般（如用直柄剃刀代表杀人

者），以一般代表特殊（如用贼代表扒手），或用原材料代表用该材料制造的东西（如用钢代表剑）例如：

He earns his bread by writing. 他靠写作挣钱谋生。

The farms were short of hands during the harvest season. 在收获季节里农场缺乏劳动

Australia beat Canada at cricket. 澳大利亚队在板球比赛中击败了加拿大队。

He is the Newton of this century. 他是这个世纪的牛顿。

4. 拟人(personification) 拟人，人格化：给无生命的东西或者抽象的东西赋予人的个性或绘以人的形象，把事物或者概念当作人或者具备人的品质的写法。例如：Hunger sat shivering on the road 饥饿站在路上颤抖

Flowers danced about the lawn 花儿在草地上翩翩起舞

My heart was singing. 我的心在歌唱。

This time fate was smiling to him. 这一次命运朝他微笑了。

The flowers nodded to her while she passed. 当她经过的时候花儿向她点头

致意。

The wind whistled through the trees. 风穿过树丛，树叶哗哗作响。

5. 委婉(euphemism) 用温和的、间接的词语代替生硬的、粗俗的词语，以免直接说出不愉快的事实冒犯别人或者造成令人窘迫、沮丧的局面。例如：

用to fall asleep; to cease thinking; to pass away; to go to heaven; to leave us 代替to die

用senior citizens代替old people

用 a slow learner或者an under achiever代替a stupid pupil

用weight watcher代替fat people

用mental hospital 代替madhouse或者asylum

用emotionally disturbed代替mad

用washroom, men's / women's room代替lavatory

用handicapped代替crippled

用low income brackets; underprivileged; disadvantaged 代替poor people

6. 双关(pun) 用同音异义或者一词二义来达到诙谐幽默的效果：表面上是一个意思，而实际上却暗含另一个意思，这种暗含的意思才是句子真正的目的所在。例如：