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Figure of Speech
be any language that contains tropes, but not language that
DEFINITION contains the figures of speech called schemes.
What is a figure of speech? Here’s a quick and simple definition:
You might encounter people using figurative speech to mean either of
the above, and it's not really possible to say which is correct. But if
A figure of speech is a literary device in which language is
you know about these two different ways of relating figurative
used in an unusual—or "figured"—way in order to produce a
language and figures of speech, you'll be in pretty good shape.
stylistic effect. Figures of speech can be broken into two
main groups: figures of speech that play with the ordinary
meaning of words (such as metaphor, simile, and Figur
Figures
es of Speech, T
Trropes, and Schemes
hyperbole), and figures of speech that play with the ordinary The oldest and still most common way to organize figures of speech
arrangement or pattern in which words are written (such as is to split them into two main groups: tropes and schemes.
alliteration, ellipsis, and antithesis).
• Tropes are figures of speech that involve a deviation from the
Some additional key details about figures of speech: expected and literal meaning of words.

• The ancient Greeks and Romans exhaustively listed, defined, and • Schemes are figures of speech that involve a deviation from the
categorized figures of speech in order to better understand how to typical mechanics of a sentence, such as the order, pattern, or
effectively use language. The names of most figures of speech arrangement of words.
derive from the original Greek or Latin.
The scheme/trope classification system is by no means the only way
• Figures of speech that play with the literal meaning of words are
to organize figures of speech (if you're interested, you can find all
called tropes, while figures of speech that play with the order or
sorts of different categorization methods for figures of speech here).
pattern of words are called schemes.
But it is the most common method, and is both simple and structured
• Figures of speech can take many forms. A figure of speech can enough to help you understand figures of speech.
involve a single word, a phrase, an omission of a word or phrase, a
repetition of words or sounds, or specific sentence structures. Tropes
Generally, a trope uses comparison, association, or wordplay to play
Figur
Figuree of Speech Pr
Pronuncia
onunciation
tion with the literal meaning of words or to layer another meaning on top
Here's how to pronounce figure of speech: fig
fig-yer of speech of a word's literal meaning. Some of the most commonly used tropes
are explained briefly below, though you can get even more detail on
Figur
Figures
es of Speech vs. Figur
Figuraativ
tivee Languag
Languagee each from its specific LitCharts entry.

There's a lot of confusion about the difference between the terms • Me

Mettaphor
aphor:: A metaphor is a figure of speech that makes a
"figures of speech" and "figurative language." Most of the confusion comparison between two unrelated things by stating that one
stems from the fact that different people often use "figurative thing is another thing, even though this isn't literally true. For
language" to mean slightly different things. The two most common example, if someone says "it's raining cats and dogs," this
(and most acceptable) definitions of figurative language are: obviously doesn't literally mean what it says—it's a metaphor that
makes a comparison between the weight of "cats and dogs" and
• Figur
Figuraativ
tivee languag
languagee rref
efer
erss tto
o any languag
languagee tha
thatt ccont
ontains
ains figur
figures
es heavy rain. Metaphors are tropes because their effect relies not on
of speech. According to this definition, figurative language and the mechanics of the sentence, but rather on the association
figures of speech are not quite the same thing, but it's pretty darn created by the use of the phrase "cats and dogs" in a non-literal
close. The only difference is that figures of speech refer to each manner.
specific type of a figure of speech, while figurative language refers
• Simile
Simile:: A simile, like a metaphor, makes a comparison between
more generally to any language that contains any kind of figures
two unrelated things. However, instead of stating that one thing is
of speech.
another thing (as in metaphor), a simile states that one thing is
• Figur
Figuraativ
tivee languag
languagee rref
efer
erss tto
owwor
ords
ds or eexpr
xpressions
essions tha
thatt hav
havee like another thing. To stick with cats and dogs, an example of a
non-lit
non-liter
eral
al me
meanings
anings: This definition associates figurative simile would be to say "they fought like cats and dogs."
language only with the category of figures of speech called tropes
• Oxymor
xymoronon:: An oxymoron pairs contradictory words in order to
(which are figures of speech that play with the literal meaning of
express new or complex meanings. In the phrase "parting is such
words). So according to this definition, figurative language would
sweet sorrow" from Romeo and Juliet, "sweet sorrow" is an

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oxymoron that captures the complex and simultaneous feelings • Allit

Alliter
eraation
tion:: In alliteration, the same sound repeats in a group of
of pain and pleasure associated with passionate love. Oxymorons words, such as the “b” sound in: “Bob brought the box of bricks to
are tropes because their effect comes from a combination of the the basement.” Alliteration uses repetition to create a musical
two words that goes beyond the literal meanings of those words. effect that helps phrases to stand out from the language around
• Hyperbole
Hyperbole:: A hyperbole is an intentional exaggeration of the them.
truth, used to emphasize the importance of something or to • Assonanc
ssonancee: A scheme in which vowel sounds repeat in nearby
create a comic effect. An example of a hyperbole is to say that a words, such as the "ee" sound in the proverb: "the squeaky wheel
backpack "weighs a ton." No backpack literally weighs a ton, but gets the grease." Like alliteration, assonance uses repeated
to say "my backpack weighs ten pounds" doesn't effectively sounds to create a musical effect in which words echo one
communicate how burdensome a heavy backpack feels. Once another—it's a scheme because this effect is achieved through
again, this is a trope because its effect comes from understanding repetition of words with certain sounds, not by playing with the
that the words mean something different from what they literally meaning of words.
say. • Ellipsis
Ellipsis:: The deliberate omission of one or more words from a
sentence because their meaning is already implied. In the
Other Common T
Trropes example, "Should I call you, or you me?" the second clause uses
• Antanaclasis ellipsis. While its implication is "or should you call me," the
context of the sentence allows for the omission of "should" and
• Anthimeria
"call." Ellipsis is a scheme because it involves an uncommon
• Irony usage of language.
• Litotes • Par
arallelism
allelism:: The repetition of sentence structure for emphasis
• Metonymy and balance. This can occur in a single sentence, such as "a penny
saved is a penny earned," and it can also occur over the course of
• Onomatopoeia
a speech, poem, or other text. Parallelism is a scheme because it
• Paradox creates emphasis through the mechanics of sentence structure,
• Personification rather than by playing with the actual meanings of words.
• Periphrasis
Other Common Schemes
• Pun
• Anadiplosis
• Rhetorical Question
• Anaphora
• Synecdoche
• Anastrophe
Schemes • Antanaclasis
Schemes are mechanical—they're figures of speech that tinker with • Antimetabole
words, sounds, and structures (as opposed to meanings) in order to • Antithesis
achieve an effect. Schemes can themselves be broken down in
helpful ways that define the sort of tinkering they employ. • Apostrophe
• Apposition
• Repe
epetition:
tition: Repeating words, phrases, or even sounds in a
particular way. • Appositive

• Omission: Leaving out certain words or punctuation that would • Asyndeton

normally be expected. • Brachylogia
• Chang
Changes
es of w
wor
ord
d or
order
der:: Shifting around words or phrases in • Chiasmus
atypical ways. • Climax
• Balanc
Balance:
e: Creating sentences or phrases with equal parts, often • Consonance
through the use of identical grammatical structures.
• Epanalepsis
Some of the most commonly used schemes are explained briefly • Epistrophe
below, though you can get even more detail on each from its specific • Isocolon
LitCharts entry. • Parenthesis
• Polyptoton

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• Polysyndeton Allit
Alliter
eraation in Na
Nathaniel
thaniel Hawthorne'
Hawthorne'ss "The Birthmark"
• Symploce
In this manner, selecting it as the symbol of his wife's liability
• Tricolon to sin, sorrow, decay, and death, Aylmer's sombre
• Zeugma imagination was not long in rendering the birthmark a
frightful object, causing him more trouble and horror than
ever Georgiana's beauty, whether of soul or sense, had given
EX
EXAMPLES
AMPLES him delight.

Figures of speech can make language more inventive, more beautiful, This passage from "The Birthmark" uses alliteration to tie together all
more rhythmic, more memorable, and more meaningful. It shouldn't of the things that Georgiana's birthmark is supposed to symbolize. By
be a surprise, then, that figures of speech are plentiful in all sorts of using words that alliterate—"sin and sorrow" and "decay and death,"
written language. The examples below show a variety of different for example—Hawthorne is making the reader feel that these ideas
types of figures of speech. You can see many more examples of each are connected, rather than simply stating that they are connected.
type at their own specific LitChart entries. Alliteration is a figure of speech—a scheme—because it uses the
mechanics of language to emphasize meaning.
Figur
Figures
es of Speech E
Exxamples in Lit
Liter
eraatur
turee
Verb
erbal
al Ir
Irony
ony in Shak
Shakespe
espear e'ss Julius Caesar
are'
Literature is riddled with figures of speech because figures of speech
make language colorful and complex.
For Brutus is an honorable man;
So are they all, all honorable men,
Me Maurier'ss Rebec
Mettaphor in Daphne du Maurier' ebeccca
This quote from Julius Caesar comes from Marc Antony's speech at
On and on, now east now west, wound the poor thread that Caesar's funeral. Antony needs to hold Brutus and his conspirators
once had been our drive. Sometimes I thought it lost, but it accountable for Caesar's death without contradicting the crowd's
appeared again, beneath a fallen tree perhaps, or struggling positive impression of Brutus, so Antony uses verbal irony to
on the other side of a muddied ditch created by the winter simultaneously please and trouble the crowd. On the surface, Antony
rains. says what the audience wants to hear (that Brutus is honorable), but
it becomes clear over the course of his speech that he means the
In this quote from Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier refers to a washed-
opposite of what he says (and over time he convinces the audience to
out road as "the poor thread." This is a metaphor—and a
believe this opposite meaning as well). This is a figure of speech (a
trope—because the writer indirectly compares the thread to the road
trope) because it's based on a play on the meaning of Antony's words.
and expects that readers will understand that "thread" is not used
literally.
Figur
Figures
es of Speech E
Exxamples in Music
Par
arallelism
allelism in Charles Dick ens' A T
Dickens' Tale
ale of T
Tw
wo Cities Figures of speech are also common in music. Schemes fit naturally
with songs because both schemes and songs manipulate sound and
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the rhythm to enhance the meanings of words. Music also uses many
age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the tropes, because using words that have meanings beyond their literal
epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the ones makes language more interesting, and it allows songwriters to
season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the create music that uses just a few words to imply a complex meaning.
spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had
everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all Assonanc
ssonancee and Me
Mettaphor in Rihanna'
Rihanna'ss "Diamonds"
going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other
way. So shine bright tonight, you and I
We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky
In the famous opening line of A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens uses Eye to eye, so alive
parallelism—a scheme in which parts of a sentence repeat—in order We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky
to emphasize the contradictions of the time in which the book is set.
Dickens has manipulated his sentence structure so that the parallel Rihanna uses assonance when she repeats the "eye" sound
clauses emphasize the oppositional nature of his words ("it was the throughout the chorus of "Diamonds." This make the words echo one
best of times, it was the worst of times"). The figure of speech doesn't another, which emphasizes the similarity between the singer, the
play with the meaning of words, it emphasizes them through person she's talking about, and the "diamonds in the sky" to which
structure and repetition, which is why it is a scheme. she's comparing them both. Assonance is a scheme because it's using

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the sound of words—not their meaning—to draw a parallel between schemes tend to work through sound and rhythm, they generally
different things. produce a visceral effect, or an effect felt in the body—broadly
Rihanna also uses the phrase "Diamonds in the sky" as a metaphor speaking, schemes are more sensory than intellectual.
for stars. This is a trope—a phrase that means something other than In contrast, writers use tropes to grab the reader intellectually by
what it literally says—as Rihanna obviously doesn't think that there adding complexity or ambiguity to an otherwise simple word or
are actually diamonds in the sky. This verse is a good example of how phrase. Tropes can ask the reader to make a comparison between
figures of speech can often work together and overlap. In this case, two unlike things, they can impose human qualities on nonhumans,
the metaphor that allows her to use "diamonds" instead of "stars" and they can mean the opposite of what they say. Tropes engage the
also fits into her use of assonance (because "stars" lacks the "eye" intellect because the reader has to be alert to the fact that tropes do
sound). not use language at face value—a trope never means what it literally
says.
Per
ersonific
sonificaation in Gr
Green
een Day'
Day'ss "Good Riddanc
Riddance"
e" All figures of speech help a writer to communicate ideas that are
difficult to say in words or that are more effectively communicated
Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road non-verbally. This could be by repeating harsh consonants to create a
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go scary atmosphere, or by using a metaphor to impose the qualities of
something concrete (say, a rose) onto something more difficult to
While the first line of this song uses "a fork stuck in the road" as a define (say, love). In general, figures of speech attempt to bring out a
metaphor for a choice, the more arresting figure of speech at work reader's emotion and to capture their attention by making language
here is the personification of time in the second line. By giving "time" more colorful, surprising, and complex.
human characteristics—the ability to grab a person and tell them
where to go—Green Day is helping listeners to make sense of the
power that time has over people. This is a trope because the line
doesn't mean what it literally says; instead, it's asking listeners to
OTHER RESOURCES
make a comparison between the characteristics of time and the • Silv
Silvaa Rhe
Rhettoric
oricae
ae on Figur
Figures
es of Speech
Speech:: An excellent reference
characteristics of a person. from BYU that explains the various ways that figures of speech
have been categorized over history, including into schemes and
Anas
Anastr
trophe
ophe in Public Enemy'
Enemy'ss "Fight the P
Po
ower" tropes.
• Silv
Silvaa Rhe
Rhettoric
oricae
ae on schemes and tr
tropes
opes::
Straight up racist that sucker was
Simple and plain • The OOxf
xfor
orddR
Ref
efer
erenc
encee P
Pag
agee ffor
or Figur
Figuree of Speech
Speech:: A helpful
definition of figures of speech in the context of the ancient study
In the line "Straight up racist that sucker was," Public Enemy uses of rhetoric (did you know that the Roman rhetorician Quintillian
anastrophe (which is the inversion of typical word order) to preserve defined "figure of speech" in 95 AD?)
the rhythm of the verse. Instead of saying "That sucker was straight up • Wha
Whatt Ar
Aree T
Trropes in Languag
Languagee? Skip to the "Distinction Between
racist," Public Enemy chooses an odd phrasing that has one stressed Figures and Tropes" section and read to the end—full of
syllable followed by two unstressed syllables— "rracist that susucker informative and thought-provoking discussion about tropes.
was/SimSimple and plain
plain." This way, the beat falls more regularly across
• A YYou
ouT
Tube video about tr
tropes
opes and schemes with pop culture
those two lines, which allows the rapper to make his point (that Elvis
examples.
was racist) without the flow sounding awkward. Since anastrophe
manipulates the order of words in order to achieve a rhythmic effect,
it's a scheme.
HO
HOWWT
TO
O CITE
WHY WRITER
WRITERSSU
USE
SE IT ML
MLAA
Florman, Ben. "Figure of Speech." LitCharts. LitCharts LLC, 5 May
Figures of speech is a category that encompasses a broad variety of
2017. Web. 31 Aug 2017.
literary terms, so it's difficult to give one answer to this question.
Writers use different figures of speech to achieve different effects.
Chic
Chicag
ago
o Manual
Schemes (figures of speech that manipulate sound, syntax, and word
order) can make language more beautiful, persuasive, or memorable. Florman, Ben. "Figure of Speech." LitCharts LLC, May 5, 2017.
Writers can use schemes to draw attention to an important passage, Retrieved August 31, 2017. http://www.litcharts.com/literary-devices-
to create a sound that mirrors (or contrasts with) the meaning of and-terms/figure-of-speech.
words, or to give language a rhythm that draws the reader in. As

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