15.
Types of Figures of Speech with Example
There is a wide range of different types of figures of speech that are used in our daily
communication. Let us take a look at some of the most popular ones that are used
extensively:
1. Personification
Personification attributes human nature or human qualities to abstract or inanimate
objects.
For example, we often use phrases like the howling wind, dancing leaves, time flies etc.
Some examples of personification in a sentence are:
• 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.
2. 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.
Some examples of the usage of metaphors in a sentence are as follows:
• It is raining cats and dogs
• He is the star of our class
• Life is a highway.
• Her eyes were diamonds.
3. 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’.
Some examples of similes in a sentence include:
• He is as brave as a lion
• Her expression was as cold as ice
• Swim like a fish
• As light as a feather
4. Alliteration
Alliteration is a sentence that consists of a series of words that have the same
consonant sound at the beginning.
Some popular examples of alliteration in a sentence include:
• 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
5. 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.
Some examples of onomatopoeia include:
• 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.
6. 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.
Some examples of using hyperboles in a sentence include:
• 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.
7. 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.
Some examples of its usage include:
• 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”
8. 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.
Some examples of irony include:
• 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”
9. Anaphora
It is a repetition of a word or phrase at the start of several sentences of clauses.
Some of the examples of anaphora are as follows:
• 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.”
10. Apostrophe
It addresses a subject that is not present in the work. In this case, the object is absent
or inanimate.
Here are some examples of apostrophes.
• 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!
11. 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.
Here are a few instances of puns in speech:
• 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.
12. 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.
Let’s examine two instances of paradoxical figures of speech:
• “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
13. 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. For instance,
• 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
14. Assonance
Internal vowels in nearby words that are the same or comparable in sound. Here are a
few examples of assonance in speech:
• 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
15. 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.
Here are a few instances of Metonym:
• “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.
