Figures of speech

Using Anaphora

Anaphora is a technique where several phrases (or verses in a poem) begin with the same word or words. Examples are:
  • I came, I saw, I conquered - Julius Caesar
  • Mad world! Mad kings! Mad composition! - King John II, William Shakespeare
  • It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness - A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
  • With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right - Abraham Lincoln
  • We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end... we shall never surrender - Winston Churchill

Using Alliteration

Alliteration is the repetition of the beginning sounds of neighboring words. Examples are:
  • She sells seashells.
  • Walter wondered where Winnie was.
  • Blue baby bonnets
  • Nick needed new notebooks.
  • Fred fried frogs.

Using Simile

Simile is a comparison between two unlike things using the words "like" or "as." Examples are:
  • As slippery as an eel
  • Like peas in a pod
  • As blind as a bat
  • Eats like a pig
  • As wise as an owl

Using Metaphor

Metaphor compares two unlike things or ideas. Examples are:
  • Heart of stone
  • Time is money
  • The world is a stage
  • She is a night owl
  • He is an ogre

Using Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia is a word that sounds like what it is describing. Examples are:
  • Whoosh
  • Splat
  • Buzz
  • Click
  • Oink

Using Personification

Personification is giving human qualities to non-living things or ideas. Examples are:
  • The flowers nodded
  • Snowflakes danced
  • Thunder grumbled
  • Fog crept in
  • The wind howled

Using Hyperbole

Hyperbole uses exaggeration for emphasis or effect. Examples are:
  • I’ve told you a hundred times
  • It cost a billion dollars
  • I could do this forever
  • She is older than dirt
  • Everybody knows that

Using a Euphemism

Euphemism is a mild, indirect, or vague term substituting for a harsh, blunt, or offensive term. Examples are:
  • 'A little thin on top' instead of 'going bald'
  • 'Homeless' instead of 'bum'
  • 'Letting him go' instead of 'firing him'
  • 'Passed away' instead of 'died'
  • 'Economical with the truth' instead of 'liar'

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