Download A SHORT NOTE ON TEACHING FIGURES OF SPEECH

Alliteration: repetition of the same consonant
sound at the beginning or end of a series of
words placed close to one other (e.g. Season of
mists and mellow fruitfulness)
 It is important to note that alliteration is about
the sounds of words, not the letters; therefore,
the letter ‘k’ and ‘c’ can be used alliteratively
(as in kitchen and cookie), as well as the letter
‘s’ and ‘c’ (as in sparkle and cycle). Also, the
words do not need to be directly next to each
other in the sentence or stanza to be considered
alliterative (although they often are).
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 Assonance:
repetition of the same vowel
sound in a series of words placed close to
one another (e.g. Hear the mellow wedding
bells)
 The same point made about alliteration
above applies here.
 Onomatopoeia: a word which itself sounds
like the sound to which it refers (e.g. hiss –
the sound a snake makes)
 In
addition to figures of speech based on
SOUND, we have figures of speech based on
MEANING.
 Many of these are based on FIGURATIVE
COMPARISONS.
 Figurative comparison: where two things
which are of a different class are compared
(e.g. a person and a pig). (So comparing two
desks is a literal comparison, not a figurative
comparison.)
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Simile – two things compared using ‘like’ or ‘as’ (e.g. He is
like a pig.)
Metaphor – two things compared without using ‘like’ or
‘as’ – presents one thing as if it were the other thing (e.g.
He is a pig).
Personification – a type of metaphor in which a nonperson is compared to a person (e.g. The sun smiled.)
By the way: Do all metaphors use the verb be?
No: metaphors do not always take the form of nouns /
pronouns joined by the verb be. Sometimes they are
disguised as verbs, adjectives or adverbs. In the following
examples, notice how the verb be is absent:
The sun fired up the sky with dazzling colours. (verb)
After a heated argument with his roommates, he stormed
out of the house. (adjective and verb)
The Red River loops snakily through the valley. (verb and
adverb)
Not
all figures of speech based
on meaning consist of
figurative comparisons.
Some
are based on opposite
meanings.
There
are two types here:
(1) PARADOX: This involves an
apparent contradiction – i.e.
looks like a contradiction - but
on closer examination it is not.
E.g. Being cruel to be kind
 (2)
OXYMORON: This is like a condensed
paradox – the apparent contradiction does
not take the form of a statement but of two
(contradictory) words.
 E.g.
A bitter-sweet experience
Two
discussed to so far:
Based on FIGURATIVE
COMPARED MEANING
Based on OPPOSITE
MEANING
There is a third group:
Based on ‘TONED’ MEANING

Here the meaning is ‘toned’ up or down. There
are four of them:

(1) INNUENDO:
A figure of speech which merely hints at
something without saying it directly – i.e. it is an
indirect or a subtle observation about a thing or
a person. It is generally critical, disparaging or
salacious in nature, and its use is almost always
derogatory.
E.g. A: How do you like my painting?
B: I think the frame is beautiful.

‘eu’ – means pleasant (e.g. euphonious =
pleasant-sounding; eulogy = pleasant words
praising someone)

So EUPHEMISM: A figure of speech which softens
something harsh or rude, which puts a bad thing
in a pleasant way

E.g. He passed away last night.

UNDERSTATEMENT:
A deliberate representation of something as
being much less than it really is.
For example, you win 10 million dollars in a
lottery. When you tell a news reporter ‘I am
delighted’, you are making an understatement.
Similarly, suppose a team loses to its opponent
50 to 0 in a soccer match and the captain of the
team says in a post-match ceremony says, We
did not do well’, it is an understatement
because he is trying to decrease the intensity of
the loss.

[pronounced hyPERbolee]:
A deliberate and extravagant exaggeration for effect.

E.g.:
I told you a thousand times not to do that!

Compare:
I told you five times to do it!

This could also involves exaggeration – might
have told him three times only. But this is not a
hyperbole.
- So not all exaggerations are hyperboles:
- It has to be a gross exaggeration; and it has to
be deliberate and for effect, for it to be a
hyperbole.
 Figures
of speech may be based on SOUND or
MEANING.
 Those based on sound = alliteration;
assonance; onomatopoeia.
 Those based on meaning may be based on:
 - Figurative compared meaning (simile;
metaphor; personification)
 - Opposite meaning (paradox; oxymoron)
 - ‘Toned’ meaning (innuendo; euphemism;
understatement; hyperbole)