This document discusses various figures of speech including: - Personification - giving human attributes to non-human things. - Simile - a comparison using "like" or "as". - Metaphor - an implied simile that omits "like" or "as". - Oxymoron - a combination of contradictory words. - Paradox - a seemingly contradictory statement that contains implied truth. - Apostrophe - addressing non-living things as if they are alive. - Hyperbole - deliberate exaggeration. - Onomatopoeia - words that imitate sounds. - Alliteration - repetition of initial consonant sounds.

1. Figures of Speech
Dr. Jeanneath D. Velarde
EmilioAguinaldo College
Dasmarinas, Cavite - Philippines
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2. “Words can light fires in the
minds of men and can wring
tears from the hardest
hearts.”
Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind
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3. PERSONIFICATION
The writer associates human
attributes with inanimate objects or
ideas to express his point artistically.
“After some moments during which he seemed to
wait, he talked to the listening darkness.” The
Wedding Dance by Amado Daguio
“Last night the storm came and blew away the
cornflowers. The cornfields are full of cries.”
Letter to Pedro,U.S. Citizen, Also Called Pete by Rene Estrella Amper
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4. SIMILE
It is a figure of speech comparing two unlike things
using “as” and “like.” It comes from the Latin
word ‘similis’ which means like or likeness. A
simile is an expression of likeness between different
objects or events. Some words of comparison ase
used like as, like, and so.
“The younger brother is as good as gold.”
“He fought like an angry lion”
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5. METAPHOR
It is an implied simile. The word “metaphor” comes
from the Greek, ‘meta which means over and
“phero’ for carry. It means, “a carrying over.”
By this figure of speech a word is transferred, or
carried over, from the object to which it belongs to
another in such a manner that a comparison is implied,
though not clearly stated. Thus, a metaphor is a
compressed, or implied simile – simile with the
word ‘like’, ‘as’ etc., omitted.
“The camel is the ship of the desert.”
“He is the pillar of the state.”
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6. “All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely
players;They have their exits and
their entrances;”
William Shakespeare, As You Like It
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7. Oxymoron
It joins two opposite ideas to create a
humorous effect. The common oxymoron phrase
is a combination of an adjective proceeded by
a noun with contrasting meaning. “cruel
kindness” or “living death”
deafening silence serious vanity
genius moron loving hate
open secret foolish wisdom
awfully pretty original copies
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8. Paradox
It is similar to oxymoron. A paradox may consist of a
sentence or a group of sentences which appear to be
self- contradictory while an oxymoron is a
combination of two contradictory or opposite words. A
paradox seems contradictory to the general truth but
it does contain an implied truth.
“I can resist anything but temptation.” Oscar Wilde
“What a pity that youth must be wasted on the
young.” George
Bernard Shaw
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9. Apostrophe
It addresses an inanimate object idea or
imaginary character in his speech as if
they were alive or in front of him.
“Is this a dagger which I see before me,
The handle toward my hand?
Come, let me clutch thee!
I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.”
Macbeth by W. Shakespeare
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10. Hyperbole comes from the words
“Hyper”which means beyond and
“ballo”for throw) literally,
“a throwing beyond.” It is a
deliberate exaggeration or
overstatement.
He dangled his hands out of his sleeves.
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11. Onomatopaeia is from ‘onoma’ which means
name and ‘poiea’ for make. It uses a word or
words which sound suggests its meaning.
“It cracked and growled and roared and
howled…”
“The murmurous haunt of flies on summer eves.”
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12. Alliteration is the repetition of the
letters, syllable, or the same sound at the
beginning of two or more words in a line. In
this way language becomes musical.
“How high His Honour holds his haughty
head.”
“The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew,
the furrow followed free.”
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13. Activity
Think of someone,something, incident, or an
event.
Create your own statements or phrases using
figures of speech related to what you have
thought.
Share the lines or statements that you have
created with your classmates.
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