Figures of Speech

1. A figure of speech is
language not meant to
be taken literally. It’s
meant to create vivid
images and includes
similes, metaphors,
personification, etc.

2. Applying human traits to
inanimate objects/ things.
“The house on Mango Street is
not he way they told at all. It’s
small and red with tight steps in
front and windows so small
you’d think they were holding
their breath.”

3. Personification

4. Comparison of two
unlike things using
like or as.
The stock market is
like a roller coaster
ride--up and down.

6. A direct comparison between
two unlike things WITHOUT
using the words “like” or “as.”
“I am a red balloon.
A balloon tied to an
anchor.”

7. My best friend
was a
backstabber.
He told my
girl friend I
had been fired
from my job.

8. Metaphor

9. It’s a land
of milk
and honey.
Metaphor

10. Metaphor

11. No man is
an island.
Metaphor

12. Any object that represents
something other than itself.

13. A repetition of
initial consonant
sounds. Not
vowels!

14. “While I
nodded, nearly
napping,
suddenly there
came a
tapping.”

15. Alliteration

16. If Peter Piper
picked a peck
of pickled
peppers, how
many pickled
peppers did
Peter Piper
pick?
Alliteration

17. An exaggeration
for effect.

20. Words
written like
the sound
they make.

24. Five Senses
 Imagery is the use of words to
create pictures, or images, in your
mind.
 Appeals to the five senses: smell,
sight, hearing, taste and touch.
 Details about smells, sounds,
colors, and taste create strong
images.
 To create vivid images writers use
figures of speech.

25. Words used
that have a
different
meaning than
the literal
meaning.
“ You can’t tell a book by
its cover.” Meaning: You
can’t know a person by
their looks alone.

26. “live out of a
suitcase”
meaning
traveling all
the time.

27. “name
dropper”
Someone
who wants
others to
know they
associate
with
important
or famous
people.

28. “had a
ball”
meaning
had a
good time

29. “I’ll cross that bridge
when I come to it.”
Meaning: I’ll deal
with that when the
time comes.
“Don’t burn your
bridges.”
Meaning: Don’t
alienate people that
can help you, or don’t
cut off your
connections to
opportunities.

30. “man on the
street” meaning
the ordinary or
average man

31. “highway
robbery”
meaning
charging too
much i.e. Some
credit card
interest rates
are highway
robbery.

32. Example: I was late because I was
caught in a traffic jam.

33. A part of a thing that stands for the whole
Ex.: “All hands on deck!”
What do hands stand for?
Workers.

34. A figure of speech in
which one word or
phrase is substituted
for another with
which it is closely
associated (such as
"crown" for
"royalty").
This is similar to synecdoche. However, with
metonymy, it’s a word that’s related or identified
with the object that’s replaced. In synecdoche, a
“part” of that object replaces the whole.

36. Tone Vs Mood / Connotation
vs Denotation