17Ī pun is a form of wordplay that purposely substitutes words that sound similar but have different meanings.Įxample: “‘Mine is a long and a sad tale!’ said the Mouse, turning to Alice and sighing. A writer might use pleonasm for humor or emphasis, or they might not realize they’re using extra words at all.Įxample: The burning fire warmed the whole house. Pleonasm is the use of more words than necessary to convey meaning. Personification is assigning human attributes to nonhuman things.Įxample: The floorboards groaned under the weight of each step. 14Ī paradox is a statement that appears to contradict itself but contains some truth, theme, or humor.Įxample: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” -George Orwell, Animal Farm 15 13Īn oxymoron is a phrase that uses two contradictory words to create a new meaning.Įxample: That strawberry cake was awfully good. Onomatopoeia is a word that sounds like what it means.Įxample: When a character is exasperated, they might exclaim, “Sheesh!” That’s both a word to show exasperation and a sound that happens when you sigh loudly. Metonymy gives a writer more variability with descriptions.Įxample: I thought his movies were better when they weren’t so Hollywood. Metonymy is a literary device in which a word or object stands in for a closely related word or object. Litotes use a double negative to create a positive.Ī metaphor is the direct comparison of dissimilar things to create more vivid imagery or understanding.Įxample: He was an onion to understand him, she had to peel back the layers. An ironic ending for that character would be if they died of a common cold. Irony is a situation that subverts a reader’s expectations.Įxample: One of the characters in your story is a hypochondriac, always convinced that they have an exotic and uncurable disease. Hyperbole is a deliberate exaggeration that adds emphasis, urgency, or excitement to a statement.Įxample: If I don’t eat soon, I’m going to die of hunger. Rather than telling a friend that a relative died, you might say they “kicked the bucket,” “passed away,” or are “no longer with us.” 7 You will find epigrams in speeches, poetry, and at the front of a book.Įxample: “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” -Eleanor Roosevelt 6Ī euphemism is a way to say something in an understated manner, often to avoid difficult topics-like money, death, or sex.Įxample: Death can be an uncomfortable subject, so we’ve developed many euphemisms to avoid confronting it head-on. You can think of it as talking in circles.Įxample: In the Harry Potter series, most characters don’t say Lord Voldemort’s name instead, they use this circumlocution: “He Who Must Not Be Named.” 5Īn epigram is a clever and memorable statement. The character might speak to someone deceased, an inanimate object, or a concept.Įxample: “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” -William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet 4Ĭircumlocution is the use of a purposely wordy description. ” -Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities 3Īpostrophe as a figure of speech is when a character addresses someone or something that isn’t present or cannot respond. 2Īntithesis is a literary technique that places opposite things or ideas next to one another in order to draw out their contrast.Įxample: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. 20 types of figures of speech 1Īlliteration is the repeating of consonant sounds right next to each other, which creates a memorable or melodic effect.Įxample: She sells seashells by the seashore. Literal language is the type of straightforward writing you’ll find on road signs, in office memos, and in research papers. The opposite of figurative language is literal language. You will find examples of figurative language in novels, poems, essays, and plays. Language that uses figures of speech is known collectively as figurative language. Grammarly helps you communicate confidently Write with Grammarly What is a figure of speech?
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