Figure Of Speech Examples
Figure of Speech Examples
A figure of speech is a word or phrase that has a meaning something different than its literal meaning. It can be ametaphor or simile that is designed to further explain a concept. Or, it can be a different way of pronouncing a word or phrase such as with alliteration to give further meaning or a different sound.
Examples of Figures of Speech
Using Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of beginning sounds. Examples are:
Sally sells seashells.
Walter wondered where Winnie was.
Blue baby bonnets
Nick needed notebooks.
Fred fried frogs.
Using Anaphora
Anaphora is a technique where several phrases or verses 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 - William Shakespeare
We laughed, we loved, we sang
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. - Winston Churchill
Using Assonance
Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in words that are close together. Examples are:
A - For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore (Poe)
E - Therefore all seasons shall be sweet to thee (Coleridge)
I - From what I’ve tasted of desire, I hold with those who favor fire (Frost)
O - Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn (Wordsworth)
U - Uncertain rustling of each purple curtain (Poe)
Using a Euphemism
Euphemism is a word or phrase that replaces a word or phrase to make it more polite or pleasant. Examples are:
A little thin on top instead of bald
Homeless instead of bum
Letting him go instead of fired him
Passed away instead of died
Put to sleep instead of euthanize
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 Irony
Irony is using words where the meaning is the opposite of
A figure of speech is a word or phrase that has a meaning something different than its literal meaning. It can be ametaphor or simile that is designed to further explain a concept. Or, it can be a different way of pronouncing a word or phrase such as with alliteration to give further meaning or a different sound.
Examples of Figures of Speech
Using Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of beginning sounds. Examples are:
Sally sells seashells.
Walter wondered where Winnie was.
Blue baby bonnets
Nick needed notebooks.
Fred fried frogs.
Using Anaphora
Anaphora is a technique where several phrases or verses 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 - William Shakespeare
We laughed, we loved, we sang
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. - Winston Churchill
Using Assonance
Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in words that are close together. Examples are:
A - For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore (Poe)
E - Therefore all seasons shall be sweet to thee (Coleridge)
I - From what I’ve tasted of desire, I hold with those who favor fire (Frost)
O - Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn (Wordsworth)
U - Uncertain rustling of each purple curtain (Poe)
Using a Euphemism
Euphemism is a word or phrase that replaces a word or phrase to make it more polite or pleasant. Examples are:
A little thin on top instead of bald
Homeless instead of bum
Letting him go instead of fired him
Passed away instead of died
Put to sleep instead of euthanize
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 Irony
Irony is using words where the meaning is the opposite of