Figures of speech ----------elizabeth

FIGURES OF SPEECH WITH EXAMPLES

You might have heard the expression “it’s a figure of speech,” but what does that really mean?. It might be words with a literal meaning, a certain arrangements of words, or a phrase with a meaning that is something entirely other than that of the words themselves. Figures of speech can be refreshing and fun, but for some – especially those who are not native English speakers – a figure of speech can be very confusing. Here are some of the most common figures of speech and what they mean. 

Figure of Speech and Examples

1.Alliteration

This is a very common figure of speech that involves using words that begin with the same sound. 

For instance, “Sally sells sea shells by the seashore” is alliteration – and try saying it fast to see how difficult it is! It is often used in advertising slogans to create something catchy that more people will remember.

2 .Metaphor

The use of metaphor compares two things that are not alike and finds something about them to make them alike.

“My heart is a lonely hunter that hunts on a lonely hill” from a book by William Sharp is a good example of metaphor. Some writers try to use this style to create something profound out of comparing two things that appear to have nothing at all in common. 

3 .Simile

In this figure of speech, two things are compared that are not really the same, but are used to make a point about each other. 

“Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get” is a famous line from the movie Forrest Gump that illustrates the simile. This is often used to make an emotional point about something. The difference between simile and metaphor is that you can obviously see words "like" in the sentence.