siml/

noun
1.

a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind,
used to make a description more emphatic or vivid (e.g., as brave as a lion, crazy like a fox ).
o
the use of simile.

metaphor
medfr,medfr/
noun
1.
a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not
literally applicable.
"I had fallen through a trapdoor of depression, said Mark, who was fond of theatrical metaphors"
synonyms: figure of speech, image, trope, analogy, comparison, symbol, word painting/picture
"the profusion of metaphors in her everyday speech has gotten pretty tiresome"
personification
prsnfkSH()n/
noun
1.
the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the
representation of an abstract quality in human form.
o
a figure intended to represent an abstract quality.
plural noun: personifications
"the design on the franc shows Marianne, the personification of the French republic"
synony embodiment, incarnation, epitome, quintessence, essence, type,symbol, soul, model, exemplification, exem
ms:
plar, image, representation
"Foote is the personification of heroism"

metonymy
[m tn m]
Use metonymy in a sentence
noun
1.
The definition of a metonymy is a figure of speech in which one thing is replaced with
a word closely associated with it.
An example of a metonymy is referring to the King as "the Crown."

Crown - in place of a royal person

The White House - in place of the President or others who work there
The suits - in place of business people
Dish - for an entire plate of food
Cup - for a mug
The Pentagon - to refer to the staf
The restaurant - to refer to the staf

In sentence

We must wait to hear from the crown until we make any further decisions.
The White House will be announcing the decision around noon today.

Synecdote:
Synecdoche Definition
Synecdoche is a literary device in which a part of something represents the whole or it may use a whole
to represent a part.
Synecdoche may also use larger groups to refer to smaller groups or vice versa. It may also call a thing
by the name of the material it is made of or it may refer to a thing in a container or packing by the name of
that container or packing.
Synecdoche Examples from Everyday Life
It is very common to refer to a thing by the name of its parts. Let us look at some of the examples of
synecdoche that we can hear from casual conversations:

The word bread refers to food or money as in Writing is my bread and butter or sole
breadwinner.

The phrase gray beard refers to an old man.

The word sails refers to a whole ship.

The word suits refers to businessmen.

The word boots usually refers to soldiers.

The term coke is a common synecdoche for all carbonated drinks.

Pentagon is a synecdoche when it refers to a few decision makers.

The word glasses refers to spectacles.

Coppers often refers to coins.

Litote:
Common Litotes Examples

In everyday life, it is common to experience litotes in conversations although not many people are aware
of this term and its usage. Below are a few examples of litotes from daily conversations:

They do not seem the happiest couple around.

The ice cream was not too bad.

You are not doing badly at all.

Your apartment is not unclean.

Another examples
I am not unaware how the productions of the Grub Street brotherhood have of late years fallen under
many prejudices. (Jonathan Swift, A Tale of a Tub)
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what Ive tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if I had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
Now read this short piece Fire and Ice by Robert Frost very carefully. Calling the destruction caused by
the ice as great is balanced by an opposing statement would suffice that is an understatement.
Function of Litotes
Litotes uses ironical understatement in order to emphasize an idea or situation rather than minimizing its
importance. It rather discovers a unique way to attract peoples attention to an idea and that is by ignoring
it.
J.R. Bergmann in his book Talk at Work: Interaction in Institutional Settings talks about litotes in the
following words: I want to claim that the rhetorical figure litotes is one of those methods which are used to
talk about an object in a discreet way. It clearly locates an object for the recipient, but it avoids naming it
directly.

This is the best that has ever been said about litotes that to ignore an object and still talk about it in a
negative way is the best way to make it appear important and prominent.
Hyperbole
-Hyperbole, derived from a Greek word meaning over-casting is a figure of speech, which involves an
exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis. It is a device that we employ in our day-to-day speech.
For instance, when you meet a friend after a long time, you say, Ages have passed since I last saw you.
You may not have met him for three or four hours or a day, but the use of the word ages exaggerates
this statement to add emphasis to your wait. Therefore, a hyperbole is an unreal exaggeration to
emphasize the real situation. Some other common Hyperbole examples are given below.
Common Examples of Hyperbole

My grandmother is as old as the hills.

Your suitcase weighs a ton!

She is as heavy as an elephant!

I am dying of shame.

I am trying to solve a million issues these days.

It is important not to confuse hyperbole with simile and metaphor. It does make a comparison but
unlike simile andmetaphor, hyperbole has a humorous effect created by an overstatement.
Let us see some examples from Classical English literature in which hyperbole was used successfully.
Hyperbole Examples from Literature
Example #1
In American folk lore, Paul Bunyans stories are full of hyperboles. In one instance, he exaggerates winter
by saying:
Well now, one winter it was so cold that all the geese flew backward and all the fish moved south and
even the snow turned blue. Late at night, it got so frigid that all spoken words froze solid afore they could
be heard. People had to wait until sunup to find out what folks were talking about the night before.

Freezing of the spoken words at night in winter and then warming up of the words in the warmth of the
sun during the day are examples of hyperbole that have been effectively used by Paul Bunyan in this
short excerpt.
Example #2
From William Shakespeares Macbeth, Act II, Scene II,
Neptunes ocean wash this blood
Clean from my hand? No. This my hand will rather
The multitudinous seas incarnadine,
Making the green one red.
Oxymoron:
An oxymoron (plural oxymora or oxymorons) is a figure of speech that juxtaposes elements that appear
to be contradictory. Oxymora appear in a variety of contexts, including inadvertent errors (such as "ground
pilot") and literary oxymorons crafted to reveal a paradox.

Examples of Oxymorons
As with many other literary and rhetorical devices, oxymorons are used for a variety of
purposes. Sometimes they are used to create some sort of drama for the reader or listener,
and sometimes they are used to make the person stop and think, whether it's to laugh or to
ponder.
One famous oxymoron is the phrase "the same difference." This phrase qualifies as an
oxymoron because the words "same" and "difference" have completely opposite meanings.
Therefore, bringing them together into one phrase produces a verbally puzzling, yet
engaging, effect.
Oxymorons from Everyday Life
Whether you know it or not, you have probably used some, or at least heard, some
oxymorons in your every day life.

Great Depression
Jumbo shrimp
Cruel to be kind
Pain for pleasure
Clearly confused
Act naturally
Beautifully painful

Anti-thesis
Antithesis Definition
Antithesis, literal meaning opposite, is a rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put together in a
sentence to achieve a contrasting effect.
Antithesis emphasizes the idea of contrast by parallel structures of the contrasted phrases or clauses, i.e.
the structures of phrases and clauses are similar in order to draw the attention of the listeners or readers.
For example:
Setting foot on the moon may be a small step for a man but a giant step for mankind.
Common Antithesis Examples
Some famous antithetical statements have become part of our everyday speech and are frequently used
in arguments and discussions. Below is the list of some antithetical statements:

Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.

Man proposes, God disposes.

Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing.

Speech is silver, but silence is gold.

Patience is bitter, but it has a sweet fruit.

Money is the root of all evils: poverty is the fruit of all goodness.

You are easy on the eyes, but hard on the heart.

Examples of Antithesis in Literature

In literature, writers employ antithesis not only in sentences but also in characters and events. Thus, its
use is extensive; below are a few examples of antithesis in literature:

Example #1
The opening lines of Charles Dickens novel A Tale of Two Cities provides an unforgettable antithesis
example:
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age
of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it
was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we
had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all
going direct the other way.
Example #2
In Shakespeares Julius Caesar we notice antithesis in characters of Mark Antony and Marcus
Brutus. Brutus is portrayed as a noblest of Romans close to Caesar and a person who loved Rome and
Caesar. Antony, on the contrary, is shown as a man with evil intentions of harming Caesar and taking
charge of Rome. These antithetical characters highlight the conflict in the play.

Irony
Irony Definition
Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different
from the actual meaning of the words. It may also be a situation that may end up in quite a different way
than what is generally anticipated. In simple words, it is a difference between the appearance and the
reality.
Difference between Dramatic Irony and Situational Irony
Dramatic irony is a kind of irony in a situation, which the writers frequently employ in their works. In
situational irony, both the characters and the audience are fully unaware of the implications of the real
situation. In dramatic irony, the characters are oblivious of the situation but the audience is not. For
example, in Romeo and Juliet, we know much before the characters that they are going to die.
In real life circumstances, irony may be comical, bitter or sometimes unbearably offensive.
Common Examples of Irony
Let us analyze some interesting examples of irony from our daily life:

I posted a video on YouTube about how boring and useless YouTube is.

The name of Britains biggest dog was Tiny.

Paradox
A paradox is a statement that apparently contradicts itself and yet might be true. Most
logicalparadoxes are known to be invalid arguments but are still valuable in promoting critical thinking.
Examples

You can save money by spending it.

I'm nobody.
"What a pity that youth must be wasted on the young." - George Bernard Shaw
Wise fool