One meaning of "figure" is "drawing" or "image" or "picture". Figurative language creates figures (pictures) in the mind of the reader or listener. These pictures help convey the meaning faster and more vividly than words alone.We use figures of speech in "figurative language" to add colour and interest, and to awaken the imagination. Figurative language is everywhere, from classical works like Shakespeare or the Bible, to everyday speech, pop music and television commercials. It makes the reader or listener use their imagination and understand much more than the plain words.Figurativelanguage is the opposite ofliterallanguage. Literal language means exactly what it says. Figurative language means something different to (and usually more than) what it says on the surface:He ranfast. (literal)He ranlike the wind. (figurative)In the above example "like the wind" is a figure of speech (in this case, a simile). It is important to recognize the difference between literal and figurative language. There are many figures of speech that are commonly used and which you can learn by heart. At other times, writers and speakers may invent their own figures of speech. If you do not recognize them as figures of speech and think that they are literal, you will find it difficult to understand the language.

Don'tdelaydawnsdisarmingdisplay.Duskdemandsdaylight.Sara'ssevensisterssleptsoundly insand.Alliteration refers to the repetition of a consonant sound, at least three times in a sentence. It is often used as a figure of speech in poetry, and even advertisements use alliteration in their tag lines to make the ads more memorableExamples:Jesses jaguar is jumping and jiggling jauntilyTims took tons of tools to make toys for tots.Zachary zeroed in on zoo keeping

Antonomasia refers to the substitution of a proper name with a phrase, which then becomes a way of recognition for the person in question

The King of Pop- Michael JacksonThe Bard- William ShakespeareJudas - BetrayerBeowulf - a mythThe Dark Knight - BatmanThe Fhrer - Adolf HitlerExamples:

The substitution of an inoffensive term for one considered offensively explicit.Laid Off - FiredPillow Biter - Homosexual ManSlap And Tickle - IntercourseNight Soil - FecesLose Your Lunch - VomitExamples:

An extravagant statement; the use of exaggerated terms for the purpose of emphasis or heightened effect.Examples:If I cant buy that new game, I will die.Ive told you a million timesIt was so cold, I saw polar bears wearing jacketsWe are so poor; we dont have two cents to rub together.Her brain is the size of a pea.

The use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning. A statement or situation where the meaning is contradicted by the appearance or presentation of the idea. Examples:The Titanic was promoted as being 100% unsinkable; but, in 1912 the ship sank on its maiden voyageAt a ceremony celebrating the rehabilitation of seals after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska, at an average cost of $80,000 per seal, two seals were released back into the wild only to be eaten within a minute by a killer whaleA person who claims to be a vegan and avoids meat but will eat a slice of pepperoni pizza because they are hungry. A man who is a traffic cop gets his license suspended for unpaid parking tickets.

A figure of speech consisting of an understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite.Examples:They aren't the happiest couple around. He's not the ugliest fellow around!She's not the brightest girl in the class.The food is not bad.It is no ordinary city.

An implied comparison between two unlike things that actually have something important in common. Examples:John is a real pig when he eats.Authority is a chair, it needs legs to stand up.Time is a thief.He has a heart of gold.His head was spinning with ideas.

A figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated; also, the rhetorical strategy of describing something indirectly by referring to things around it. Examples:'He is a man of cloth' - This only means to say that the man who the sentence is talking about is a man who belongs to a religious sect; cloth signifies that 'robes' worn by religious men."He writes a fine hand." - This means that the person writes neatly or has good handwriting."The pen is mightier than the sword." - This only means that words spoken well are mightier than military force."We have always remained loyal to the crown." - The crown here stands to symbolize the king of a particular country. This metonymy is used commonly when talking or writing."The House was called to order." - This means that the 'members' of a House, assuming that it's a House of Parliament, were called to order.

The use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to. Examples:Zip goes the jacket.Harry mumbled in his mouth that he was not thirsty.The birds like to tweet outside my window.Drip, drip, drip, went the faucet all day long.Grandma loves to hear the pitter-patter of little feet around the house.

A figure of speech in which incongruous or contradictory terms appear side by side. Examples:"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.""I can resist anything, except temptation.""Simplicity is not a simple thing.""Hegel was right when he said that we learn from history that man can never learn anything from history""To lead the people, walk behind them."

Parallelismis a rhetorical device that employs back-to-back verbal constructions in prose or poetry that corresponds in sound, structure, meter, meaning, etc. Examples:She said that she was having fun but not that she was meeting peopleJack hopes to visit his parents and see his old friends when he goes home.She advised me to find some new friends and forget about the event.This wealthy car collector owns three pastel Cadillacs, two gold Rolls Royces, and ten assorted Mercedes.I have always sought but seldom obtained a parking space near the door.

A figure of speech in which an inanimate object or abstraction is endowed with human qualities or abilities.Examples:The gutsy blizzard took on the challenge posed by a few tall buildings. Fortunately, the buildings won.Every morning my alarm clock springs to life; I hate it when that happens.Time has this annoying habit of creeping up on you.The wind howled and howled, its objection was in the air.The peaceful and fun loving town close to the coast was swallowed by an angry tsunami.

A play on words, sometimes on different senses of the same word and sometimes on the similar sense or sound of different words. Examples:The principle part of a horse is the mane, of course.The math teacher was an exponent of his own powers.I work as a baker because I knead the dough.A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.Our social studies teacher says that her globe means the world to her.

A stated comparison (usually formed with "like" or "as") between two fundamentally dissimilar things that have certain qualities in common. Examples:As dead as the dodo Shine like the starAs easy as pieAs good as goldAs innocent as a lamb

A figure of speech in which a part is used to represent the wholeExamples:He hurled the barbed weapon at the whale. (Harpoon)White hair. (elderly people) The ship was lost with all hands. (sailors)His parents bought him a new set of wheels. (new car)He has many mouths to feed. (to look after many)

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