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 a metaphor orsimile that is designed to further explain a concept. Or, it can be a different way of pronouncing a word or phrase such as withalliteration 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 their usual meaning. Examples are:

After begging for a cat and finally getting one, she found out she was allergic.
A traffic cop gets suspended for not paying his parking tickets.
The Titanic was said to be unsinkable.
Dramatic irony is knowing the killer is hiding in a closet in a scary movie.
Naming a Chihuahua Brutus

Using Metaphor

Metaphor compares two unlike things or ideas. Examples are:

Heart of stone
Time is money
The world is a stage
She is a night owl
He is an ogre

Using Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia is a word that sounds like what it is describing. Examples are:

Whoosh
Splat
Buzz
Click
Oink

Using Oxymoron

Oxymoron is two contradictory terms used together. Examples are:

Peace force
Kosher ham
Jumbo shrimp
Small crowd
Free market

Using Personification

Personification is giving human qualities to non-living things or ideas. Examples are:

The flowers nodded
Snowflakes danced
Thunder grumbled
Fog crept in
The wind howled

Using Simile

Simile is a comparison between two unlike things using the words “like” or “as.” Examples are:

As slippery as an eel
Like peas in a pod
As blind as a bat
Eats like a pig
As wise as an owl

Using Synecdoche

Synecdoche is when a part represents the whole or the whole is represented by a part. Examples are:

Wheels – a car
The police – one policeman
Plastic – credit cards
Coke – any cola drink
Army – a soldier

Using Understatement

Understatement is when something is said to make something appear less important or less serious. Examples are:

It’s just a scratch – referring to a large dent
It is sometimes dry and sandy – referring to the driest desert in the world
The weather is a little cooler today – referring to sub-zero temperatures
I won’t say it was delicious – referring to terrible food
The tsunami caused some damage – referring to a huge tsunami