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It breathes life into the writer’s words. It adds depth to the sentence and gives the reader a sense of awe. To convey a meaning other than the literal meaning, it could be a metaphor, simile, or personification. It is essentially a symbolic language made up of a single phrase or word. Let’s check the types of figurative speech: What is a Figure of Speech?Ī figure of speech is a departure from normal word usage in order to increase the effectiveness of the words. These are used for indirectly stating something which an ordinary sentence can not do. Types of Figurative Speech in Englishįigurative speech is used for conveying difficult meaning and also for bringing clarity in writing. Let’s check out the different kinds of figures of speech and meaning. These have always been a huge part of the English language and even today also more additions are being done. For eye-catching purposes and also for adding humour, advertising slogans, newspaper headlines, greeting-card rhymes, captions of images etc use different types of figures of speech.įigurative speech makes communication even more expressive and creative. This is an integral part of the English language and can be found in poetry, oral literature and even in everyday conversations. Different types of figures of speech in English are used for expressing different meanings. These six figures may all be called pictures of imagery in essence, they are all metaphors, the metaphor being far the commonest and most interesting figure of speech.Word or phrase possessing a different meaning from its literal definition is called a figure of speech. (Notice how we hide behind long and foreign-sounding words). Shame: perspire (for sweat) expectorate (spit) neither garments (trousers). Euphemisms throw a curious and interesting light on human nature.įear: to go west, to peg out, to pass on (to die) a serious illness a critical illness Undertaker.
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Some mute inglorious Milton: here may rest. Synecdoche: The part represents the whole (the particular, the general: the abstract, the concrete, etc.) and vice versa.Metonymy: Instead of naming the thing itself, the name of something associated with it is given.
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"Care-charmer sleep, son of the sable night,īrother to death, in silent darkness born."
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