How Many Figures of Speech are There in English

Introduction

Have you ever heard of the line "sly as a fox" and found yourself marveling over the superior English of the speaker? If your answer is yes, then what you just heard is a figure of speech. If you also desire to improve your spoken and written English, you must know the figures of speeches existing in the English language.

What are Figures of Speech?

Writing unembellished works can be a monotonous task. In order to make their work stand out, a writer usually uses decorated phrases to enhance the whole outlook of the work. Figures of speech are those words or phrases which are used to beautify or emphasize both written and spoken English. These can be of various kinds. The most common ones are :

• Simile

• Metaphor

• Hyperbole

• Personification

• Apostrophe

• Alliteration

• Assonance

• Onomatopoeia

• Oxymoron

• Epigram

• Pun

• Irony

• Euphemism

• Anaphora

• Metonymy

• Synecdoche

• Transferred Epithet

Different Types of Figures of Speech

The abovementioned figures of speech have been divided into five broad categories -

1. Figures of speech showing resemblance or relationship - Figures of speech like simile, metaphor, personification, metonymy, euphemism, and synecdoche compare two objects to show a relationship between them.

2. Figures of speech showing emphasis or understatement - Figures of speech like hyperbole, oxymoron, litotes, irony, and antithesis are used to show how important or unimportant something is.

3. Figures of speech focusing on sound - Figures of speech like alliteration, assonance, anaphora, repetition, and onomatopoeia make use of how the words sound to their advantage.

4. Figures of speech showing traces of verbal games - Figures of speech like puns and anagrams constitute this category.

5. Figures of speech arising from errors - Figures of speech like malapropism and spoonerism use the technique of introducing blunders to stand out from the rest of the text.

Simile

When a comparison is drawn between two unrelated objects with the use of words “like”, “as”, “so” or “than”, then the figure of speech used is called a simile. For eg., These days Radhika seems as busy as a bee.

Metaphor

When an object is directly compared to another object which thereby clarifies the position or importance of the first object, the figure of speech used is a metaphor. Unlike a simile, metaphor directly compares the two objects without the use of words like “like”, “as”, “than” or “so”. For eg., The library is a giant sea of knowledge.

Here, the library is compared to a sea of knowledge in a more direct way than “as busy as a bee”.

Hyperbole

Hyperbole is an overexaggerated statement. It is used to emphasise and evoke strong emotions. For eg., I have read this book a hundred times.

Personification

When a non-human object is given the qualities of a human, it is personification. For eg., The tree stood tall in the dark. Standing tall is a human trait and a tree is not human.

Apostrophe

When a non-human object or a dead person is addressed directly as if they were human and alive, it is an apostrophe. For eg., Death, be not proud. Here, Death is being directly addressed as if it can hear the writer.

Alliteration

The use of repetitive initial consonant sounds near each other to emphasise the sound is called alliteration. For eg., Samuel sang a sad song. The s sound is emphasised throughout.

Assonance

The use of repetitive sounds in the middle of words which are placed near each other is called assonance. For eg., It rains in Spain mainly in the plains. The ain sound is running throughout.

Onomatopoeia

When a word sounds exactly like the sound it is representing, it is onomatopoeia. For eg., cuckoo, hiss.

Oxymoron

When two opposite-meaning words are clubbed together to form a word, phrase, or kenning, it is an oxymoron. For eg., bittersweet, original copy.

Epigram

A catchy and at times satirical statement is called an epigram. For eg., time is money.

Pun

When words are being said or written in order to invoke the other meanings of the same word in the form of a joke, it is a pun. At times pun also uses words with similar spellings but different meanings. For eg., A bicycle can’t stand on its own because it is two-tired.

Irony

When an expression is used to say something opposite to the meaning of the said words, it is ironic. For eg., If you are going out to the park, and it starts raining and you get drenched, and you say “I am loving this”, you are making an ironic statement.

Euphemism

When something is too harsh to say in direct words, one can use an indirect way to say it. This is called euphemism. For eg., If someone has died, you say “they are in a better place.’

Anaphora

The repetition of the same words at the beginning of different sentences to emphasise them is called anaphora. For eg., Stay hungry. Stay foolish.

Metonymy

When a related word is used to represent a concept, it is a metonymy. For eg., referring to the king as the crown.

Synecdoche

When a related word is used to represent the whole or when the whole is used to represent an individual, it is a synecdoche. For eg., the word India is used to refer to the Indian cricket team.

Transferred Epithet

A transferred epithet transfers the traits or adjectives of one object to another related object. For eg., gloomy days. It is not the day that feels gloomy but the speaker.

Conclusion

We now know all the commonly used figures of speech used in the English language - alliteration, assonance, pun, onomatopoeia, anaphora, and so on. This knowledge can now be used to embellish our speeches and written works.

There are some figures of speech like personification and apostrophe, alliteration and assonance, and metonymy and synecdoche which seem similar but have a minor difference between them to help us differentiate them. Personification is making a non-human object human, while apostrophe is simply the address of a non-human or dead object as living or human. Alliteration is the repetition of sounds at the beginning of the words, while assonance is the repetition of sounds in the middle of the words. Metonymy is when the word is used to refer to a part of itself, while synecdoche is when the word is used to refer to the part of a whole.