Figures-of-Speech

figuresofspeech/rhetoricaldevicesAfigureofspeechisanexpressionthatmeanssomethingotherthanwhatitsays.Afigureofspeechisawordorphrasethatdepartsfromstraightforward,literallanguage.Figuresofspeechareoftenusedandcraftedforemphasis,freshnessofexpression,orclarity.LiterallanguageandfigurativelanguageWordsusedintheiroriginalmeaningsforcommunicatingideasareusedliterally,whilewordsusedinextendedmeaningsforthepurposeofmakingcomparisonsorcallinguppicturesinthereader’sorlistener’smindareusedfiguratively.Newshopshavesprungupinrecentyears.(literallanguage)Newshopshavesprunguplikemushroomsinrecentyears.(figurativelanguage)ClassificationofFiguresofSpeechsimile,metaphor,personification,metonymy,synecdoche,irony,overstatement,understatement,euphemism,oxymoron,transferredepithet,alliteration,onomatopoeia,parody,pun,climax1.Simile(明喻）Asimileisanexplicitcomparisonbetweentwodistinctlydifferentitems/elementshavingatleastonequalityorcharacteristicincommonbytheuseoflikeoras.1)Characteristicsofasimilea.comparativewords:like/as;b.tenor;vehiclec.totallydifferentthingsofdifferentproperties.d.onequalityincommonE.g.:Myloveislikeared,redrose.2)PatternsofsimileXislikeYMywife’snewhatislikealighthouse.Livingwithoutanaimislikesailingwithoutacompass.X…as/(as…as)/asif/thoughYYoucannothopetomoveme,asyoucannotexpectthesuntoriseinthewest.Menfeardeath,aschildrenfeartogointhedark.(FrancisBacon)XistoAwhatYistoBReadingistothemindwhatexerciseistothebody.Judiciouspraiseistochildrenwhatthesunistoflowers.Xis…nomorethanYAhomewithoutloveisnomorethanabodywithoutasoul.X…andY（Thisisaspecialsimile,whichoftenoccursinEnglishproverbs.）Awordandastoneletgocannotberecalled.2.Metaphor(暗喻)Ametaphoristheuseofawordwhichdenotesonethingtorefertoanotherwithasimilarquality.Itisalsoacomparison,whichisimpliedwithoutusinglike/as.Metaphorscanbeusedinvariousforms,noun,verbs,adjectives,andadverbscanallbeusedinametaphoricalway.1)Full-lengthmetaphor:X(tenor)isY(vehicle)Ithasbothatenorandavehicle.Alltheworldisastage,andallthemenandwomenmerelyplayers.(Shakespeare)Educationisnotthefillingofapail,butthelightingofafire.(WilliamB.Yeats)2).CompressedmetaphorIfametaphorstatesonlyonetermofthecomparison,leavingtheotherimplicit,suchametaphoriscompressedmetaphor.Thereisonlyatenor,andthevehicleisindicatedbytheverb.Compressedmetaphorusuallytakestheformofverbs,notis.Suchmetaphorscanaddimageryandactivitytoyourwriting.Theboywolfeddownthefoodthemomenthegrabbedit.3).ExtendedmetaphorAnextendedmetaphorisametaphorwhichisdevelopedbyanumberofdifferentfigurativeexpressions,extendingperhapsoverseveralclausesorsentences,andinvolvingseveraltenorsandvehicles.Somebooksaretobetasted,othersswallowed,andsomefewtobechewedanddigested.(FrancisBacon)3.Personification(拟人)Personificationistreatingathingoranideaasifitwerehumanorhadhumanqualities.Lazinesstravelssoslowlythatpovertysoonovertakeshim.(BenjaminFranklin)Oneday,fortunewillsmiletoyou.Mosquitoeswereusingmyanklesforfillingstations.Thefallingleavesaredancinginthewind.4.Metonymy(转喻/换喻)Metonymyisthesubstitutionofonewordorphraseforanothercloselyassociatedwithit.WhiteHousestandsfortheAmericangovernment.Hispursewouldnotallowhimthatluxury.(money)Soapystoodstillwithhishandinhispocketsandsmiledatthesightofbrassbuttons.(TheCopandTheAnthem:OHenry)(thepolice)Ahundredbayonetsweremarchingdownthestreet.(soldiers)5.Synecdoche(提喻)Synecdocheisthesubstitutionofthepartforthewholeorthewholeforapart.Therearealotofgoodheadsintheuniversity.(intelligentpeople:headisapartofpeople)Manyhandsmakelightwork.(manypeople)She’sgotfivemouthstofeed.(persons)6.Irony(反语)Ironyisafigureofspeechinwhichtheintendedmeaningisoppositetotheliteralmeaning.Itisacontrastbetweenwhatissaidandwhatismeant,betweenappearanceandreality.Thishard-workingstudentseldomreadsmorethananhourperweek.7.Overstatement(hyperbole)(exaggeration)夸张Overstatementistheuseofstrongdeliberateexaggerationtoachieveemphasis.Thismadehimroarlikeathousandbulls.It’sacrimetostayinsideonsuchabeautifulday.(agreatpity)AndIwillluvetheestill,mydear,tilla’theseasgangdry.Adropofinkmaymakeamillionthink.(GeorgeGByron)8.Understatement(低调陈述)：Afigureofspeechinwhichawriterorspeakerdeliberatelymakesasituationseemlessimportantorseriousthanitis.Wecan’tsolvethisproblem.(generalstatement)Thisproblemisbeyondus.(understatement)Ittookalottobuildthisindoorswimmingpool.(generalstatement)Ittookafewdollarstobuildthisindoorswimmingpool.(understatement)9.Euphemism(委婉语)Itisthesubstitutionofamildorvagueexpressionforaharshorunpleasantone.Theboyusedtotakethingswithoutpermission.You’vegotaplumpfigure.Youreallyhave,youknow.Thisboyisalittleslowinreaction.die:passaway;leaveus;gototheheaven;benomore;depart…gotothelavatory:gotothebathroom/men’s(women’s)room…oldpeople:seniorcitizensfat:tobestout(male)/plump(female)invasion/raid:militaryactionpregnant:tobeexpecting/inthefamilyway10.Oxymoron(矛盾)Inoxymoronapparentlycontradictorytermsarecombinedtoproduceaspecialeffect.Thecoachhadtobecruelandkindtohistrainees.“Howyoushotthegoatandfrightenedthetigertodeath,”saidMissMebbin,withherdisagreeablyplea