Figures of Speech

Figures of Speech By Lucy Liu

一、simile It is a comparison between two distinctly different things which are similar at least in one aspect and the comparison is indicated by the word as or like. Eg: That man can’t be trusted. He’s as slippery as an eel. The old man’s hair is as white as snow.

1.1The components of simile ☆tenor or subject vehicle or reference comparative word or indicator of resemblance Eg: My love is like a red red rose. ☆Tenor and vehicle are two things of different categories.. Eg: John is as tall as his father. John is as tall as a Maypole.

1.2The types of simile 1.21 like ---- a. to be + like b. v. + like eg: Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Records fell like ripe apples on a windy day. They will never be able to save money to buy a new house--- they both spend money like water.

1.22As ---preposition ---- as ….as….and as….so ….. Eg: He arose joint by joint, as a carpenter’s ruler opens, and beat the dust from his clothes. As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. As the lion is king of beasts , so is the eagle king of birds. My brain was as powerful as a dynamo, as precise as a chemist’s scales, as penetrating as a scalpel.

1.23 Subjunctive mood----as if , as though Eg: My handwriting looks as if a swarm of ants, escaping from an ink bottle , had walked over a sheet of paper without wiping their legs. A crowd of people pressed around him, touching his body ,felt his legs , and bid for him as if he has been a horse. 1.24What ------A is to B what X is to Y What X is to Y , (that) A is to B. Eg: Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. What salt is to food, that wit and humor are to conversation and literature.

1.25May (might) as well ….as Eg: You might as well expect the sun to rise in the west as hope to move me. He woke them both up getting to bed, but when they tried to wake him up afterwards they might as well have tried to wake the dead. 1.26 Than Eg: A fool can no more see his own folly than he can see his ears. A student can no more obtain knowledge without studying than a farmer can get harvest without ploughing. He had no more idea of money than a cow.

1.26And Eg: A word and a stone let go cannot be recalled. Love and cough can not be hid. Truth and roses have thorns about them. Kings and bears often worry their keepers.

二、metaphor It is the use of a word which originally denotes one thing to refer to another with a similar quality. It is also a comparison, but the comparison is implied, not expressed with the word as or like. It is also called compressed simile . eg: The soldier was as brave as a lion in the battle. The soldier was a lion in the battle.

2.1 nouns are used metaphorically. 2.11A is B Eg: All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. √Money is a bottomless sea, in which honor , conscience , and truth may e drowned. √Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself. Money is the lens in a camera. 2.12 “…of….” Eg: A policeman waved me out of the snake of traffic and flagged me to stop. He had a dim memory of wandering through a labyrinth of sordid houses, of being lost in a giant of somber streets, and it was bright dawn when he found himself at last in Piccadilly Circus.

a/the +N1 +of +N2 A sea of trouble A rain of bullets A shower of stones A box of house a +N1 +of +a +N2 a flower of a girl a fox of a man

2.2 verbs are used metaphorically. Eg: The boy wolfed down the food the moment he grabbed it. The case snowballed into one of the most famous trials in U.S. history. √Some books are to be tasted , others swallowed , and some few to be chewed and digested. He often prefaced his remarks by “ I can’t help thinking….” 2.3adjectives are used metaphorically. Eg: The mountainous waves swallowed up the ship . I’ve got one of my Sahara thirsts on tonight. By this hour the volcanic fires of his nature had burnt down , and having drunk no great quantity as yet he was inclined to acquiesce（默许）.

2.4 adverbs are used metaphorically. Eg：The charcoal fire-glowed and dimmed rhythmically to the strokes of the bellows. Attention: A metaphor or a simile has to be fresh to be effective. One that has been frequently used over a long period of time will become dull and stale, and cease to function as a metaphor or simile. “ the leg of a table” .

三、personification It is to treat a thing or an idea as if it were human or had human qualities. In poetry personification is very common. Eg; Liquor talks mighty loud when it gets loose form the jar. Slang is language that takes off its coat, spits on its hands, and goes to work. A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.----Mark Twain Mosquitoes were using my ankles for filling stations. In November a cold , unseen stranger, whom the doctor called Pneumonia , stalked about the colony , touching one here and there with his icy fingers. Over on the east side the ravager strode boldly , smiting his victims by scores.

四、Metonymy It is substituting the name of one thing for that of another with which it is closely associated. Such as the crown stand for a king , and the White House for the American government , the bottle for wine or alcohol , and the bar for the legal profession. 4.1 the typical feature for the common thing eg: He wandered…. Slaying whatever of fur and feather came in his way. Have I in conquest stretch’d my arms so far To be afeared to tell greybeards the truth? --- ---William Shakespeare : Julius Caesar Soapy stood still with his hands in his pockets and smiled at the sight of brass buttons. 4.2 The tools for the doer or deed/ vice versa Eg: The pen is mightier than the sword. Sword and cross in hand , the European conqueror fell upon the Americans.

4.3 The container for its content / vice versa Eg: He has undoubtedly the best stable in the country. Whenever my husband has a bad day at the office , he hits the bottle. By Jove , sir, I’ve pawned my own watch in order to get her anything she fancied; and she—she’s been making a purse for herself all the time , and grudged me a hundred pound to get out of quod. ------William M. Thackeray: Vanity Fair 4.4The organ for the function ( of the body) / vice versa Eg: The practiced ear can recognize a classic flavor. She has the eye for the fair and the beautiful. I have an opinion of you , sir , to which it is not easy to give the mouth . She was, to be sure, a girl who excited the emotions , but I was not one to let my heart rule my head.

4.5 The person or animal for its feature Eg: There is still much of the schoolboy in him. The wolf and the pig mingled together in his face. He believed that Braynes whom he knew ---- a bit of an old woman ---- was the young man’s uncle by marriage. There is a mixture of the tiger and the ape in the character of a Frenchman . 4.6 The raw material for the finished products/ vice versa Eg: The 25th Games in Barcelons saw 4 golds and 5 silvers in swimming fall into China’s pockets. And as he pluck’d the cursed steel away, Mark how the blood of Caesar followed…… ---William Shakespeare : Julius Caesar

4.7 The writer for the works / vice versa Eg: The captain….. had fallen in possession of a complete Shakespeare. Anton Rubinstein was renowned for his rendition of Tchaikovsky. 4.8 The concrete for the abstract / vice versa Eg: The rather arresting spectacle of little old Japan adrift amid beige concrete skyscrapers is the very symbol of the incessant struggle between the kimono and the miniskirt. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground…… ----- Holy Bible See , from his hands, his head , his side , sorrow and love flow mingled down . It is a pity that there is more ignorance than knowledge in the country. All the wit and learning of the land assembled here . There is a mixture of the tiger and the ape in the character of a Frenchman .

五、 Synecdoche When a part is substituted for the whole or the whole is substituted for a part , synecdoche is applied. Eg: The farm were short of hands during the harvest season. Germany beat Argentina 2 to 1 in this exciting football match. He spent all his uncle’s bread on wine and beer. Attention:Metonymy and synecdoche are similar as both involve substitution. Sometimes they can hardly be distinguished from metaphor, which in a way is also substitution. Eg: There is a mixture of the tiger and the ape in the character of a Frenchman . Frechman is the tiger and the ape.

*look off color under the weather not all there long illness social disease emotionally disturbed *disabled , handicapped , inconvenienced hard of hearing , auditory-impaired sight-deprived , visually retarded 六、Euphemism6.1the disease ,handicapped ,death

* to die go west be at rest be asleep in the Arms of God go the way of all flesh join one’s ancestors return to dust breathe one’s last pass away run one’s race be no longer with us pay one’s debt to nature His time has come . His star has set . His number is up. He has met his end . He is resting in peace. He has gone west . He has gone/ gone to heaven. He has breathe his last . He is sleeping with his fathers . He has departed from life.

in the altogether in a state of nature in one’s birthday suit wash one’s hands relieve oneself get some fresh air answer the call of nature eating for two swallow a watermelon seed learn all about diaper folding rehearsing lullabies wear the apron high 6.2About the body , pregnancy etc

shoetrician garbologist domestic engineer aisle manager chimney consultant land architect * crimes to steal : to hook ; to palm ; to work the hole ; to walk away with to rob: to clip ; to put the arm on ; to break a jug to hit the pipe: to blow snow ; to lie down ; to trip out ; Lady Snow , joy powder to kill : to Ⅹ out ; to disappear ; to die in a necktie , to go cool. 6.3About the profession and social problem

6.4About the military and politics • Air support to pacify Adjustment of the front eyes only Energy release DP To knock doors to misspeak • Eg: 1) And , it being low water , he went out with the tide. • 2) If you will allow me , I will call your carriage for you . • 3) The boy used to take things without permission and has just been out of the rehabilitation home in the country. • 4) I’m afraid she can’t act that part ---- she is a little on the plump side. • 5) We had three main difficulties with regard to those documents.

七、Hyperbole Hyperbole is also called overstatement . In overstatement the diction exaggeration the subject. Hyperbole is always divided into two parts : Extended Hyperbole and Reduced Hyperbole . Eg: His eloquence would split rocks ! It is the last straw that breaks the camel’s back.

7.1 with the numbers eg: One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters. Splendid cheese they were , ripe and mellow , and with a two hundred horse-power scent about them that might have warranted to carry three miles , and knock a man over at two hindered yards . ------ J. K. Jerome 7.2 with the other words eg: In its wake , budge cuts and food shortage have hit the new nation of Russia--- and prices have shot out of this world. It’s a crime to stay inside on such a beautiful day. Falstaff : I was beaten myself into all the colors of rainbow…… -----Shakespeare : The Merry Wives of Winsor Everyone bowed, including the Westerners. After three days in Japan , the spinal column becomes extraordinarily flexible. She has that everlasting rotation of tongue , that an echo must wait till she dies before it can catch her last words. It was the trial that rocked the world.

7.3With the subjunctive mood Eg: Some movie stars wear their sunglasses even in churches; they’re afraid God might recognize them and ask for autograph. And the fattest woman I have ever seen in my life dozing in a straight-backed chair . It was as if a sack of grain was supported by a matchbox. 7.4 With the comparative and superlative degree of adjectives. Eg: The most effective water power in the world --- -- women’s tears. She has more goodness in her little finger than he has in his whole body.

7.5 With other figure of speech Eg: Miss Bolo went straight home in a flood of tears and sedan chair. “ Poly, I love you . You are the whole world to me , and the moon and the stars and the constellation of outer space”. A drop of ink may make a million think . A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.

八、understatement In understatement the words play down the magnitude or value of the subject. We can solve this problem. This problem is not above us. Eg: The place has been here since 1915 , and no hurricane has ever bothered it . For large numbers of people the absence of work is harmful to their health. This was the last straw. I was very young ; the prospect of working under a woman constituted the ultimate indignity. Understatement can be divided into two parts: 8.1 Litotes(曲言法) ( in the negative form)---- no small , no little , no lack of ; no joke ,cannot….too ; not without etc. A book may be compared to your neighbor ; if it be good, it cannot last too long; if bad , you cannot get rid of it too early.

In India , not a year passes without a number of people falling victims to the ferocity of the tiger. No one was more willing to do a favor for friend or neighbor than he. 8.2 Meiosis (弱陈)----rather, hardly, scarcely, kind of , something of . Eg: There is also poverty , convincingly etched in the statistics , and etched too, in the lives of people like Hortensia Cabrera, mother of 14, widow. “Money,” she says with quiet understatement ,” is kind of tight. But I manage.” During last year’s Central Park Bicycle Race, five of the racers were attacked and had their bikes stolen while the race was in progress. This is something of a handicap in a bicycle race. There was a slight disturbance in the city yesterday, all the shops were shut. His speech leaves much to be desired. = His speech is far from satisfactory.

九、Transferred epithet A figure of speech in which the epithet is transferred from the appropriate noun to modify another to which it does not really belong .For example: when one says that he has had a busy day , one is using such a figure of speech. For it is the person , not the day , that is busy. Eg: I spoke to them in hesitant French . People listened with open-mouthed astonishment while the shocking new sank in. Summoning the waiter, he stabbed an accusing finger at the soup bowl and cried “ Le Monche!” Darrow had whispered throwing a reassuring arm round my shoulder as we were waiting for the court to open . ---------the trial that rocked the world a surprised silence a pitiful white smile a dizzy height a sleepless bed

十、alliteration It refers to the appearance of the same initials consonant sound in two or more words , such as proud as a peacock.; however , there is no alliteration in “physical pain”. 10.1 sayings Eg: Money makes the mare go. A fair face may hide a foul heart. Dumb dogs are dangerous. Tit for tat With might and main Neither fish , flesh ,nor fowl Safe and sound 10.2 advertisements Vitamins for Vim and Vigor Cut costs without cutting corners Sea ,sun, sand, seclusion----and Spain. Sensuously Smooth . Mysteriously mellow. Gloriously Golden. Who can resist the magic of Camus XO Cognac?

10.3 Poem And the snake in hiding feels the sunlight’s finger The snake , the fang of summer , beauty’s double meaning, Shifts his slow coils and feels his springtime hunger. 10.4 Prose Next to health , heart , home , happiness for mobile American depends upon the automobile. The world believes in the wonder worker , not in the words of wisdom. 10.5 The title of the books and magazine Pride and Prejudice Sense and Sensibility The Winds of War Jazzy in Jeams , Sassy in Sweater Starlight on Skyline , Galaxy of Glamour

10.6 The tongue twister A big black bug bit a big black bear and made the big black bear bleed blood. 10.7 Fixed phrases Knick-knack Jingle-jangle Dilly-dally Shilly-shally Fuddy-duddy Hurry-scurry Humpty-dumpty

十一、 Irony It is the use of words which are clearly opposite to what is meant, in order to achieve a special effect.. It refers to the ridiculous errors or faults by seeming to approve them, or defend virtues by seeming to condemn them. Eg: 1) He is as slender in the middle as a cow in the waist. 2) What a noble illustration of the tender laws of his favored country!--- They let the paupers go to sleep. • His designs were strictly honorable , as the saying is ; that is , to rob a lady of her fortune by way of marriage . • This hard-working boy seldom reads more than an hour per week. 5) A bronco often becomes so attached to his master that he will lay down his life if necessary ---his master’s life , I mean.

十二、onomatopoeia • It is the use of imitative and naturally suggestive words for rhetorical effect. Eg: 1) The clock ticked louder and louder in the quiet room. 2) Suddenly he heard the tick tack of the high heels in the corridor. 3) The window rattled in the wind . The train rattled on. He rattled the newspaper nervously. The old taxi rattled down the street. A wild goose dashed away with a rattle of wings .

1)imitate the sound of human beings aha sh boo wow ouch ahem hurrah giggle clap 2) imitate the sound of animals Apes gibber. Asses bray( hechaw). Bees hum ( huzz, drone) Bulls bellow . Cows moo. Cocks crow ( cock-a-doodle-doo) Hens cackle.

Chicken cheep. Cats mew ( purr) • Dogs bow-bow. Doves coo. • Ducks quack. Elephants trumpet. • Frogs croak. Geese gaggle. • Horses neigh. Magpies chatter. • Mice squeak. Pigs squeal ( grunt ) • Lions roar. Tigers growl. • Snakes hiss. Wolves howl. 3) Imitate the sound of nature . • Murmur patter swish • Toot tinkle ka-dok Eg: 1) The angry husband shut the door with a bang . 2) My heart is banging in my ears. 3) The drunken driver drove bang into the store window. 4) “ Bang! Bang!” shouted the boys in imitation of gunfire.

十三、contrast parallelism & antithesis 1）It refers to the opposition or unlikeness in the things compared , exhibition of differences. 2）It refers to the parallel structure. 3） It refers to the placing of a sentence or one of its parts against another to which it is opposed. It is considered as the combination of contrast and parallelism.

1)Contrast Eg: 1) He is a big frog in a small pond. 2) He found himself a little frog in a big pond. 3) A bank is a place where they lend you an umbrella in fair weather and ask for it back again when it begins to rain. 4) To be , or not to be : that is the question ; whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune , or to take arms against a sea of troubles by opposing end them…….. • William Shakespeare : Hamlet • 5) A mother takes twenty years to make a man of her boy , and another woman makes a fool of him in twenty minutes.

Parallelism Eg: 1) We can gain knowledge by reading , by reflection , by observation or by practice. 2) Their sunburned faces were dark , and their sunwhipped eyes were light. 3) Their powers of conversation were considerable .They could describe an entertainment with accuracy , relate an anecdote with humor , and laugh at their acquaintance with spirit. ----- J .Austen : Pride and Prejudice 4) Studies serve for delight , for ornament , and for ability. 5) An Englishman thinks seated ; a Frenchman , standing ; an American , pacing ; an Irishman , afterward. 6) We shall fight him by land, we shall fight him by sea , we shall fight him in the air. -------W.S .Churchill

Antithesis Eg: 1) Speech is silver , silence is gold. 2) Not that I loved Caesar less , but that I loved Rome more. 3) One hundred years later , the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. 4) Money is a good servant but a bad master. 5) Short accounts make long friends. 6) Ask not what your country can do for you ---- ask what you can do for your country. -------- John F . Kennedy 7) A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities ; an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties. I take thee to my wedded wife , to have and to hold from this day forward , for better or worse , for richer or poorer , in sickness and in health , to love and cherish , till death do we part , according to God’s holy ordiance , and thereto I plight thee my troth. 我愿遵照上帝圣仪，娶汝为妻。从今起，无论境遇顺遂或乖逆，富贵或贫困，身体康泰或身罹疾病，愿长相厮守，相爱相惜，至死不渝，谨誓。

十四、Pun The humorous use of a word or a combination of words so as to emphasize different meanings or applications or the use of words that are alike or nearly alike in sound but different in meaning. A: Homonym Eg:1) An ambassador is an honest man who lies abroad for the good of his country. 2) ----what do lawyer do when they die ? ---- Lie still. 3) Bridge is a game of cards which a good deal depends a good deal. 4) Try our sweet corn , and you’ll smile from ear to ear .

B：Homophone Eg:1) On the first day of this week he became very weak. ---- Seven days make one week / weak . 2) On Sunday they pray for you and on Monday they prey on you. 3) Tick , Tock , Tick, …..Talk C: Homograph Eg: 1) There were a row of young fellow in the street , and a row among them , too. 2) Finding tears on her coat , she burst into tears .

Two ghosts walking into a bar and asked the bartender : “ Do you serve spirits?” • A: “My business is looking up.” Said the astronomer. • B: “Mine is going up in smoke.” Complained the cigar maker. • C: “Mine is all write.” chuckled the author. • D: “Mine is just sew ,sew.” Remarked the tailor • E: “Mine is growing.” The farmer boasted. • F: “Ours is pretty light.” Snapped the electric light man. • G: “Mine is picking up.” Smiled the cheerful rag picker. • H: “Mine is looking better.” Opined the optician.

十五、parody Succession of words whose meaning must be learned as a whole , an expression whose meaning cannot be derived from its constituent elements . Eg: 1) Modern journalism justifies its own existence by the great Darwinian principle of the Survival of the vulgarest. 2) Where there is a will , there is a lawsuit. 3) A friend in need is a friend to be avoided. 4) Don’t put off till tomorrow what can be enjoyed today. 5) “ I was brought up rich.” “ Yeah,” I said , “ You were born with a Cadillac in your mouth.” 6) One nonlinguistic explanation of failure at school is that you can take a child to Euclid but you can’t make him think . 7) All roads lead to socialism ------ Bonald Shaw

十六、repetition A: immediate repetition eg: 1) Would you please please please please please please please stop talking. 2) Scrooge went to bed again, and thought , and thought , and thought it over and over again. B: intermittent repetition (1) Anaphora Eg: 1) The man of wisdom is never in two minds ; the man of benevolence never worries, the man of courage is never afraid. • 2)Old wood best to burn , Old wine to drink , old friends to trust , and old authors to read. -----Francis Bacon

(2) Epistrophe Eg: 1) Reading makes a full man , meditation a profound man. 2) Seeing much , suffering much ,and studying much , are the tree pillars of learning. (3) Anaphora + Epistrophe Eg: 1) Broke oath on oath , committed wrong on wrong. 2) With ruin upon ruin, rout on rout,confusion worse confounded. 3) Nothing can come of nothing. (4) Antistrophe Eg: 1) For the sky and the sea , and the sea and the sky Lay a load on my weary eye. 2) When the going gets tough , the tough gets going . 3) The soldier faces the powder while the beauty powders the face.

十六 oxymoron &paradox Paradox: Consisting of a statement which on the face of it seems self-contra dictionary , absurd , but on further thinking , may prove to be true , well-founded. Eg:1) One has to be cruel to be kind . 2) More haste , less speed. 3) In fact , it appears that the teachers of English teach English so poorly largely because they teach grammar so well . • They laughed and shouted drinking greedily of drinks they could not taste . Oxymoron: A figure of speech which combines incongruous and apparently contradictory words and meaning for a special effect .

1) adj + n. proud humility painful pleasure a thunderous silence a cheerful pessimist tearful joy 2) adj. + adj. bitter-sweet memories poor rich guys a miserable , merry Christmas 3)adv. + adj. falsely true a wisely stupid idea 4)v . + adv. shine darkly die merrily hasten slowly 5)n . + n. a love-hate relationship a life-and-death struggle

Figures of Speech