figures of speech (1)

Figures of speech:1. Simile（明喻）: a figure that involves an expresses comparison, almost always introduced by the word …like‟ or …as‟. The two things compared must be dissimilar and the basis of resemblance is usually an abstract quality.a. As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.b. The water lay gray and wrinkled like an elephant‟s skin.2. Metaphor（暗喻）: the substitution of one thing for another, or the identification of two things from different ranges of thought. It is often loosely defined as …an implied comparison‟, “a simile without “like or as”.a.All the world‟s a stage, and all the men and women merely playe rs.b.Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to bechewed and digested…3. Personification（拟人）: a figure that endows objects, animals, ideas, or abstractions with human form, character, or sensibility. There are three chief kinds of personification:a. That produced by the use of adjectives.The blushing rose; the thirsty groundb. That produced by the use of verb.The kettle sings; the waves dancedSnow clothes the ground.c. That produced by the use of nouns.The smiles of the spring; the whisper of leaves4. Metonymy（借代）: the substitution of the name of one thing for that of another with which it is closely associated.a. The pen is mightier than the sword.b. Have you ever read Shakespeare?c. The kettle is boiling.5. Synecdoche（提喻）: Synecdoche means giving the part for the whole or vice versa, using concrete things to represent abstract things or vice versa.a. Use the part to represent the wholeThe farms are short of hands during the harvest season. (workers)He has a fleet of fifty sails. (ships)b. Use the whole to represent the partThe score is 2 to 1 in favor of China. (Chinese team)The world stands by our side.c. Use concrete things to represent abstract things or vice versa.There is a mixture of the tiger and ape in the character of Frenchman. (‘tiger’and ‘ape’stands for the quality of ‘ferocity’and …cunningness‟ )All the wit and learning were assembled here. (the wit—the clever and wise people; learning—learned people)6. Euphemism（委婉语）: the substitution of an inoffensive expression for one that may be disagreeable.a. His departure from this world was peaceful.b. Soap and water will do his collar no harm.c. He is a bit slow for his age.7. Hyperbole（夸张）or Overstatement:a conscious exaggeration for the sake of emphasis, not intended to be understood literally.a. His speech brought the house down.b. It‟s a crim e to stay inside on such a beautiful day.c. The wave ran mountain high.d. One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters.8. Antithesis（反衬）: the setting of contrasting phrases opposite each other for emphasis. In true antithesis the opposition between the elements is manifested through parallel grammatical structure.a. A friend exaggerates a man‟s virtues, an enemy his crimes.b. Knowledge makes humble, ignorance make proud.c. The life of the wolf is the death of the lamb.9. Oxymoron（矛盾修辞法）: a kind of paradox or antithesis that links together two sharply contrasting terms.a. Love is a sweet torture.b. A glorious defeatc. The greatest hatred springs from the greatest love10. Rhetorical Question（设问）: a question neither requiring nor intended to producea reply but asked for emphasis. The assumption is that only one answer is possible.a. To beat such an animal, couldn‟t we win?b. If winter comes, can spring be far behind?11. Irony（反语）:the expression of actual intent in words that carry the opposite meaning. It is an effective literary device because it gives the impression of great restraint.a. Robbing a widow of her savings was certainly a noble act.b. Her capacity for family affection is extraordinary; when her third husbands died, her hair turned quite gold from grief.12. Sarcasm（讽刺）: a cutting remark, a verbal sneer. Sarcasm pretends to disguise its meaning, but dose not intend to be misunderstood.a.“ Oh, you‟re really a great friend, aren‟t you?”b. He is very generous indeed.13. Ridicule（嘲笑）: instance of being made fun ofBryan mopped his bald dome in silence.14. Alliteration（头韵）: the use in a phrase or sentence of words beginning with the same letter or sound. Alliteration should be used only when the writer makes a strong emotional response to his subject.a. Love me little love long.b. Money makes the mare go.c. A fair face may hide a foul heart.15. Assonance（元韵）: the use of the same, or related, vowel sounds in successive words.a. A deep green steamb. The rain in Spain falls on the plain16. Onomatopoeia（拟声）: the use of words that, when pronounced, suggest their meaning.1) She banged the door behind her.2) The rain pattered all night.3) I listened to the rumbling of thunder17.Transferred epithet（移就）: the transference of an adjective to a noun to which it is not wholly appropriate.a. Even so, the risk of discovery was beginning to cause Pettit sleepless nights.b. His story achieved nothing but cheap laughs.c. There was a short, thoughtful silence. Then he said, “ Dad, you hav e just worked a profound change in my personality.”18. Pun（双关语）: a play on words based on similarity of sound and sharp difference in meaning.a. One shop announced: Darwin is Right----inside.b. It‟s More satisfied.c. Why is an empty purse always the same?Because there is never any change in it.d. On Sunday they pray for you, on Monday they prey on you.19. Periodic Sentence（圆周句）: is one in which the meaning is suspended till the close of the sentence.a. The past, with its crimes, its follies, and its tragedies, flashes away.b. Any man or state that fights against Nazidom will have our aid.c. It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a fortune must be in want of a wife.d. At last, with no small difficulty, and after much fatigue, we came, through deep roads and bad weather, to our journey’s end.20. Understatement（低调陈述）: It is a statement that says less than could be said truly. It minimizes for effect.a. It is not very courteous to poison a guest.b.London is a village of some size.21. Consonance（和音）: partial or total identity of consonants in words or syllables whose main vowels differ.a. Pressed/past window/shadowb. The earthen floor, beaten hard by countless feet, deadens the sound of footsteps.22. Parallelism（平行结构）:: the use of phrases, clauses, or sentences that are similar or complementary in structure or in meaning. Parallelism is a form of repetition.We shall fight him by land;We shall fight him by sea;We shall fight him by air.23. Inversion（倒装）Inversion is used to give emphasis or to be rhetorical in more formal situations, in political speeches, on the news, and also in literature.At no time did I say I would accept late homework.From this nothing will turn us---nothing.24. Repetition （重复）: the repeated use of the same synonymous words, to add force, clearness or balance to a sentence.a. Blood must atone for bloodb. We will never parley, we will never negotiate…c. Diamond cut diamond.25. Climax(层进): refers to the arrangement of a series of ideas which go from the least important to the most important with steady strengthening of emotion and tone. For example:(1) Made of wordsa. He dare to think, dare to speak, and dares to act.b. Insects, beasts, men, all are creatures.(2) Made of clausesa. I was born an American; I live an American; I shall die an American.b. He has gone, he has escaped, he has broken away.26. Anticlimax (突降):It is the opposite of climax. A series of ideas are arranged in such a way that they go from the most important to the least important with steady weakening of emotion and tone.a. The explosion completely destroyed a church, two houses, and a flowerpot.b. I lost my bag, and with it, my wallet, my I.D. card, and my dirty socks.27. Parody: The humorous imitation of a work of literature, art, or music. A parodyoften achieves its humorous effect through the use of exaggeration or mockery.a. Where there is a will, there is a lawsuit.b. A friend in need is a friend to be avoided.。

figures of speech:I.Antithesis:Antithesis, favored by many speakers when persuading , places contrasting ideas side by side for emphasis and rhythm. The elements（usually two）are contrary in meaning but similar in form. For examples:1.The world will little note nor long remember what we say here; but it can neverforget what they did here.2.Any man or state who fights on against Nazidom will have our aid. Any man orstate who marches with Hitler is our foe.3.United, there is little we cannot do in a host of co-operative ventures. Divided,there is little we can do ….4.And so, my fellow American: Ask not what your country can do for you ---askwhat you can do for your country.5.Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.6.The coward does it with a kiss, the brave man with a sword.7.Marriage is easy, housekeeping is hard.8.Penny wise; pound foolish.9.If a free society can not help the many who are poor, it can not save the fewwho are rich.10.Honey is sweet, but the bee stings.11.Hope for the best, and prepare for the worst.12.Give me liberty, or give me death.13.Art is long ; life is short.14.More haste, less speed.II.metaphor: It uses words to indicate something different from the leteral meaning----one thing is described in terms of another so as to suggest likeness or analogy between them. It can be used for three purpose: description, illumination and illustration.Visible metaphor: It takes the form of X is Y. for example,1.You are my sunshine.2.You are a pain in the neck.3.The house will be paradise.Invisible metaphor: Both the primary term(tenor) and the secondary term (vehicle) are not present at the same time. For example,1. Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested. --------- here the secondary term is food.2. The machine sitting at that desk was no longer a man; it was a busy New York broker… ---------- here the primary term is man.3. But while we cannot close the gulf between us, we can try to bridge it so that we may be able to talk across it. -------- the primary term hinted:differences.4. Poetry is the scent of the rose, the lightening in the sky, the gleam of the fly, the sound of the sea. ( Poetry is compared to scent, lightening, gleam, and sound------- all in different perspectives.)5. All the world’s a stage,And all the men and women merely players;They have their exits and their entrances,And one man in his time plays many parts,His acts being seven ages…(The initial comparison is “the world is a stage.”It serves as a basic comparison and then it is developed by the consequent comparisons, which serve as its extending part.)6. Laws are cobwebs, where the small flies are caught and the great break.(the initial comparison is “Laws are cobwebs.”And the extending metaphor is the small flies and great flies, which respectively refer to those who come from the lower class and those from the upper class.)Dead metaphor:He is a fox. She is a peacock. An iron heart, the snow white wall, ruby lips, birds of the same feather, a wolf in sheep’s clothing.…….She is an angel of a wife.Love and a cough cannot be hid.The corridor was flooded with boys and girls.Learnig is climbing up a mountain.III. Synecdoche: a part is put for the whole, the whole for a part, the species for the genus, the genus for the species, or the name of the material for the thing made.The part for the wholeHe has many mouths to feed in his family. (mouths for family members)The poor man is now left without a roof. (roof for house)He earned his bread as a dust man. (bread for food)If I has some wheels, I’d put on my best threads and ask for Jane’s hand in marriage. (wheels for car, threads for clothes)The whole for the partShe cut herself in the kitchen. (herself for her finger)My TV is out of order. (TV for the components of a TV set)Italy beat Spain in the football match. (Italy, Spain for the Italy team and the Spanish team respectively)The abstract for the concrete, or the concrete for the abstractAll the wit and learning of the world were assembled there. (wit and learning for the wise people and learned people ----- the abstract for the concrete)The authorities were greeted. (authorities for officials------ the abstract for the concrete)I had the muscle and they made money out of it. (muscle for physical strength ------ the concrete for the abstract)I have his ear, of course. (ear for obedience ---the concrete for the abstract)The species for the genus, or the genus for the speciesDid you see that cutthroat? (cutthroat for murder------ The species for the genus) Alas, that spring should vanish with the rose. (rose for flowers------ The species for the genus)The children were frightened by the cats in the zoo. (cats for tigers, leopards andlions----- the genus for the species)There sits my animal guarding the door to the henhouse. (animal for dog------- the genus for the species)Name of the material for the thing madeHave you any coppers? (coppers for coins that are made of copper)With tears of blood he clenched the hand that held the steel. (steel for sword that is made of steel)He is in irons. (irons for iron shackles or chains)IV. Transferred epithet: it refers to an ornamental adjective or adjectival phrase that co-occurs either with a proper name or with a common noun. 遇有甲乙两个印象连在一起时，作者把原属于甲印象的性状移属于乙印象。

Figures of Speech1)Simile(明喻):A figure of speech which makes a comparison between two unlike elements having at least one characteristic in common.To make the comparison,words like as,as...as,as if and like are used to transfer the quality we associate to the other.For example:As cold waters to a thirsty soul,so is good news from a far country.2)Metaphor(暗喻):Like a simile to makes a comparison between two unlike elements,but this comparison is implied rather than stated.For example,the world is a stage.3)Analogy(类比):A form of comparison,but unlike simile or metaphor which usually uses comparison on one point of resemblance,analogy draws a parallel between two unlike things that have several points of resemblance.4)Personification(拟人):Gives human form of feelings or personal attributes to inanimate objects,or to ideas and abstractions.For example,the wind whistled through the trees.5)Hyperbole(夸张):Deliberate use of overstatement or exaggeration to achieve emphasis.For instance,he almost died laughing.6)Overstatement(含蓄陈述):Opposite of hyperbole.It achieves its effect of emphasizing a fact by deliberately understating it,impressing the reader more by what is merely implied or left unsaid than by bare statement.For instance,it is no laughing matter.7)Metonymy(转喻):A figure of speech that has to do with the substitution of one thing for that of another.For instance,the pen(words)is mightier than the sword(forces).8)Synecdoche(提喻):It involves the substitution of the part for the whole,or the whole for the part.For instance,they say there's bread and work for all.She was dressed in silks.9)Pun:(双关语）A play on words,or rather a play on the form and meaning of words.10)Irony(反语):A figure of speech that achieves emphasis by saying the opposite of what is meant.11)Sarcasm(讽刺):A strong form of irony,sarcasm attacks in a bitter manner and aims to ridicule.For example,laws are like cobwebs,which may catch small flies,but let wasps break through.12)Paradox(似是而非的隽语):A figure of speech that consists of a statement which seems self-contradictory but which actually proves to be true.For example:more haste,less speed.1。