1. 比喻(metaphor)比喻就是打比方。可分为明喻和暗喻：
明喻(simile)： A figure of speech in which two essentially unlike things are compared. 明喻：一种修辞手法，把两种基本不相像的东西进行比较.
用like, as, as...as, as if(though) 或用其他词语指出两个不同事物的相似之处。例如：“How like the winter hath my absence been”or “So are you to my thoughts as food to life” (Shakespeare). 如“我的离开好象是冬天来临” 或“你对我的思想就象食物对于生命一样重要” （莎士比亚）
O my love's like a red, red rose. 我的爱人像一朵红红的玫瑰花。
The man can't be trusted. He is as slippery as an eel. 那个人不可信赖。他像鳗鱼一样狡猾。
He jumped as if he had been stung.他像被蜇了似的跳了起来。
Childhood is like a swiftly passing dream. 童年就像一场疾逝的梦。
暗喻(metaphor)：缩写met.，metaph. A figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison.
用一个词来指代与该词所指事物有相似特点的另外一个事物。例如：
He has a heart of stone. 他有一颗铁石心肠。
The world is a stage. 世界是一个大舞台。
“a sea of troubles” “忧愁之海”
“All the world's a stage”(Shakespeare) “整个世界一台戏”(莎士比亚)
2. 换喻(metonymy) 用某一事物的名称代替另外一个与它关系密切的事物的名称，只要一提到其中一种事物，就会使人联想到另一种。比如用the White House 代替美国政府或者总统，用the bottle来代替wine 或者alcohol，用the bar 来代替the legal profession，用crown代替king等。例如：
His purse would not allow him that luxury. 他的经济条件不允许他享受那种奢华。
The mother did her best to take care of the cradle. 母亲尽最大努力照看孩子。
He succeeded to the crown in 1848. 他在1848年继承了王位。
3. 举隅，提喻(synecdoche) 以局部代表整体（如用手代表水手），以整体代表局部（如用法律代表警官），以特殊代表一般（如用直柄剃刀代表杀人者），以一般代表特殊（如用贼代表扒手），或用原材料代表用该材料制造的东西（如用钢代表剑）例如：
He earns his bread by writing. 他靠写作挣钱谋生。
The farms were short of hands during the harvest season. 在收获季节里农场缺乏劳动Australia beat Canada at cricket. 澳大利亚队在板球比赛中击败了加拿大队。
He is the Newton of this century. 他是这个世纪的牛顿。
4. 拟人(personification) 拟人，人格化：给无生命的东西或者抽象的东西赋予人的个性或绘以人的形象，把事物或者概念当作人或者具备人的品质的写法。例如：Hunger sat shivering on the road 饥饿站在路上颤抖
Flowers danced about the lawn 花儿在草地上翩翩起舞
My heart was singing. 我的心在歌唱。
This time fate was smiling to him. 这一次命运朝他微笑了。
The flowers nodded to her while she passed. 当她经过的时候花儿向她点头致意。
The wind whistled through the trees. 风穿过树丛，树叶哗哗作响。
5. 委婉(euphemism) 用温和的、间接的词语代替生硬的、粗俗的词语，以免直接说出不愉快的事实冒犯别人或者造成令人窘迫、沮丧的局面。例如：
用to fall asleep; to cease thinking; to pass away; to go to heaven; to leave us 代替to die
用senior citizens代替old people
用 a slow learner或者an under achiever代替a stupid pupil
用weight watcher代替fat people
用mental hospital 代替madhouse或者asylum
用emotionally disturbed代替mad
用washroom, men's / women's room代替lavatory
用handicapped代替crippled
用low income brackets; underprivileged; disadvantaged 代替poor people
6. 双关(pun) 用同音异义或者一词二义来达到诙谐幽默的效果：表面上是一个意思，而实际上却暗含另一个意思，这种暗含的意思才是句子真正的目的所在。例如：
A cannonball took off his legs, so he laid down his arms. (arms可指手臂或者武器)
一发炮弹打断了他的腿，所以他缴械投降了。
“Can I try on that gown in the window” asked a would-be customer.
“Certainly not, madam!” replied the salesman. 我可以试穿一下橱窗里的那件睡袍吗或者：我可以在橱窗里试穿那件睡袍吗
Seven days without water make one weak (week). 七天没有水使一个人虚弱。或者：七天没有水就是一周没有水。
7. 反语(irony) 使用与真正意义相反的词，正话反说或者反话正说，从对立的角度运用词义来产生特殊的效果。下面就是莎士比亚的戏剧Julius Caesar 中的一个运用反语的很好的例子，Brutus出于野心刺杀了Caesar, Caesar 的好友Antony 讥讽Brutus 说：Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest—
For Brutus is an honorable man;
So are they all, all honorable men—
Come I to speak in Caesar's funeral.
He was my friend, faithful and just to me:
But Brutus says he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honorable man.
在Antony 的话里反复使用honorable这个词就是一个反语的例子。
8. 矛盾修饰(oxymoron) 把相互矛盾的两个词用在一起的修辞方法。它利用词义表面的相互矛盾使表层的不和谐统一在思想内容的深层，从而揭示事物对立统一的本质特征，达到加深印象的目的。例如：
deafening silence震耳欲聋的沉默
a mournful optimist. 悲伤的乐观
She read the long-awaited letter with a tearful smile. 她带着含泪的微笑读那封盼望已久的信。
The coach had to be cruel to be kind to his trainees.教练为了对他的受训者仁慈就要对他们残酷。
