Figures of Speech

Metaphor - a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable. Broken heart - Your heart is not literally broken into pieces; you just feel hurt and sad. The light of my life - The person described by this metaphor isn't really providing physical light. He or she is just someone who brings happiness or joy. It's raining men - Men do not literally pour from the sky; there are simply an abundance of male suitors around at the time. Time is a thief - Time isn't really stealing anything, this metaphor just indicates that time passes quickly and our lives pass us by. He is the apple of my eye - There is, of course, no real apple in a person's eye. The "apple" is someone beloved and held dear. Bubbly personality - A bubbly personality doesn't mean a person is bubbling over with anything, just that the person is cheerful. Feel blue - No one actually ever feels like the color blue, although many people say they are "feeling blue" to mean they are feeling sad. Fade off to sleep - You don't actually fade, you simply go to sleep. Inflamed your temper - The news inflamed your temper is not a situation where there is any actual fire or flames, it is just a situation where someone gets mad. Reeks of infidelty - When said about a cheating partner, this doesn't actually mean that there is a literal smell. Instead, it is just apparent that the person is cheating. Rollercoaster of emotions - A rollercoaster of emotions doesn't exist anywhere, so when people are on a rollercoaster of emotions, they are simply experiencing lots of ups and downs. Stench of failure - The stench of failure is strong, according to the common metaphor, but of course failing doesn't really smell. Simile - a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid (e.g. as brave as a lion ). To help you identify a simile, know that the words “like” or “as” are always used. “cute as a kitten,” comparing the way someone looks to the way a kitten looks “as busy as a bee” comparing someone’s level of energy to a fast-flying bee "as snug as a bug in a rug" comparing someone who is very cozy to how comfortable a bug can be in a rug "as happy as a clam" comparing someone's happiness to the contentment of a clam "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get." comparing the uncertainty of life to the uncertainty of choosing a chocolate from a box "as agile as a monkey" implying someone can move as well as a monkey does "as black as coal" comparing the color of something dark to the very-dark coal color "as blind as a bat" indicating that the person cannot see any better than a bat can Hyperbole - exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.  It is going to take a bazillion years to get through Medical School. I ate the whole cow. He's 900 years old. I am so hungry I could eat a horse. There are millions of other things to do. Running faster than the speed of light. You could be Miss Universe. It took light years for this to work. I waited in line for centuries. I've told you a million times don't exaggerate. I had to walk fifteen miles uphill both ways, in snow five feet deep. I had worse than that in my eye. If I don't get these jeans, I will DIE! I have a million things to do today. I could eat a horse. She cried for days. The whole world was staring at me. The package took forever to arrive in the mail. I had a ton of homework. it took him two seconds to drive here. Her smile was a mile wide. His teeth were blinding white. My car is a million years old. I don't have two cents to rub together. I told you a thousand times! Maybe I'll do it in a million years. I was so embarrassed, I thought I might die. I am so tired I could sleep for a year. Onomatopoeia - the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named (e.g. cuckoo,sizzle ). bam bang clang clank clap clatter click clink ding jingle screech slap thud thump Allegory - a story, poem, or picture which can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.

Figures of speech