Lesson 4: Figures of Speech

(One-week lesson)

Introduction

Welcome to another week! Lesson for this week will focus on the figurative division of language.
Figurative language is used in literature and creative writing which uses words not only in their literal
meaning but with certain emotional coloring adding effectiveness to your speech and giving clearness,
force, and beauty to your ideas and expression. Thus, let us be figurative this time…

Objectives

After the lesson, you should be able to acquire knowledge and analyze the importance of the
use of figurative language. You should be able to do the following:

1. Note the different types of figures of speech;

2. Give own examples for each type of figures of speech; and
3. Give the correct interpretation of the given examples of figurative expression; and
4. Explain the identified paradox and oxymoron;
5. Create meaningful sentences using oxymoron; and
6. Write paragraph applying the different types of figures of speech.

Try this!

Have you observed how poets and other writers use figurative language in their works? Look at this
poem and answer the questions.

Metaphor QUESTIONS:

Morning is

a new sheet of paper

for you to write on.

Whatever you want to say,

 What is the title of the poem?
Does it ring a bell to you?
What is a metaphor?

To what does the author compare morning?

Is the comparison appropriate? Explain.

To what other things can you compare morning?

Think Ahead!

Metaphor as you might have known, is one of the figures of speech commonly used by writers.
Writers use figures of speech or figurative language to give color and imagination to ordinary words.
These are literary devices used by writers to paint word pictures.

Read and Ponder

Figures of Speech is any use of words or phrases in a sense different from their literal definition for the
purpose of producing clearness, force, and beauty of expression. Figures of speech rely on implied or
suggested meaning, rather than a dictionary definition. We express and develop them through hundred
of different rhetorical techniques.

Types of Figures of Speech

A. Based on Likeness

1. SIMILE is a stated comparison between unlike things that have one quality in common on
which the comparison is based. This comparison is usually indicated by like or as.

Examples: Shaking his cold damp hand was like grasping a lake trout.
The internet is like a window to the world--- you can learn about everything online.

My dog is like a tornado; she dashes through the house, destroying everything she

touches.

2. METAPHOR is an implied comparison between things essentially different but having one
quality in common on which the comparison is built; is like a simile but does not
use as or like
Examples: the peak of her career
(represents the idea of arriving at the highest point of one’s career)
His bedroom is a museum of things old, decrepit, and worthless.
After the fight, his fists were throbbing weights dragging at the end of his wrists.

3. IMPLIED METAPHOR is when a metaphor isn’t directly stated. The comparison is clear,
but more subtly stated.
Examples: The rabid sergeant barked his orders.
(sergeant = dog)

When she removed her hat, her golden hair cascaded over her shoulders.
(her hair = waterfall)

4. PERSONIFICATION is giving human attributes to inanimate or non-living things. They

are
made to think, speak and act the way human beings do.
Example: The trees scream in the raging wind.
The church steeple rose until it tickled the belly of the clouds.
The waves slapped the shore and dragged away everything not anchored down.
The sun peeked into her bedroom window and summoned the princess from her
dreams.

5. APOSTROPHE is a figure of speech in which the dead are addressed as if they are living;
the
absent as if present, and inanimate objects and abstract ideas as if they are persons
 Example: Rizal! See the fair hope of the Fatherland.
Sing, Heavenly Muse!
Courage, my Soul!

B. Based on Other Relations

6. ALLUSION is a figure of speech in which, for historical effect, a reference is made to some
familiar fact in history, literature, or religion.
Example: The young medical worker has the patience of Job.
If I were Midas, I would ask nothing else but such golden days as these.

7. HYPERBOLE is an exaggerated statement made for effect.

Example: The song was so lovely that people all over town paused to hear just a note carried
by the wind.
The tumult reached the stars.

I laughed so hard I ripped open some internal organs.

1. SYNECDOCHE is a figure of speech in which a part of something or someone is used to

represent the whole thing, idea or the whole person or the whole designates the
part.
Example: All hands on deck.
The sail approaches the pier.
Fifty sails entered the harbor.
2. METONYMY is a figure of speech in which a single word is substituted for a related word
or
phrase.
Example: I read Shakespeare.
Malacanang will make an announcement.

C. Based on Sentence Construction

3. IRONY is a figure of speech in which one thing is said when the opposite is meant. Irony
takes many forms. Many times, irony is expressed with sarcasm
Example: Wow, that was the best cookie I ever had! (being ironic emphasizes how bad it was)
Paradox - is a contradictory statement, situation or idea. It is often used to make a reader think over
an idea in innovative way.

Example: “What a pity that youth must be wasted on the young.” --- George Bernard Shaw
Truth is honey which is bitter.
This is the beginning of the end.
“I can resist anything but temptation.”--- Oscar Wilde
 “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.”
(Animal Farm, George Orwell)
It points out a political truth, that the government claims the everyone is equal,
but
it has never treated everyone equally.

“I must be cruel to be kind.”(Hamlet, W. Shakespeare)

Hamlet is talking about his mother, and how he intends to kill Claudius to avenge
his father’s death

Situational Irony - when a situation in life or story is incongruent; the difference between

what is expected to happen and what actually happens; when the truth contradicts an expected
outcome.

Example: a firehall burns down

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

(The unexpected twist in the story, when Harry found out that he was the

seventh Horcrux, comes with the ironic realization that for Voldemort to

die, Harry must sacrifice himself. So he willingly goes to meet Voldemort-

-- and his own death…)

Dramatic Irony occurs when readers are informed of significant information that key

characters are unaware of--- basically, where we know what will happen before they do.

Example: The Hobbit

(when Bilbo happens upon the ring while lost on a mountain. He puts it in

his pocket and soon afterward encounters Gollum. Gollum does not yet realize
he has lost the ring, and Bilbo doesn’t know who the ring belongs to.)

Verbal Irony – saying one thing but meaning the other

4. OXYMORON or paradox is a figure of speech employing the juxtaposition (playing side by

side) of two normally contradicting words.

Examples: small crowd

Definitely possible
Old news
Little giant
5. CLIMAX is a figure of speech in which the intensity of the thought and emotion gradually
increases with each successive group of words or phrases. The series of thoughts
or statements are arranged in the order of increasing importance.
Example: He sacrificed his business, his home and his honor for political gain.

6. ANTICLIMAX is a figure of speech in which the climactic order is revered--- i.e. the
arrangement is in the order of decreasing importance. This figure of speech is
often used in humorous writings.
Example: He lost his wife, his household goods, and his dog in one full swoop.

D. Based on Sound Patterns

7. ALLITERATION is the recurrence of the initial consonant sound at the beginning of words
close together
Example: Hear the loud alarm bells
Brazen bells!

What a tale of terror now

their turbulency tells.

- Edgar Allan Poe, The Bells

Two of the valorous volunteers waited, concealed by beer barrels.

- O Henry
8. ASSONANCE refers to the recurrence, in words close together, of the same vowel sound.
Example: I was leaving home when my folks were growing old.

9. ONOMATOPOEIA is the use of word which sounds like it means.

Example: The buzzing of the bees disturbed me.
The children were startled by the boom of the thunder

Other Forms of Figurative Language:

1. Idiom is a common phrase with a figurative meaning. Idioms are different from other figures
of speech in that their figurative meanings are mostly known within a articular language,
culture, or group of people.
Example: It’s raining cats and dogs. (It is raining hard)

Break a leg. (wishing someone good luck)

There’s a supermarket and a pharmacy in the mall, so if we go there, we can kill
two birds with one stone.
 (a common way of saying that two tasks can be completed in the same amount of
time or same place)

2. Proverb is a short, commonplace saying that is universally understood in today’s language

and used to express general truths. Most proverbs employ metaphors.

Example: Don’t cry over spilt milk. (the proverb about milk isn’t literally about milk)

I think you’re going to sell all of those cookies, but don’t count your chickens

before they hatch!

(to emphasize the situation, the proverb means that you shouldn’t act like something

has happened before it actually does)

3. Pun is a manipulating word that has more than one meaning or that sounds like other words.
It is usually used in a humorous way.
Example: I’m reading a book about mazes; I got lost in it.
(the play on words here is the use of the word ‘lost’.

Why use Figures of Speech?

The purpose of figures of speech is to lend texture and color to your writing. For example,
metaphors allow you to add key details that make the writing livelier and more relatable. Slang and
verbal irony make the writing much more informal and youthful. Idioms and proverbs allow a writer to
draw on a rich cultural tradition and express complex ideas in a short space.

The effective use of figures of speech brings to life what could have been mere words, phrases
and sentences. It brings beauty, emphasis and clarity to what could have been just a mundane and
impoverished rendition.

Figures of speech allows us to assess, interpret and critically analyze not only the writer’s
attempt, but also his or her purpose.

Figures of speech are the palette from which the author works, and he or she might choose to
enhance his or her creation by applying the appropriate ‘color’ as it were, in his or her writing. Its use
adds flavor to writing and makes the experience of reading so much more enjoyable.
Figures of Speech in Literature

Example 1

“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.”

(The Seven Ages of Men, William Shakespeare in As You Like it)

Shakespeare uses extended metaphor to persuade the audience of the similarities between the
stage and real life. Rather than making his play seem more like life, he suggests that life is more like a
play. His metaphor calls attention to the performative, creative, and fictional aspects of human life.

Example 2

“Our words are but crumbs that fall down from the feast of the mind.”

(Khalil Gibran, Sand & Foam)

Gibran’s use of the metaphor is timeless. It is a highly original double metaphor. The crumbs and
the feast are two parts of the same image, but they work together rather than being mixed.

Example 3

“If you chase two rabbits, you will lose them both.

(Russian Proverb)
 This example draws on a simple metaphor of chasing rabbits. The rabbits can stand in for all
sorts of objectives, from jobs to relationships, but the coded message is quite clear--- focus your energy
on a single objective, or you will likely fail.

Figure of Speech in Pop Culture

Example 1

The chorus of Sean Kingston’s song, Fire burning contains a couple of figures of speech:

Shorty used as a slang term for a young woman--- could be taken as belittling or
derogatory

She’s a fire, burning on the dance floor

*Please find time to listen to the song

Example 2

Years of talks between Washington and Havana resulted in Obama’s historic visit to Cuba

on March 21st.

(Patreon 2016)

A common form of metonym in foreign policy and news media. The capital city of a country is
used as a metonym for the national government which represents leaders and government officials of
the two countries (US and Cuba).

In writing, be careful not to fall into the habit of repeating dry and dusty old figures of speech
that have become cliché. All clichés were creative and original at one time but have lost their zing
through overuse. Do the hard work of coming up with your own fresh figures of speech.

See if you can do this

I. Read each passage. On the lines, indicate what kind of figurative language is being
used. Then interpret its meaning.

1. He’ll never go skydiving. He is too scared. He said he would do it when pigs fly.
Type of Figures of Speech: _________________________________

Interpretation: ______________________________________________________

2. The sky was in a temper. He picked up the outdoor furniture and hurled it across the yard.
He ripped trees from the ground, slammed doors, and broke windows.
Type of Figures of Speech: _________________________________

Interpretation: ______________________________________________________

3. The boat was lighter than air as it glided along the water.
Type of Figures of Speech: _________________________________

Interpretation: ______________________________________________________

4. The little girl gazed at the ice cream sundae like an adventurer sizing up the Matterhorn.   

Type of Figures of Speech: _________________________________

Interpretation: ______________________________________________________

5. The man was tough as nails when he chose to skip the painkiller before getting stitches.
Type of Figures of Speech: _________________________________
Interpretation: ______________________________________________________

II. Read each line of poetry. Figure out which technique is used: idiom, simile,
metaphor, hyperbole, or personification. Write your answer on the space provided.
1. _________ Like burnt-out torches by a sick man’s bed
2. _________ Drip---hiss---drip---fall the raindrops
On the oaken log which burns, and steams, and smokes the ceiling beams.
Drip---hiss---the rain never stops.

3. _________ When the stars threw down their spears,

And water’d heaven with their tears.
4. _________ The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor
5. _________ Oh, never, if I live to a million
 Shall I feel such a grievous pain.
6. _________ But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling like a dew, upon a thought produces
7. _________ My words are little jars
For you to take and put upon a shelf.
Their shapes are quaint and beautiful,
And they have many pleasant colors and lusters.
8. _________ I wanted her to show up
I crossed my fingers.
9. _________ Now that I am without you, all is desolate;
All that was once so beautiful is dead.
10. _________ A watery light
Touched bleak the granite bridge, and white
Without the slightest tinge of gold
The city shivered in the cold.
11. _________ Your voice was a web to bind

III. Identifying Paradox and Oxymoron

A. Write the letter of the paradox in the blank for each group of sentences below.

1. _________ A. The clouds drifted lazily in the sky.

B. The person who wrote the book can’t write.
C. The clown fish swam comically in the aquarium
D. I was confused by the lesson.
2. _________ A. She is an awfully good singer.
B. The blank page stared back at me.
C. It was the best of times; It was the worst of times.
D. They danced in the moonlight.

3. _________ A. Whose turn is it?

B. Robert carefully built a model of the ship.
C. Remember to take out the trash.
D. If you want peace, you must prepare for war.

4. _________ A. The best advice I have for you is don’t listen to advice.
B. The rains came.
C. Parting is such a sweet sorrow.
D. She cared for him all his life.
5. _________ A. The dress cost a million dollars.
B. I’d rather be lucky than smart.
C. It’s twelve minutes until midnight.
 D. She stood in the empty room.

B. Match one word from column 1 and one from column 2 to form an oxymoron. Write
the phrase in the blank. Then, choose five phrases to write meaningful sentences on
your own.

Column 1 Column 2

random chaos _________

sweet order _________

deafening estimate _________

almost secret _________

silent sorrow _________

open missing _________

seriously silence _________

controlled always _________

found funny _________

exact scream _________

Your sentences:

1. _________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________________
4. _________________________________________________________
5. _________________________________________________________

IV. OXYMORON vs. PARADOX

A. Identify whether the given statement is a paradox or an oxymoron. Then, briefly explain each.

1. _________ They hear the dull roar of the river rapids up ahead.
Explanation:
2. _________ Less is more.
Explanation:
3. _________ The coach was made of genuine imitation leather.
Explanation:
4. _________ I know that I know nothing.
Explanation
5. _________ She gave her unbiased opinion about the project.
Explanation
6. _________ Her brother took the larger half of the apple.
Explanation:
7. _________ Call me if you find my phone.
Explanation:
8. _________ Everything I say is a lie.
Explanation:
9. _________ James became a one-man band to raise money for the school project.
Explanation:
10. _________ The toy company faced a friendly takeover by the bicycle manufacturer.
Explanation:

V. Using the given picture, write a descriptive paragraph applying five types of figures
of speech.

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