figures of speech

Front

What is personification?

Back

Personification is a figure of speech in which human qualities are attributed to animals, inanimate objects, or abstract concepts. Example: 'The wind whispered through the trees.'

Front

What is a simile?

Back

A simile is a figure of speech that compares two different things using the words 'like' or 'as'. Example: 'Her smile was like sunshine.'

Front

What is an idiom?

Back

An idiom is a phrase or expression that has a figurative meaning different from its literal meaning. Example: 'It's raining cats and dogs' means it's raining heavily.

Front

What is hyperbole?

Back

Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement not meant to be taken literally. Example: 'I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.'

Front

What is a metaphor?

Back

A metaphor is a figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as'. Example: 'Time is a thief.'

Front

What is alliteration?

Back

Alliteration is the repetition of the same initial consonant sound in a series of words. Example: 'She sells sea shells by the sea shore.'

Front

What is assonance?

Back

Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words. Example: 'The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain.'

Front

What is onomatopoeia?

Back

Onomatopoeia is a figure of speech where a word imitates the sound it represents. Example: 'buzz', 'hiss', 'clang'.

Front

What is a pun?

Back

A pun is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term or similar-sounding words for humorous or rhetorical effect. Example: 'Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.'

Front

What is a cliché?

Back

A cliché is an overused expression or idea that has lost its originality and impact. Example: 'All is fair in love and war.'