Figures of Speech

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What is a simile?

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A simile is a figure of speech that compares two different things using the words 'like' or 'as'. For example, 'He runs like the wind.'

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What is a metaphor?

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A metaphor is a figure of speech that directly compares two different things without using 'like' or 'as'. For example, 'Time is a thief.'

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What is personification?

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Personification is a figure of speech where human qualities are given to animals, inanimate objects, or abstract ideas. For example, 'The wind whispered through the trees.'

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What is an apostrophe in literature?

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An apostrophe is a figure of speech in which a speaker addresses an absent person, an abstract idea, or a thing. For example, 'O Death, where is thy sting?'.

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What is alliteration?

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

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What is assonance?

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Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words. For example, 'The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain.'

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What is onomatopoeia?

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Onomatopoeia is a figure of speech where a word imitates the sound it represents. For example, 'buzz', 'hiss', or 'clang'.

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What is a pun?

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

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What is hyperbole?

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

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What is imagery?

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Imagery is descriptive language that appeals to the senses and creates a mental picture. For example, 'The golden sun set behind the purple mountains.'