Figures of speech各種修辭

1、Figures of SpeechWords used in their original meanings are used literally, while words used in extended meanings for the purpose of making comparisons or calling up pictures in the readers or listeners mind are used figuratively(形象的,比喻的). For example, in “a colorful garden” the word “colorful” is us

2、ed in its literal sense, but in “a colorful life” the word is used in its figurative sense. Colorful here has a new extended or figurative meaning: exciting, interesting and rich in variety. The word suggests a comparison between life and something that has different colors, like garden, and because

3、 of this association the word is more impressive than a word used in its literal sense, such as interesting and exciting.Definition:A figure of speech is a use of a word that diverges from its normal meaning, or a phrase with a specialized meaning not based on the literal meaning of the words in it

4、such as a metaphor, simile, or personification. Figures of speech often provide emphasis, freshness of expression, or clarity. However, clarity may also suffer from their use, as any figure of speech introduces an ambiguity between literal and figurative interpretation. A figure of speech is sometim

5、es called a rhetoric or a locution(慣用語(yǔ)).There are various ways of using figures of speech. Among the most common of them are:1. Simile（明喻）: it is a comparison between two distinctly different things and the comparison is indicated by the word “as” or “l(fā)ike”:O my loves like a red, red rose.Robert Bur

6、nsThat man cant be trusted; he is as slippery as an eel.2. Metaphor（隱喻）: it is the use of a word which originally denotes one thing to refer to another with a similar quality. It is also a comparison, but the comparison is implied, not expressed with the word “as” or “l(fā)ike”. O my loves a red, red ro

7、se.He is the soul of the team.Irrigation is lifeblood of agriculture.Metaphors are used not only after verb “be”, and not only nouns can be used metaphorically. The adverbs, adjectives can also be used metaphorically. Study the following examples:The picture of those poor peoples lives was carved so

8、 sharply in his heart that he could never forget it.There was a medieval magnificence about the big dining hall.The street faded into a country road with straggling house by it.There were a few lordly poplars before the house.All his former joy was drowned in the embarrassment and confusion he was f

9、eeling at the moment.He often prefaced his remarks by “I cant help thinking ”The charcoal fire glowed and dimmed rhythmically to the strokes of the bellows (風(fēng)箱). As is shown in these sentences, nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs can all be used in a metaphorical way. A metaphor or a simile has to

10、be fresh to be effective. One that has been frequently used over a long period of time will become dull and stale, and cease to function as a metaphor or simile. “The leg of a table” must have been a metaphor when it was first used, but today we feel that leg is used in its literal sense.3. Personif

11、ication（擬人）: it is to treat a person or an idea as if it were human or had human qualities. In poetry personification is very common:Youth is hot and bold, Age is weak and cold,Youth is wild, and Age is tame.William ShakespeareIn prose personification is also used, though not so often as in poetry.T

12、he march will soon be over and defeat is starving us in the face.This time fate was smiling to him.Thunder roared and a pouring rain started.Dusk came stealthily.The storm was raging and an angry sea was continuously tossing their boat. 4. Metonymy（轉(zhuǎn)喻）: It is substituting the name of one thing for t

13、hat of another with which it is closely associated. Thus the crown can stand for a king, and the White House for the American government, the bottle for wine or alcohol, and the bar for the legal profession. When metonymy is well used, brevity and vividness may be achieved:Sword and cross in hand, t

14、he European conquerors fell upon the Americas.When the war was over, he laid down the sword and took up the pen.His purse would not allow him that luxury.5. Synecdoche（提喻）: when a part is substituted for the whole or the whole is substituted for a part, synecdoche is applied:The farms were short of

15、hands during the harvest season.He had to earn his daily bread by doing odd jobs.Germany beat Argentina 2 to 1 in this exciting football match.The poor creature could no longer endure her sufferings.In the above sentences hands stands for men, bread for food or living expenses, the names of the two

16、countries for the two teams, and creature for a woman. 6. Euphemism（委婉）: it is the substitution of a mild or vague expression for a harsh or unpleasant one, for example:to die: to pass away, to leave us; ones heart had stopped beating; kick the bucket; turn up one's toesold people: senior citize

17、nsmad: emotionally disturbedlavatory: bathroom, mens or womens roomconcentration camp: strategic hamletsinvasion: military actionIt is obvious that those euphemisms used by the ordinary people are meant to soften harsh reality, but those used by politicians may aim at deceiving the public. Can you g

18、ive some example?7. Irony(諷刺): it is the use of words which are clearly opposite to what it is meant, in order to achieve a special effect. Suppose you planned an outing on a certain day, expecting it to be fine; but when the day came it was raining heavily. If you said, “What fine weather for an ou

19、ting!” you were speaking ironically. If a barbarous act was called civilized or cultural, irony was used.Yeah, Stone has done a great job. He just mess all things up and let me wipe his ass.8. Overstatement and understatement (夸張和輕描淡寫): in overstatement the diction exaggerates the subject, and in un

20、derstatement the words play down the magnitude or value of the subject. Overstatement is also called hyperbole(夸張法).Both aim at the same effect: to make the statement or description impressive or interesting.She is dying to know what job has been assigned her.On hearing that he was admitted to that

21、famous university, he whispered to himself, “Im the luckiest man in the world.”It took a few dollars to build the indoor swimming pool.9. Transferred Epithet(移情或轉(zhuǎn)移修飾): an epithet is an adjective or descriptive phrase that serves to characterize somebody or something. A transferred epithet is one tha

22、t is shifted from the noun it logically modifies to a word associated with that noun.She was so worried about her son that she spent several sleepless nights.In his quiet laziness he suddenly remembered that strange word.The assistant kept a respectful distance from his boss when they were walking i

23、n the corridor.He said “yes” o the question in an unthinking moment.The old man put a reassuring hand on my shoulder.10. Oxymoron(矛盾修辭): in oxymoron apparently contradictory terms are combined to produce a special effect.When the news of failure came, his friends said that it was a victorious defeat

24、.The president was conspicuously absent on that occasion.She read the long-awaited letter with a tearful smile.11. Alliteration(頭韻): it refers to the appearance of the same initial consonant sound in two or more words, such as “proud as a peacock(孔雀)” and “blind as a bat”. Alliteration is often used

25、 in poetry to give emphasis to words that are related in meaning:Wherefore feed, and clothe, and save,From the cradle to the grave,Those ungrateful drones who wouldDrain your sweat nay, drink your blood?Percy Bysshe ShellyI see also the dull, drill, docile, brutish masses of the Hun soldiery plodding on like a swarm of crawling locusts.Exercises:I. Identify the figures of speech used in the following sentences:1. I'll give you a piece of my mind. 2. Stone is in his way of climbing the ladder to success. 3. There are four eyes loo