| Figure of speech |
Description |
Effect |
Example(s) |
| Alliteration |
repetition of initial consonant sound |
Alliteration draws attention to the phrase and is often used for emphasis. |
|
| Allusion |
refer to something the reader / audience is familiar with, e.g.:
- famous people
- history
- (Greek) mythology
- literature
- the bible
|
used to explain or clarify a complex problem.The reader becomes active by reflecting on the analogy.The message will stick in the reader’s mind.
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| Anaphora |
successive sentences start with the same word(s) |
The reader’s attention is drawn to the message. |
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| Antithesis |
contrasting relationship between two ideas. The structure of the phrases is usually similar |
emphasises the contrast between two ideas. Draws the reader’s attention to the contrast. |
|
| Hyperbole |
deliberate exaggeration |
draws the attention to a message that you want to emphasize. |
|
| Hypophora |
question raised and answered by the author / speaker |
Uses an opponent’s strategy to counter it. |
|
| Litotes |
understatement |
Uses the denied opposite to soften a message |
|
| Metaphor |
Comparison without the help of as… or like |
Creates an implicit comparison, uses or creates symbolism, suggests similarity. |
|
| Oxymoron |
Locution made of two parts |
produces an incongruous, seemingly self-contradictory effect |
Cruel kindness |
| Parallelism |
parallel sentence structureSuccessive clauses or sentences are similarly structured. |
makes it easier for the reader / listener to concentrate on the message. |
|
| Parenthesis |
The normal progression of a sentence is interrupted by extra information or explanations enclosed in commas, brackets or dashes. |
Creates rythm in speech. |
|
| Personification |
attribution of human characteristics to animals, inanimate objects or abstractionsAnimals, inanimate objects or abstractions are represented as having human characteristics (behaviour, feelings, character etc.) |
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Personification can make a narration more interesting |
| Points of View |
first or third person narration |
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| Repetition |
repeating words or phrases |
Words or phrases are repeated throughout the text to emphasise certain facts or ideas. |
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| Rhetorical Question |
question without a direct answer |
The author / speaker raises a question, but doesn’t answer it directly as he/she sees the answer (usually Yes or No) as obvious. |
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| Simile |
direct comparison |
Two things are compared directly by using ‘like’ (A is like B.). |
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| Synecdoche |
using a part instead of the whole or vice versaSynechdoche is some kind of generalization or specification that uses a part, a member or a characteristic of what is meant. The following possibilities are common: |
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| Understatement |
weaken or soften a statement |
A statement is deliberately weakened to sound ironical or softened to sound more polite. |
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