Figures of Speech and Imagery: notes

Comparing things

• Simile: compares with "like" or "as", for example "brave as a lion".
• Metaphor: says one thing is another, for example "the teacher is a rock".
• Personification: gives human actions to things, for example "the wind sang".
• Symbol: an object that stands for an idea, such as a dove for peace.

Strong or sharp effects

• Hyperbole: deliberate exaggeration, for example "I have told you a million times".
• Understatement: making something big sound small.
• Irony: the opposite of what is expected or said. Oxymoron: two opposite words together, such as "bitter sweet".

Sound devices

• Alliteration: repeated starting sounds. Assonance: repeated vowel sounds. Onomatopoeia: a word that sounds like its meaning, such as "buzz".

Imagery

• Imagery: words that make a picture or sense in the mind: sight, sound, smell, taste or touch.
• To answer well, name the device, quote a short phrase, then explain its effect on the reader.