types of speech in english literature

50 Figures of Speech (Types & Examples)

What are figures of speech.

Figures of speech are creative rhetorical devices that go beyond literal meaning. They make the language more colorful and impactful. These figures of speech allow the writers to convey ideas and imagery in an imaginative and unconventional way through comparisons, associations and plays on words. Some common examples include similes, metaphors, hyperbole, personification, oxymoron’s and alliteration. Skillful use of rhetorical devices brings vividness and flair to expression. These figures of speech make communication more engaging, memorable and expressive.

Importance of Figures of Speech

The figures of speech are important rhetorical device, that writers and speakers employ to enhance the power and impact of their language. The use of creative comparisons and vivid imagery engage the audience in memorable ways that literal language often lacks.

Figures of speech strengthen communication by using creative language to emphasize ideas in a more compelling way than plain speech alone. Their artful deviations from literal meaning make key points more memorable and impactful for audiences. Used strategically or just to infuse writing with imaginative flair, rhetorical devices ensure ideas resonate longer in the minds of the readers and listeners. In essence, by elevating functional language to an art form through their nuanced turns of phrase, figures of speech make messages more persuasive, engaging and unforgettable.

How to Find Figures of Speech in writing?

For finding figures of speech in the writing, it is necessary to look for words or phrases that are used in a non-literal way.

For example, if someone says ‘my heart is breaking’, he is using a metaphor to describe his emotions.

50 Figures Of Speech With Examples

Here is a list of 50 figures of speech used in English literature and daily communication:

1- Alliteration

Repetition of the same initial letter or sound in closely connected words. They could be uttered within a phrase of sentences, starting with the same sound of consonants but not necessarily being the same letter. Some examples of alliteration are:

• Peter’s pink pig
• She sells seashells
• Big bad wolf
• Sally sells seashells by the seashore

Example in literature

“the raven” by edgar allan poe.

“Once upon a midnight dreary.”

In the said context, the sound of ‘m ‘ has been alliterated with ‘midnight ‘ and ‘dreary’. The repetition of consonant sound creates a musical and effect. It enhances the gloomy atmosphere, which the write is trying to convey in the poem.

2- Anaphora

It is a type of amplification, wherein the words or phrases are reiterated in every clause, sentence and line. The word is used to stress an idea in a piece of writing or it serves as a connector.

• I came, I saw, I conquered.
• To be or not to be, that is the question.
• United we stand, divided we fall.

“A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness. It was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity. It was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness. It was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

Dickens has used anaphora by repeating the phrase ‘it was’ at the beginning of each successive clause. He emphasizes the contrasting nature of the time period. The practice of anaphora is used to establish a unique mood and setting that stick in people’s minds to capture it as a whole.

3- Antithesis

It is a literary device, which is used to juxtapose the contrasting ideas in balanced phrases. It highlights opposition through parallel grammatical structures.

• The early bird catches the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
• You win some, you lose some.
• Absence makes the heart grow fonder, but out of sight is out of mind.

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

“ All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost”

The first line ‘All that is gold does not glitter’ sets up an expectation. The second line ‘Not all those who wander are lost’ subverts it with the opposite proposition. This creates an antithetical parallel structure that emphasizes the contrast between appearances/expectations and realities. Things are not always as they seem on the surface.

4- Apostrophe

A direct address to an absent or dead person, or to an object, quality, or idea. It is a rhetorical device used to engage or emotionally influence the audience.

• Stupid phone, why aren’t you charging?
• Come on feet, you can make it up the stairs!
• Thank you coffee for the caffeine boost.

“Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare

“O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name; Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.”

The rhetorical device gives an emotional outlet to Juliet and draws the audience deeper into her perspective. It underscores the tragedy of their star-crossed love and opposing families through Juliet’s anguished pleas. This example demonstrates how apostrophe can powerfully convey emotion and engagement when used skillfully in literary works like Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. It intensifies reader experience of the characters and themes.

5- Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words. It adds musicality and emphasis to speech or writing. Assonance creates cadences that can make utterances more memorable, soothing or impactful.

• Pick a pink peach please.
• Slowly she strode down the street.
• Do you need anything else?

“The King’s English” by Kingsley Amis

“The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain.”

This famous tongue twister uses assonance extensively through the repetition of the “ai” sound in words like “rain”, “Spain”, “mainly”. The assonance highlights the difficulty in pronouncing the phrase quickly due to all the similar vowel sounds falling in close succession. It makes the sentence rhythmically challenging to say.

6- Allusion

A reference to a well-known person, place, event or work of art. It relies on the readers or listener’s background knowledge and cultural literacy. They allow speakers to colorfully draw on cultural knowledge without exposition.

• That plan is doomed like the Titanic.
• Don’t pull a Houdini on me!
• She’s no Mother Teresa.

“The American Crisis” by Thomas Paine

“These are the times that try men’s souls.”

This well-crafted allusion would resonate powerfully with educated readers, which reminds them of the challenges ahead in their fight for independence using a culturally significant reference. It illustrates how allusions can add profound layers of inferred meaning in literature by drawing on intertextual connections in an economy of words.

7- Anachronism

Something out of its normal time. It involves mentioning something from a different time period in a way that distorts the actual chronology.

• I was just watching some Netflix after work yesterday.
• Let me check my iPhone for the time.
• I’ll email you the details later today.

“Ulysses” by Alfred Tennyson

 “I cannot rest from travel: I will drink Life to the lees.”

Tennyson imagines the thoughts and desires of the Homeric hero Ulysses in his later years after returning home from the Trojan War. However, the language and ideas Tennyson attributes to Ulysses are anachronistic, as they reflect Victorian England in the 19th century rather than ancient Greece.

8- Anastrophe

The inversion of the usual order of words. It involves rearranging the structure of words or phrases for impact. It creates variety from the standard structures we expect. 

• Fed up am I with this traffic!
• Off to work go I.
• In the kitchen, what’s that noise?

“Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steeds, Towards Phoebus’ lodging! Such a wagoner As Phaëton would whip you to the west And bring in cloudy night immediately.”

Romeo uses anastrophe by rearranging the expected word order of ‘fiery-footed steeds’ to emphasize the speed and passion of the horses as they carry the sun across the sky. While inverting ‘fiery-footed steeds’ to ‘you fiery-footed steeds’, the writer draws attention to the horses through anastrophe and builds dramatic tension as Romeo anxiously awaits nightfall.

9- Antagonym

A word that can have opposite meanings. Here are the common antagonym examples:

• Sanction – This word can mean “to approve” or “to penalize.” Example A: “The manager sanctioned the purchase of new computers.” (Approved) Example B: “The UN threatened sanctions against the hostile nation.” (Penalized)
• Oversight – This word refers to an unintentional failure to notice something, or the act of overseeing/supervising. Example A: “The typo was due to an oversight by the editor.” (Failure to notice) Example B: “There will be governmental oversight of the program.” (Supervision)
• Left – This word indicates either “departed” or “remaining.” Example A: “Most of the cake was eaten, but some was left.” (Remaining) Example B: “The traveler left early in the morning.” (Departed)

10- Antimetabole

Antimetabole involves the repetition of a phrase or statement in a reversed sequence. 

Example in “Frankenstein” by Shelley

“I, the miserable and the abandoned, am an abortion, to be spurned at, and kicked, and trampled on.”

The above excerpt illustrates the antimetabole literary device through a reversed order of repetition including “and trampled on, and kicked, and spurned at”. This shows how much Frankenstein’s monster is being mistreated and rejected by society.

11- Antonomasia

Antonomasia is the act of replacing the name of an individual with another word/phrase. This word simply represents aspects of character of a person. It is also used to highlight similarity or relation between two people or item.

• The term calling someone who is very organized “a Monica” in relation to the well manicured Monica Geller character from friends.
• Calling someone cunning, crafty and shrewd as Judas, in reference to the Judas Iscariot of the Bible, who beated Jesus.
• Suggesting that an innocent, mischievous troublesome child is a “Dennis the Menace”.

12- Asyndeton

The literary device of Asyndeton involves leaving out connective words like ‘and’ or ‘or’ among other conjunctions when a number of connected clauses follow one preceding clause. This allows for faster movement as well as highlights the importance of it.

• Essays must be submitted on time.
• The house was ready for living with the furniture in it, carpets laid on the floor, and curtains drawn.

13- Anadiplosis 

This is the repetition of the last word of a preceding clause at the beginning of the next one.

• Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.
• The environment, it is life and therefore we have to save it.
• I did everything I could. My best efforts were insufficient.
• You entered my world. My world has changed forever.

14- Chiasmus

Chiasmus is a rhetorical device in which two or more clauses are balanced against each other by the reversal of structures in order to produce a mirror effect.

• Fair is foul, and foul is fair. (Shakespeare’s Macbeth)
• You forget what you want to remember, and you remember what you want to forget. (Cormac McCarthy, The Road)
• Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country. (John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address)

15- Catachresis

Catachresis is the use of a word in an incorrect way or in the wrong context for rhetorical effect.

• Using ‘blanket of snow’ to describe snow covering the ground, even though blankets do not look like snow.
• Referring to a loud noise as ‘deafening silence’ despite the contradiction between deafening and silence.
• Describing someone’s smile as ‘infectious’ even though smiles do not spread disease like an infection.

The climax refers to the most tense and dramatic part of the narrative in works of literature. This is the climax when tension attains its zenith and the conclusion of the tale begins. Following this is a resolution stage whereby the major conflicts in the story are solved and the fate of characters is ascertained. A fundamental part of structure that also helps generate tension in the story and hold on the attention of the reader or viewer.

Types of Climax

Emotional Climax: The moment comes when a subject becomes too frustrated and bursts out with an enormous amount of emotion leading to an unexpected ending.

Plot Climax: This is where the climax of the story takes place, where the conflict culminates, and the starting point for the resolution.

Social Climax: It happens when someone or some people climb to a top of social position in most cases by planned strategy.

17- Euphemism

A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt.

• Passed away instead of died
• Let go instead of fired
• Challenged instead of disabled

“To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee

“Mrs. Dubose was a morphine addict,” said Atticus. “She took it as a pain-killer for years. The doctor put her on it. She’d have spent the rest of her life on it and died without so much agony, but she was too contrary—”

Here, words ‘addict and ‘pain killer’ have been used instead of direct terms like, ‘drug habit’ or ‘opiate addiction’. This may have been considered crude or inappropriate at the time. This allows the author to discuss Mrs. Dubose’s situation in a more genteel and less shocking way. He uses the euphemistic language rather than direct terminology.

18- Ellipsis

The omission of words necessary for complete grammatical construction but understood in the context.

• The European soldiers killed six of the remaining villagers, the American soldiers, two.

Example in Literature

“emma” by jane austen.

“He is very plain, undoubtedly—remarkably plain: but that is nothing compared with his entire want of gentility. I had no right to expect much, and I did not expect much; but I had no idea that he could be so very clownish, so totally without air. I had imagined him, I confess, a degree or two nearer gentility.”

Austen uses an ellipsis here when Harriet says “I had imagined him…a degree or two nearer gentility.” Harriet doesn’t finish her thought. The ellipsis shows that her words trail off hinting that she is uncomfortable admitting she hoped Mr. Martin would be more refined. This allows Austen to suggest Harriet’s embarrassment, without having her directly spell it out.

19- Enjambment

The continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza in poetry.

“Sonnet 116” by William Shakespeare

“Let me not to the marriage of true minds Admit impediments. Love is not love Which alters when it alteration finds, Or bends with the remover to remove.”

The writer employs the literary device of enjambment in the foresaid lines. Rather than pausing at the end of the line, the sentence continues into the next one without punctuation. This creates a flowing and lyrical feeling that mirrors the notion of love not being impeded.

20- Epistrophe

The repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses or sentences.

• Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth. (Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address)
• We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills (Winston Churchill’s speech to the House of Commons)

“I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King Jr.

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, sons of former slaves and sons of former slave-owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood.”

The use of epistrophe has been observed in “I have a dream” at the start of several different phrases. The repetitive nature of this technique underscores his idea about the future, and it helps make his words more poignant, inspiring and memorable. Every time King says “I have a dream” he refers to his wish that there should be harmony and equality in the United States. Anaphora (repeated phrase leading to clauses) of this aspirational sentence provides rhetorical force and rhythm of the speech to crescendo at emotional climax where King’s dreams of the nation are presented.

21- Euphony

The use of phrases and words that are noted for their mellifluousness and ease in speaking.

• The sounds of children’s laughter carried melodiously through the warm summer air.
• The babbling brook babbled pleasantly as it wound its way through the verdant meadow.

“Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens

The lilting euphony of the writing style matches Pip’s hopeful expectations as he journeys to Miss Havisham’s house for the first time:

“The mist was heavier yet when I got out upon the marshes, so that instead of my running at everything, everything seemed to run at me. This was very disagreeable to a guilty mind. The gates and dykes and banks came bursting at me through the mist, as if they cried as plainly as could be, ‘A boy with somebody else’s pork pie! Stop him!’”

The consonance and assonance create a musical, flowing quality to mimic Pip’s eager and optimistic young imagination, which emphasizes the theme of hope in the novel.

22- Epizeuxis 

The repetition of a word or phrase in immediate succession, typically within the same sentence, for vehemence or emphasis.

• Alone, alone, all, all alone, Alone on a wide, wide sea.
• Fight, fight for your rights and your freedom!

“Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare

Mark Antony repeats the words in his famous speech to emphasize his points and rouse the crowd:

“For Brutus is an honorable man; So are they all honorable men— Come I to speak at Caesar’s funeral. He was my friend, faithful and just to me.”

The repetition of words ‘honorable’ and subsequently ‘faithful’ create stress qua the qualities of Caesar, while planting seeds of doubt through his epizeuxis. The repetition mimics the persuasive rhythm of a skillful orator whipping the crowds into an emotional frenzy over Caesar’s death.

23- Hyperbole

Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement or claim that is not meant to be taken literally, but instead used as a way to emphasize a point or evoke strong feelings.

• I’ve told you a million times to clean your room!
• The wait to get in was endless.

“Romeo and Juliet” by Shakespeare

“For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.”

When Romeo first lays eyes on Juliet, he goes overboard describing how he has never seen someone so beautiful before. He is basically exaggerating to show just how head-over-heels in love with her he is already. This total exaggeration about her sets things up for how their whole intense, doomed relationship story will go from here.

24- Hendiadys 

A figure of speech in which a single complex idea is expressed by two words connected with “and” rather than a noun and adjective.

• We listened to the poet’s wise and ancient words.
• The guests ate and drank until late in the evening.

“The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald

“Her voice is full of money—that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals’ song of it.”

Here the words ‘jingle’ and ‘cymbals song’ express the musical quality of Daisy’s voice more vividly than just calling it ‘musical voice’. The pairing of synonymous nouns intensifies the quality being described.

25- Hypallage 

A figure of speech in which the syntactic relation between two terms is reversed. It is often used for poetic effect.

• “The heavy foot of time” instead of “the footfalls of heavy time”.
• The hungry stomach waited impatiently to be fed.

“Love Medicine” by Louise Erdrich

“The windswept plain gave no shelter to wandering cattle, and slanted wood planks of abandoned farmhouse doors banged in aimless gusts.”

The way Erdrich describes the wind is real neat. Instead of just saying the wind was blowing hard or whatever, she says the plain itself was windswept.

26- Innuendo

An indirect or subtle observation about a thing or person. It is generally critical, disparaging, or salacious in nature.

• Some say he’s not unfamiliar with the inside of a jail cell.
• The politician claimed to stand for family values, but his record showed otherwise.

“Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen

“Is Miss Darcy much grown since the spring?” said Miss Bingley; “will she be as tall as I am?” “I think she will. She is now about Miss Elizabeth Bennet’s height, or rather taller.”

Jane Austen hints at some sexual stuff going on between Lizzy Bennet and Miss Bingley about Darcy. When they’re talking about how tall each of them are, it seems like they’re also arguing about who’s gonna be the one in charge in their whole complicated relationship with Darcy. Like the one who stands tallest gets to boss around the other two and so I think Austen’s pretty slyly starting some drama here with that suggestive comparison of their heights.

Special words or expressions used by a profession or group that are difficult for others to understand.

• Please reboot your PC to complete the installation.
• The computer technicians talked about RAM, CPUs, and SSDs when upgrading the office devices.

“The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck

“Takes a good mechanic to keep ‘em rollin’. Know how a differential works?”

The talk about car stuff like the differential shows how Al uses a bunch of mechanic words. Steinbeck makes it clear what Al does for a living just through the way he talks, without having to straight up say he’s a mechanic. Using all those gearhead terms makes Al seem more like a real person instead of just a character, and lets you get to know him better since you can see stuff about his job.

27- Juxtaposition

The fact of placing two or more things side by side, often with the intent of comparing or contrasting them.

• Beauty and decay.
• The lavish wedding reception was held in the ballroom, while homeless people searched for food in the alley behind the hotel.

“And yet he did it with what composure and concentration we have seen … accomplishing the task he set himself, both in the poor workshop and in the rich drawing-room.”

Dickens tries to get readers to really grasp the huge change in Dr. Manette’s life by showing the difference between his nice old job as a fancy doctor with a swanky office and his current gig cobbling shoes together in a dingy workshop and it’s like night and day – he went from living’ large to just scrapping by. It really makes you think about how quick things can turn around, don’t it?

Expression of one’s meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite.

• A plumber’s house always has leaking taps.
• A traffic jam occurred on the highway on the day I left extra early to avoid being late.

 “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin

“There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature.”

Mrs. Mallard is elated on hearing that her husband has passed away as she feels liberate from the union. Unfortunately, in a bitter irony of fate, she is overcome by shock following arrival from nowhere of Mr. Mallard who appears very much alive. Here, Chopin uses situational irony that inverts the scenario that Mrs. Mallard and the readers are accustomed to. This, in essence, explains why marriage was quite oppressing to her.

29- Litotes

An understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite.

• He’s not the brightest bulb in the chandelier.
• The hike through the canyon was no walk in the park.

“Wuthering Heights” by Emily Brontë

Nelly criticizes Heathcliff with litotes after he returns following Catherine’s death:

“He’s not a rough diamond – a pearl-containing oyster of a rustic: he’s a fierce, pitiless, wolfish man.”

Bronté says heathcliff is no rough diamond but fierce and pitiless wolflike man with an attempt to understate the extent of Nelly’s hatred towards him. This makes the character of Heathcliff even crueler in an accentuated manner through negation instead of direct condemnation.

30- Metaphor

A metaphor makes a direct comparison between two unlike things, stating that one thing is the other.

• My old car was a dinosaur – old and decrepit.
• The assignment was a breeze – extremely easy.

“As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven Would through the airy region stream so bright.”

He compares Juliet’s eyes to stars. Romeo says her eyes would shine as brightly in the sky as daylight does to a lamp. Shakespeare uses metaphor to elevate Juliet’s beauty to celestial heights.

31- Metonymy

A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is used to represent something else with which it is closely associated or related. It consists in replacing the name of one object of the other similar object.

• The pen is mightier than the sword.
• The White House issued a statement.

“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.”

 In this line, “ears” is used to represent the attention or audience of the people.

32- Malapropism

Malapropism is an error of language which involves one word being wrongly exchanged for another closely sounding word having the opposite meaning which results into nonsense or some funny statement.

• He is the pineapple of politeness.
• I’m on a seafood diet. I see food, and I eat it.

“Much Ado About Nothing” by William Shakespeare

“Comparisons are odorous.”

Here, Dogberry mistakenly uses “odorous” instead of “odious,” resulting in a humorous misuse of the word.

33- Meiosis

A euphemistic figure of speech that intentionally understates something or implies that it is lesser in significance or size.

• I’m somewhat tired after completing a marathon.
• It’s just a flesh wound.

“I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.”

This reduces the focus on his intentionality in order to build up a strong empathic sense. The above instances go to show that Meiosis can be employed to underrate or reduce a matter for comic effect or emphasis.

34- Onomatopoeia

The use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions to which they refer.

• “Buzz” – the word imitates the sound of a bee.
• “Splash” – the word resembles the sound of something hitting or entering water.

“The Bells” by Edgar Allan Poe

“How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle, In the icy air of night!”

The word “tinkle” imitates the sound of bells ringing, which provides a sensory experience for the reader. These examples illustrate how Onomatopoeia is used to bring aural imagery to written language, evoking sounds through words.

35- Oxymoron

An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines two contradictory terms to create a paradoxical effect. It is usually used to create a dramatic or thought provoking impact in literature, poetry or everyday language.

“Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow.”

Here, the combination of ‘sweet’ and ‘sorrow’ creates the oxymoronic expression. I hope this clarifies the concept of an oxymoron and provides relevant examples.

36- Paradox

A statement that seems self-contradictory or nonsensical but in reality expresses a possible truth.

“1984” by George Orwell

“War is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength.”

The juxtaposition of contradictory concepts forms a paradox. It reflects the twisted logic of the dystopian society depicted in the novel.

37- Parallelism

The use of components in a sentence that are grammatically the same or similar in their construction, sound, meaning or meter.

• To be, or not to be: that is the question. (Hamlet)
• The midnight’s all a-glimmer, and ’tis oil midnight. (A Midsummer Night’s Dream)

“Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte

“The evening ailed her, and she grew shimmeringly and inconsolably pale. She was disturbed.”

In the aforesaid example, ‘ailed her’ and ‘grew shimmeringly and inconsolably pale. She was disturbed’ are parallel in structure and meaning. The sentence creates a strong image of the protagonist emotional state through repetition of sentence structure and synonyms.

38- Personification

Attributing human characteristics to nonhuman things.

• The sun smiled on the meadow.
• The wind whispered through the trees.
• The clock struck midnight.

See also: Anthropomorphism vs Personification

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II

“The hills were alive with the sound of music.” 

In the aforesaid example, personification is used to describe the tranquil hills surrounding the setting as if the hills themselves emanated sound. This poetic device makes the scene vivid and lively, which allows the readers or viewers to visualize the environment more clearly.

A pun refers to a type of a joke that uses one word but with multiple meanings either deliberately or unintentionally.

• I’m reading a book on anti-gravity. It’s impossible to put down!
• She died doing what she loved, spreading satin.

“Hamlet” by Shakespeare

“To be, or not to be: that is the butt’s finish. Or, to butt or not to butt–that is the question:”

The speaker creates puns by substituting words like ‘butt’ for ‘to be’ and ‘butt’ or ‘or not to butt’ for ‘to be, or not to be’. These humorous wordplays provide a comedic take on the original soliloquy. It reveals the power and versatility of language and English puns. Moreover, the puns help to convey a sense of humorous absurdity, which serves as an effective way of breaking the tension in a scene.

40- Pathetic fallacy

Attributes human feelings and responses to inanimate things or animals, especially in art and literature.

• The somber clouds darkened our mood.

“Macbeth” by William Shakespeare

“ Naught’s had, all’s spent, Since it operational kind Was mine, ’tis interference, ‘twixt drunkenness And sleep, ‘twixt waking and oblivion ‘Tis an easyZoomonly title Loans Credit Line perfect palindrome ‘Tis but a year or two at most, / Ere I must sleep in my tomb.”

This excerpt is rich in pathetic fallacy, as the thunder, lightning and rain are personified and directly connected to the events and emotions of the characters.

41- Periphrasis

A literary device that is used in the formulation of an alternative and shorter phrase to replace a relatively long and complicated one. This is usually in form of a circumlocution or round about expression, rather than direct or literal phraseology. Periphrasis is used because of different aims that include highlighting the statement, adding weight or solemnness, masking the sense and avoiding tediousness.

Common Example

• At this current moment in time” instead of “now.”
• Instead of saying “You stupid idiot,” one might say, “You’re not exactly a genius,”

Example In literature

“O, she doth mock me too! Friar Laurence, I took her for my flour and frame; and now am I turn’d, then, an compromise of sound and sense, I am very salt of tear.”

Through the use of periphrasis, Lord Capulet is able to express the depth of his grief and the magnitude of his loss without resorting to simple and direct language.

42- Polyptoton

The stylistic scheme in which words derived from the same root are repeated.

• Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.

“As You Like It” by Shakespeare

“For who so firm that cannot be agitated? Be not disturbed, though change and chiding chance, By gallants fond, by gossips diffame; praise you, and why not? Speak you praises, or wherein dish? If you disgust, why then fair Mar low despite? If you can blame, blame; if you cannot blame, why then be brief! Thus convergence, thus men judge of us: If we be merry, praise it not; If we be grave, thengraver us: Set down these rights; where is your scribe? Write, for my part, I am I.”

Through the use of Polyptoton in her speech, Rosalind is able to stress the theme of changeability and inconsistency in human beings. She repeated the word ‘change’ with different endings and parts of speech to emphasize her meaning in a poetic and impactful manner.

43- Polysyndeton

Deliberate use of many conjunctions. This literary technique creates a series of equal clauses that are connected by ‘and’, ‘but’ ‘or’ and other coordinating conjunctions, which emphasizes the parallel structure of the sentences.

• We have ships and men and money and stores.

“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

“The sluggish ooze, which heaped round my feet, Cold slid and squirmed, and multiple my pains; And faster and faster sunk that stone! Who laid bat wings to Memphian sculptures’ eyes! Beneath the rocks, beneath the sea, / The old man popped.”

Through the use of Polysyndeton in this poem, Coleridge is able to emphasize the parallels, repeated and iterative circumstances faced by the speaker, which makes the poem more engaging and vivid.

The use of more words than necessary to convey meaning either as a fault of style or for emphasis.

44- Pleonasm 

It is a rhetoric device whereby two words are used to emphasize one meaning. This refers to a writing style that tends to use a lot of words to convey an idea while also repeating or using double terms denoting exactly the same meaning. 

• see with one’s eyes or burning fire.

“Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep” by Mary Elizabeth Frye

“I am a thousand winds that blow, I am the diamond glints on snow, I am the sun on ripened grain, I am the gentle autumn rain. When you awaken in the morning’s hush, I am the swift uplifting rush Of quiet birds in circled flight. I am the soft stars that shine at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry, I am not there; I did not die.”

Here, the repetition of ‘I am’ is used to reinforce the idea of the speaker’s presence and continuity even after death. The use of pleonasms in this poem creates a lyrical and immersive quality, which emphasizes the richness and significance of everyday experiences.

A comparison between two unlike things using ‘like’ or ‘as’. Simile helps to create vivid imagery and convey complex emotion by providing a concrete example or comparison.

• Her smile was as bright as the sun.
• She worked like a horse

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare

“I am seraunt to some demies, That mock our masters of their festivities; And sometimes I’ll a little poster it, When you have done your exercises, And wonder thengpuly how you come to it; But whether by born or taught I cannot decipher; It enables me to speak in divinity; And ’tis a common proof that low men understand it.”

Here, Puck uses a simile to describe his ability to move unnoticed. This simile is powerful and intriguing as it draws an interesting parallel between Puck’s movements and servants making fun of their masters festivities. The use of simile in this instance helps to convey the idea that Puck is able to move around discreetly without being seen.

46- Synecdoche

A part is made to represent the whole or vice versa.

• All hands on deck.
• Give me four

“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary, / Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—” 

Poe’s use of a raven as a symbol in his poem goes beyond just representing a specific bird – it also highlights the gloomy associations and connotations that humans often attach to it. The poet employs synecdoche to represent the whole in order to create a somber and melancholic atmosphere.

47- Sibilance

A literary device where strongly stressed consonants are created deliberately by producing soft, hissing sounds. This effect is often produced through the use of sibilant consonant sounds, such as ‘s’, ‘sh’, ‘z’, and ‘zh’.

• The slithering snake slid through the grass.
• The sea slashed against the shore

“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot

“Do I dare Disturb the universe? In a minute there is time For decisions and revisions which a lifetime Of trouble, of growing old Shall not make, shall not mitigate, Shall not make amends for, Still less does forgiveness, Since that silence in which we all Die like a departed king”

The writer uses a literary device called sibilance to create a pensive and contemplative mood. This technique involves the repetition of words with an ‘s’ sound, such as ‘disturb’ and ‘universe’, which contributes to a whispery and introspective tone that matches the speaker’s inner thoughts. The repetition of initial ‘s’ sounds in these words helps to establish a connection between the speaker’s thoughts and the events that he ponders, which creates a sense of complexity and instability in the relationship between the two.

48- SynScope

A figure of speech in which a part of a sentence is repeated in a different way. For example, “The dog, the dog, that stole the cat” is a sycope that repeats the word “dog” in a different way to emphasize it.

“Finnegans Wake” by James Joyce

“(Arise, O sleeper, I would cry to you up in your burrow, / Come out,\n”

James Joyce uses the literary device of syncope, which involves omitting letters or sounds from words to mimic natural speech. He builds dense, meaningful passages around gaps and distortions in dialogue to represent a sedated and slurred voice. The contrast between these sections of rich prose and moments of silence allows Joyce to vividly render the intense inner experiences and obsessions of his characters.

49- Tautology

Saying the same thing twice in different words, which is considered to be a redundancy.

• She took a deep breath and breathed in deeply.
• I have already told you that I will never do it again.

“Arise, fair sun, and kill the enviously dark night!”

Shakespeare uses repetition of the phrases ‘fair sun’ and ‘enviously dark night’ to emphasize the depth of Romeo’s feelings for Juliet. Though the two phrases mean the same thing, however their repetition create a strong visual image and sensuous tone that mirrors Romeo’s intense emotions. This repetitive technique enriches the text’s poetic style and resonates with the reader, which underscores the passionate love between the two characters.

A word applies to two others in different senses.

• She broke his car and his heart.
• She dressed her doll and her brother.

“A Walk” by Joseph Brodsky

“Officials throng the streets, The sun stews, yesterday’s rain Drips from the leaves and whatever else Will hold such pineapple.”

Brodsky uses zeugma that yokes together two ideas that may not naturally belong together. He connects ‘officials throng the streets’ with ‘the sun stews’ pairing a group of people with a description of the weather. This unusual juxtaposition allows Brodsky to hyperbolize and satirize as he critically examines the Soviet regime.

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• Resources for Teaching / Writer's Handbook

Figures of Speech: Schemes and Tropes

by Janice Campbell · Published March 7, 2017 · Updated May 11, 2017

Schemes and Tropes

Schemes and tropes are figures of speech, having to do with using language in an unusual or “figured” way:

Trope : An artful deviation from the ordinary or principal signification of a word. A trope uses a word in an unusual or unexpected way. Scheme : An artful deviation from the ordinary arrangement of words. A scheme is a creative alteration in the usual order of words.

“I work like a slave” [trope: simile ] “I don’t know if I’m working my job or my job, me” [schemes: antimetabole , ellipsis , personification ]

Kinds of Tropes

Trope : an artful deviation from the ordinary or principal signification of a word., reference to one thing as another.

• Metaphor Reference to one thing as another, implying a comparison.
• Simile Explicit comparison of one thing to another.
• Synecdoche A whole is represented by naming one of its parts.
• Metonymy Reference to something or someone by naming one of its attributes.
• Personification Reference to abstractions or inanimate objects as though they had human qualities or abilities.

Wordplay and puns

• Antanaclasis Repetition of a word in two different senses.
• Paronomasia Using words that sound alike but that differ in meaning (punning).
• Syllepsis Using a word differently in relation to two or more words that it modifies or governs (sometimes called zeugma).
• Onomatopoeia Use of words whose sound correspond with their semantic value.

Substitutions

• Anthimeria Substitution of one part of speech for another.
• Periphrasis Substitution of a descriptive word or phrase for a proper name or of a proper name for a quality associated with the name.

Overstatement/Understatement

• Hyperbole Use of exaggerated terms for emphasis or effect.
• Auxesis Reference to something with a name disproportionately greater than its nature (a kind of hyberbole).
• Litotes Understatement used deliberately.
• Meiosis Reference to something with a name disproportionately lesser than its nature (a kind of litotes).

Semantic Inversions

• Rhetorical Question Asking a question for a purpose other than obtaining the information requested.
• Irony Using language in such a way as to convey a meaning opposite of what the terms used denote (often by exaggeration).
• Oxymoron Placing two ordinarily opposing terms adjacent to one another. A compressed paradox.
• Paradox An apparently contradictory statement that contains a measure of truth.

Kinds of Schemes

Scheme: An artful deviation from the ordinary arrangement of words .

Structures of Balance

• Parallelism Similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses.
• Isocolon A series of similarly structured elements having the same length.
• Tricolon Three parallel elements of the same length occurring together.
• Antithesis Juxtaposition of contrasting ideas (often in parallel structure).
• Climax Generally, the arrangement of words, phrases, or clauses in an order of increasing importance, often in parallel structure.

Change in Word Order

• Anastrophe Inversion of natural word order.
• Parenthesis Insertion of a verbal unit that interrupts normal syntactical flow.
• Apposition Addition of an adjacent, coordinate, explanatory element.
• Ellipsis Omission of a word or words readily implied by context.
• Asyndeton Omission of conjunctions between a series of clauses.
• Brachylogia Omission of conjunctions between a series of words.
• (Polysyndeton) Opposite of asyndeton, a superabundance of conjunctions
• Alliteration Repetition of initial or medial consonants in two or more adjacent words.
• Assonance Repetition of similar vowel sounds, preceded and followed by different consonants, in the stressed syllables of adjacent words.
• Polyptoton Repetition of words derived from the same root.
• Anaphora Repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of successive clauses.
• Epistrophe Repetition of the same word or group of words at the ends of successive clauses.
• Epanalepsis Repetition at the end of a clause of the word that occurred at the beginning of the clause.
• Anadiplosis Repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the following clause.
• Climax Repetition of the scheme anadiplosis at least three times, with the elements arranged in an order of increasing importance.
• Antimetabole Repetition of words, in successive clauses, in reverse grammatical order. (Sometimes mistaken as chiasmus)
• Chiasmus Repetition of grammatical structures in reverse order in successive phrases or clauses (not to be mistaken with antimetabole).

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• Literary Terms
• Figures of Speech
• Definition & Examples
• When & How to Use Figures of Speech

I. What are Figures of Speech?

A figure of speech is a word or phrase using figurative language—language that has other meaning than its normal definition. In other words, figures of speeches rely on implied or suggested meaning, rather than a dictionary definition.  We express and develop them through hundreds of different rhetorical techniques, from specific types like metaphors and similes , to more general forms like sarcasm and slang.

Figures of speech make up a huge portion of the English language, making it more creative, more expressive, and just more interesting! Many have been around for hundreds of years—some even thousands—and more are added to our language essentially every day. This article will focus on a few key forms of figures of speech, but remember, the types are nearly endless!

III. Types of Figure of Speech

There are countless figures of speech in every language, and they fall into hundreds of categories. Here, though, is a short list of some of the most common types of figure of speech:

A. Metaphor

Many common figures of speech are metaphors. That is, they use words in a manner other than their literal meaning. However, metaphors use figurative language to make comparisons between unrelated things or ideas. The “peak of her career,” for example, is a metaphor, since a career is not a literal mountain with a peak , but the metaphor represents the idea of arriving at the highest point of one’s career.

An idiom is a common phrase with a figurative meaning. Idioms are different from other figures of speech in that their figurative meanings are mostly known within a particular language, culture, or group of people. In fact, the English language alone has about 25,000 idioms. Some examples include “it’s raining cats and dogs” when it is raining hard, or “break a leg” when wishing someone good luck.

This sentence uses an idiom to make it more interesting:

There’s a supermarket and a pharmacy in the mall, so if we go there, we can kill two birds with one stone.

The idiom is a common way of saying that two tasks can be completed in the same amount of time or same place.

A proverb is a short, commonplace saying that is universally understood in today’s language and used to express general truths. “Don’t cry over spilt milk” is a popular example. Most proverbs employ metaphors (e.g. the proverb about milk isn’t  literally  about milk).

This example uses a proverb to emphasize the situation:

I know you think you’re going to sell all of those cookies, but don’t count your chickens before they hatch!

Here, “don’t count your chickens before they hatch” means that you shouldn’t act like something has happened before it actually does.

A simile is a very common figure of speech that uses the words “like” and “as” to compare two things that are not related by definition. For example, “he is as tall as a mountain,” doesn’t mean he was actually 1,000 feet tall, it just means he was really tall.

This example uses a simile for comparison:

The internet is like a window to the world —you can learn about everything online!

The common phrase “window to the world” refers to a hypothetical window that lets you see the whole world from it. So, saying the internet is like a window to the world implies that it lets you see anything and everything.

E. Oxymoron

An oxymoron is when you use two words together that have contradictory meanings. Some common examples include s mall crowd, definitely possible, old news, little giant , and so on.

A metonym is a word or phrase that is used to represent something related to bigger meaning. For example, fleets are sometimes described as being “thirty sails strong,” meaning thirty (curiously, this metonym survives in some places, even when the ships in question are not sail-powered!) Similarly, the crew on board those ships may be described as “hands” rather than people.

Irony is when a word or phrase’s literal meaning is the opposite of its figurative meaning. Many times (but not always), irony is expressed with sarcasm (see Related Terms). For example, maybe you eat a really bad cookie, and then say “Wow, that was the best cookie I ever had”—of course, what you really mean is that it’s the worst cookie you ever had, but being ironic actually emphasizes just how bad it was!

IV. The Importance of Figures of Speech

In general, the purpose of a figure of speech is to lend texture and color to your writing. (This is itself a figure of speech, since figures of speech don’t actually change the colors or textures on the page!) For instance, metaphors allow you to add key details that make the writing more lively and relatable. Slang and verbal irony, on the other hand, make the writing seem much more informal and youthful (although they can have the opposite effect when misused!) Finally, other figures of speech, like idioms and proverbs, allows a writer to draw on a rich cultural tradition and express complex ideas in a short space.

V. Examples of Figures of Speech in Literature

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts.” (William Shakespeare, As You Like It)

This is one of the most famous metaphors ever crafted in the English language. Shakespeare uses his extended metaphor to persuade the audience of the similarities between the stage and real life. But rather than making his play seem more like life, he suggests that life is more like a play. His metaphor calls attention to the performative, creative, and fictional aspects of human life.

“Our words are b ut crumbs that fall down from the feast o f the mind.” (Khalil Gibran, Sand & Foam )

Gibran’s timeless metaphor succeeds for a number of reasons. For one thing, it is not a cliché – had Gibran said “words are just the tip of the iceberg ,” he would have been making roughly the same point, but in a much more clichéd way. But the feast of the mind is a highly original metaphor. In addition, it’s a successful double metaphor. The crumbs and the feast are two parts of the same image, but they work together rather than being “mixed” (see How to Use Figures of Speech ).

“If you chase two rabbits, you will lose them both.” (Russian Proverb)

Like many proverbs, this one draws on a simple metaphor of chasing rabbits. The rabbits can stand in for all sorts of objectives, from jobs to relationships, but the coded message is quite clear – focus your energy on a single objective, or you will likely fail. This literal statement, though, is quite dry and not terribly memorable, which shows the power of figures of speech.

VI. Examples of Figures of Speech in Pop Culture

The chorus to Sean Kingston’s Fire Burning contains a couple of figures of speech. First of all, there’s the word “shorty” used as a slang term (see Related Terms ) for a young woman. She may or may not be literally short, but the figure of speech applies either way (though it could easily be taken as belittling and derogatory). Second, Kingston sings the metaphor: “she’s fire, burning on the dance floor.” Hopefully this is a figure of speech and not a literal statement; otherwise, Kingston and everyone else in the club are in mortal danger!

“Oh, thanks! This is much better!” (Townspeople, South Park )

This is an example of irony. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, South Park satirized the government’s response to the disaster by writing about a similar disaster in South Park. In a bumbling effort to rescue people from the floods, the authorities accidentally spill oil on the flood waters and set it on fire, making the situation far more dangerous. In response, they ironically “thank” the people responsible—their meaning is obviously the opposite of their words!

Years of talks between Washington and Havana resulted in Obama’s historic visit to Cuba on March 21st. (Patreon 2016)

This is a common form of metonym in foreign policy and news media. The capital city of a country is used as a metonym for the national government. The talks, of course, are not literally between these two cities, but between the leaders and government officials of the two countries (US and Cuba).

VII. Related Terms

Literal and figurative language.

Language is generally divided into two categories: literal, and figurative. Literal language relies on the real definition of words and phrases, or their literal meanings. Figurative language, on the other hand, relies on implied meanings, which can be understood differently depending on the location or who is using it. For example, “the sky is blue” relies on the literal definition of the word “blue,” while “I am feeling blue” relies on the figurative definition. All figures of speech rely on the use of figurative language for their meaning.

Sarcasm is mocking or bitter language that we use to express different meaning than what we say; often the exact opposite. When your intended meaning is the opposite of the literal meaning, that’s irony (another type of figure of speech), which includes common phrases like “Oh, great…” when you really mean something is bad.

Slang is language that uses atypical words and phrases to express specific meanings. It varies greatly by region, demographic, and language—for example, you would find different slang in the U.S. and in the U.K. even though they are both English speaking countries. Likewise, teenagers and the elderly will use different slang terms, as would Spanish and English. Many slang terms are figures of speech. For example, “bro” could be used to describe a friend rather than an actual brother; this would be using the word as a figure of speech.

List of Terms

• Alliteration
• Amplification
• Anachronism
• Anthropomorphism
• Antonomasia
• APA Citation
• Aposiopesis
• Autobiography
• Bildungsroman
• Characterization
• Circumlocution
• Cliffhanger
• Comic Relief
• Connotation
• Deus ex machina
• Deuteragonist
• Doppelganger
• Double Entendre
• Dramatic irony
• Equivocation
• Extended Metaphor
• Flash-forward
• Foreshadowing
• Intertextuality
• Juxtaposition
• Literary Device
• Malapropism
• Onomatopoeia
• Parallelism
• Pathetic Fallacy
• Personification
• Point of View
• Polysyndeton
• Protagonist
• Red Herring
• Rhetorical Device
• Rhetorical Question
• Science Fiction
• Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
• Synesthesia
• Turning Point
• Understatement
• Urban Legend
• Verisimilitude
• Essay Guide
• Cite This Website

15 Major Figures of Speech in Literature (With Examples)

• Post author: Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka ACMC
• Post published: September 17, 2021
• Post category: Scholarly Articles

Figures of Speech in Literature (With Examples): Literature is a body of written works. This could either be Drama, Poetry, and Prose distinguishable in their various form, structure, style, and use of figurative language. This Figurative language used in these three genres of Literature ( Drama, Poetry, and Prose ) is what we call Figures of speech.

By way of definition, figures of speech are literary devices which achieves a special effect by using words in a distinctive way. In other words, they are words or a phrase which possesses a separate meaning from its literal definition.

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Major Types of Figures of Speech With Examples

There are a plethora of these Figures of Speech employed in Literature. They are:

1. Alliteration : Alliteration is a figure of speech used where a sentence in a literary work particularly a Poem, consists of a series of word with the same consonant sound at the beginning of such word. In simpler words, Alliteration is the repetition of an initial consonant sound at the beginning of words which are in close proximity with each other.

For example: 

Obi buys seashells by the seashore. 

The Ship Sailed and Sinked like the Titanic. 

 Betty Botter bought some butter. 

2. Antithesis: Antithesis is a figure of speech which places two contrasting words or ideas side by side in a sentence.

For example:

Many are called, but few are chosen. 

To err is human; to forgive is divine

Man proposes, God disposes.

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3. Apostrophe : Apostrophe is a figure of speech which directly addresses a person who is not present, an animate object or a non-living thing.

Oh! My God, how wonderful you are.

Alarm clock please don’t fail me tonight.

4. Assonance: This is a figure of speech similar to, but the reversal of Alliteration. That is to say that it is the repetition of Vowel sounds which are in close proximity.

Ada seems to beam rays of sunshine with her eyes of green

The light of the fire is a great sight.

5. Euphemism: Euphemism is a figure of speech which expresses unpleasant words in a pleasant manner. It can also be said to be the substitution of a cool word into a sentence when referring to something harsh or unpleasant.

Emeka passed away in his sleep (This is an Euphemism used to describe the unpleasant occurrence of Emeka dying while sleeping)

Faith is visually impaired (This is an Euphemism used in literature to state that Faith is blind)

David appears to be mentally challenged (This is to say that David is stupid and foolish).

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6. Hyperbole : A Hyperbole is literally an overstatement or exaggeration. It is therefore a figure of speech used to lay emphasis on a thing, heighten the effect of something or show over excitement about a thing.

The joy on my face was brighter than the sunshine

I have told you a million times to stop talking to me

Samuel kept knocking at my door a thousand times

The fear of losing made me run faster than Usain Bolt. 

7. Litotes : Litotes is the direct opposite of Hyperbole. It therefore means an understatement, and is a figure of speech which expresses an affirmative by the negative of its contrary. It therefore makes a situation less serious than it actually is.

It is not the best weather today (This statement will be a Litotes during a period of heavy rainfall and storm as it is implying through an ironic understatement that the weather is horrible.

He was not unfamiliar with the articles of David (This is an understatement to show that he was knowledgeable about the articles of David)

The price of the phone was not the cheapest (This is a Litotes to illustrate that the price of the phone was quite expensive).

8. Irony: Irony is a figure of speech which expresses the direct opposite of what is intended or the literal meaning. Irony is used to illustrate where there is a contrast between what is said by a person and what is meant, and where contradictory situations reveal a reality from what appears to be true.

You are as beautiful as gold (This is an Irony when addressing a mad and tattered person)

The police station got robbed yesterday Night (This is an example of situational irony)

Go get a job (This is an Ironic statement when coming from an unemployed person).

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9. Paradox: Paradox is a figure of speech employed to express a foolish, absurd or contradictory statement which may be true.

The Child is the father of the man

Some of the biggest failures I ever had were successes

War is peace.

10. Personification: Personification is used to illustrate a figure of speech wherein the attributes of a living thing or character is given to an inanimate thing. It can also be said to mean where an inanimate object or non-living thing is endowed with human features or abilities.

My Alarm clock yells loudly at me every morning

The stars winked at Night

The wind kissed me profusely

Upon my return, my dog smiled at me.

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11. Simile : Simile is one of the most common figure of speech. It is simply used to compare two dissimilar things which have something in common. In other words, Simile is the comparison of two unlike things using ‘ like ’ or ‘ as ’.

Blessing is as white as snow

Timi loves to eat like a pig

You were as brave as a lion

Juliet swims like a fish

12. Metaphor: Metaphor is a figure of speech which refers to a thing by mentioning another thing. It can therefore be said to mean an implied comparison between two things, stating that one thing is another.

The girl is a peacock

Laughter is the best medicine

Her melodious voice is music to my soul

Tochukwu is a walking dictionary.

N/B : A Metaphor differs from a Simile, as while Simile is comparing two things by saying that one thing is like another, Metaphor implies a comparison between two things by saying that one thing is another.

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13. Oxymoron: Oxymoron is a figure of speech which places two contradicting words or words which have opposite meanings next to each other in a sentence.

The beating was a sweet agony

His joke was seriously funny

The fresher was clearly confused .

14. Onomatopoeia: Onomatopoeia is a figure of speech which makes use of words to represent sounds through the imitation of that sound by words associated with it.

Tick Tock says the clock

I was woken by the Crow Crow of the hen

The stone hit the water with a splash

The moans from the room was quite loud .

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15. Metonymy : Metonymy is a figure of speech which substitutes a word for that closely associated with it. That is to say that a name or thing is replaced in a sentence by a word closely related or associated with it.

The power of the crown was strengthened (Crown here means King)

There have been lots of good policies and projects from the White House (White house refers to the president of the United States).

Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka, ACMC, is a lawyer and a certified mediator/conciliator in Nigeria. He is also a developer with knowledge in various programming languages. Samuel is determined to leverage his skills in technology, SEO, and legal practice to revolutionize the legal profession worldwide by creating web and mobile applications that simplify legal research. Sam is also passionate about educating and providing valuable information to people.

Dialogue Definition

What is dialogue? Here’s a quick and simple definition:

Dialogue is the exchange of spoken words between two or more characters in a book, play, or other written work. In prose writing, lines of dialogue are typically identified by the use of quotation marks and a dialogue tag, such as "she said." In plays, lines of dialogue are preceded by the name of the person speaking. Here's a bit of dialogue from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland : "Oh, you can't help that,' said the Cat: 'we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad." "How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice. "You must be,' said the Cat, 'or you wouldn't have come here."

Some additional key details about dialogue:

• Dialogue is defined in contrast to monologue , when only one person is speaking.
• Dialogue is often critical for moving the plot of a story forward, and can be a great way of conveying key information about characters and the plot.
• Dialogue is also a specific and ancient genre of writing, which often takes the form of a philosophical investigation carried out by two people in conversation, as in the works of Plato. This entry, however, deals with dialogue as a narrative element, not as a genre.

How to Pronounce Dialogue

Here's how to pronounce dialogue: dye -uh-log

Dialogue in Depth

Dialogue is used in all forms of writing, from novels to news articles to plays—and even in some poetry. It's a useful tool for exposition (i.e., conveying the key details and background information of a story) as well as characterization (i.e., fleshing out characters to make them seem lifelike and unique).

Dialogue as an Expository Tool

Dialogue is often a crucial expository tool for writers—which is just another way of saying that dialogue can help convey important information to the reader about the characters or the plot without requiring the narrator to state the information directly. For instance:

• In a book with a first person narrator, the narrator might identify themselves outright (as in Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go , which begins "My name is Kathy H. I am thirty-one years old, and I've been a carer now for over eleven years.").
• Tom Buchanan, who had been hovering restlessly about the room, stopped and rested his hand on my shoulder. "What you doing, Nick?”

The above example is just one scenario in which important information might be conveyed indirectly through dialogue, allowing writers to show rather than tell their readers the most important details of the plot.

Expository Dialogue in Plays and Films

Dialogue is an especially important tool for playwrights and screenwriters, because most plays and films rely primarily on a combination of visual storytelling and dialogue to introduce the world of the story and its characters. In plays especially, the most basic information (like time of day) often needs to be conveyed through dialogue, as in the following exchange from Romeo and Juliet :

BENVOLIO Good-morrow, cousin. ROMEO Is the day so young? BENVOLIO But new struck nine. ROMEO Ay me! sad hours seem long.

Here you can see that what in prose writing might have been conveyed with a simple introductory clause like "Early the next morning..." instead has to be conveyed through dialogue.

Dialogue as a Tool for Characterization

In all forms of writing, dialogue can help writers flesh out their characters to make them more lifelike, and give readers a stronger sense of who each character is and where they come from. This can be achieved using a combination of:

• Colloquialisms and slang: Colloquialism is the use of informal words or phrases in writing or speech. This can be used in dialogue to establish that a character is from a particular time, place, or class background. Similarly, slang can be used to associate a character with a particular social group or age group.
• The form the dialogue takes: for instance, multiple books have now been written in the form of text messages between characters—a form which immediately gives readers some hint as to the demographic of the characters in the "dialogue."
• The subject matter: This is the obvious one. What characters talk about can tell readers more about them than how the characters speak. What characters talk about reveals their fears and desires, their virtues and vices, their strengths and their flaws.

For example, in Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen's narrator uses dialogue to introduce Mrs. and Mr. Bennet, their relationship, and their differing attitudes towards arranging marriages for their daughters:

"A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!” “How so? How can it affect them?” “My dear Mr. Bennet,” replied his wife, “how can you be so tiresome! You must know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them.” “Is that his design in settling here?” “Design! Nonsense, how can you talk so! But it is very likely that he may fall in love with one of them, and therefore you must visit him as soon as he comes.”

This conversation is an example of the use of dialogue as a tool of characterization , showing readers—without explaining it directly—that Mrs. Bennet is preoccupied with arranging marriages for her daughters, and that Mr. Bennet has a deadpan sense of humor and enjoys teasing his wife.

Recognizing Dialogue in Different Types of Writing

It's important to note that how a writer uses dialogue changes depending on the form in which they're writing, so it's useful to have a basic understanding of the form dialogue takes in prose writing (i.e., fiction and nonfiction) versus the form it takes in plays and screenplays—as well as the different functions it can serve in each. We'll cover that in greater depth in the sections that follow.

Dialogue in Prose

In prose writing, which includes fiction and nonfiction, there are certain grammatical and stylistic conventions governing the use of dialogue within a text. We won't cover all of them in detail here (we'll skip over the placement of commas and such), but here are some of the basic rules for organizing dialogue in prose:

• Punctuation : Generally speaking, lines of dialogue are encased in double quotation marks "such as this," but they may also be encased in single quotation marks, 'such as this.' However, single quotation marks are generally reserved for quotations within a quotation, e.g., "Even when I dared him he said 'No way,' so I dropped the subject."
• "Where did you go?" she asked .
• I said , "Leave me alone."
• "Answer my question," said Monica , "or I'm leaving."
• Line breaks : Lines of dialogue spoken by different speakers are generally separated by line breaks. This is helpful for determining who is speaking when dialogue tags have been omitted.

Of course, some writers ignore these conventions entirely, choosing instead to italicize lines of dialogue, for example, or not to use quotation marks, leaving lines of dialogue undifferentiated from other text except for the occasional use of a dialogue tag. Writers that use nonstandard ways of conveying dialogue, however, usually do so in a consistent way, so it's not hard to figure out when someone is speaking, even if it doesn't look like normal dialogue.

Indirect vs. Direct Dialogue

In prose, there are two main ways for writers to convey the content of a conversation between two characters: directly, and indirectly. Here's an overview of the difference between direct and indirect dialogue:

• This type of dialogue can often help lend credibility or verisimilitude to dialogue in a story narrated in the first-person, since it's unlikely that a real person would remember every line of dialogue that they had overheard or spoken.
• Direct Dialogue: This is what most people are referring to when they talk about dialogue. In contrast to indirect dialogue, direct dialogue is when two people are speaking and their words are in quotations.

Of these two types of dialogue, direct dialogue is the only one that counts as dialogue strictly speaking. Indirect dialogue, by contrast, is technically considered to be part of a story's narration.

A Note on Dialogue Tags and "Said Bookisms"

It is pretty common for writers to use verbs other than "said" and "asked"  to attribute a line of dialogue to a speaker in a text. For instance, it's perfectly acceptable for someone to write:

• Robert was beginning to get worried. "Hurry!" he shouted.
• "I am hurrying," Nick replied.

However, depending on how it's done, substituting different verbs for "said" can be quite distracting, since it shifts the reader's attention away from the dialogue and onto the dialogue tag itself. Here's an example where the use of  non-standard dialogue tags begins to feel a bit clumsy:

• Helen was thrilled. "Nice to meet you," she beamed .
• "Nice to meet you, too," Wendy chimed .

Dialogue tags that use verbs other than the standard set (which is generally thought to include "said," "asked," "replied," and "shouted") are known as "said bookisms," and are generally ill-advised. But these "bookisms" can be easily avoided by using adverbs or simple descriptions in conjunction with one of the more standard dialogue tags, as in:

• Helen was thrilled. "Nice to meet you," she said, beaming.
• "Nice to meet you, too," Wendy replied brightly.

In the earlier version, the irregular verbs (or "said bookisms") draw attention to themselves, distracting the reader from the dialogue. By comparison, this second version reads much more smoothly.

Dialogue in Plays

Dialogue in plays (and screenplays) is easy to identify because, aside from the stage directions, dialogue is the only thing a play is made of. Here's a quick rundown of the basic rules governing dialogue in plays:

• Names: Every line of dialogue is preceded by the name of the person speaking.
• Mama (outraged)  : What kind of way is that to talk about your brother?
• Line breaks: Each time someone new begins speaking, just as in prose, the new line of dialogue is separated from the previous one by a line break.

Rolling all that together, here's an example of what dialogue looks like in plays, from Edward Albee's Zoo Story:

JERRY: And what is that cross street there; that one, to the right? PETER: That? Oh, that's Seventy-fourth Street. JERRY: And the zoo is around Sixty-5th Street; so, I've been walking north. PETER: [anxious to get back to his reading] Yes; it would seem so. JERRY: Good old north. PETER: [lightly, by reflex] Ha, ha.

Dialogue Examples

The following examples are taken from all types of literature, from ancient philosophical texts to contemporary novels, showing that dialogue has always been an integral feature of many different types of writing.

Dialogue in Shakespeare's Othello

In this scene from Othello , the dialogue serves an expository purpose, as the messenger enters to deliver news about the unfolding military campaign by the Ottomites against the city of Rhodes.

First Officer Here is more news. Enter a Messenger Messenger The Ottomites, reverend and gracious, Steering with due course towards the isle of Rhodes, Have there injointed them with an after fleet. First Senator Ay, so I thought. How many, as you guess? Messenger Of thirty sail: and now they do restem Their backward course, bearing with frank appearance Their purposes toward Cyprus. Signior Montano, Your trusty and most valiant servitor, With his free duty recommends you thus, And prays you to believe him.

Dialogue in Madeleine L'Engel's A Wrinkle in Time

From the classic children's book  A Wrinkle in Time , here's a good example of dialogue that uses a description of a character's tone of voice instead of using unconventional verbiage to tag the line of dialogue. In other words, L'Engel doesn't follow Calvin's line of dialogue with a distracting tag like "Calvin barked." Rather, she simply states that his voice was unnaturally loud.

"I'm different, and I like being different." Calvin's voice was unnaturally loud. "Maybe I don't like being different," Meg said, "but I don't want to be like everybody else, either."

It's also worth noting that this dialogue helps characterize Calvin as a misfit who embraces his difference from others, and Meg as someone who is concerned with fitting in.

Dialogue in A Visit From the Good Squad

This passage from Jennifer Egan's A Visit From the Good Squad doesn't use dialogue tags at all. In this exchange between Alex and the unnamed woman, it's always clear who's speaking even though most of the lines of dialogue are not explicitly attributed to a speaker using tags like "he said."

Alex turns to the woman. “Where did this happen?” “In the ladies’ room. I think.” “Who else was there?” “No one.” “It was empty?” “There might have been someone, but I didn’t see her.” Alex swung around to Sasha. “You were just in the bathroom,” he said. “Did you see anyone?”

Elsewhere in the book, Egan peppers her dialogue with colloquialisms and slang to help with characterization . Here, the washed-up, alcoholic rock star Bosco says:

"I want interviews, features, you name it," Bosco went on. "Fill up my life with that shit. Let's document every fucking humiliation. This is reality, right? You don't look good anymore twenty years later, especially when you've had half your guts removed. Time's a goon, right? Isn't that the expression?"

In this passage, Bosco's speech is littered with colloquialisms, including profanity and his use of the word "guts" to describe his liver, establishing him as a character with a unique way of speaking.

Dialogue in Plato's Meno

The following passage is excerpted from a dialogue by Plato titled Meno.  This text is one of the more well-known Socratic dialogues. The two characters speaking are Socrates (abbreviated, "Soc.") and Meno (abbreviated, "Men."). They're exploring the subject of virtue together.

Soc. Now, if there be any sort-of good which is distinct from knowledge, virtue may be that good; but if knowledge embraces all good, then we shall be right in think in that virtue is knowledge? Men. True. Soc. And virtue makes us good? Men. Yes. Soc. And if we are good, then we are profitable; for all good things are profitable? Men. Yes. Soc. Then virtue is profitable? Men. That is the only inference.

Indirect Dialogue in Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried

This passage from O'Brien's The Things They Carried exemplifies the use of indirect dialogue to summarize a conversation. Here, the third-person narrator tells how Kiowa recounts the death of a soldier named Ted Lavender. Notice how the summary of the dialogue is interwoven with the rest of the narrative.

They marched until dusk, then dug their holes, and that night Kiowa kept explaining how you had to be there, how fast it was, how the poor guy just dropped like so much concrete. Boom-down, he said. Like cement.

O'Brien takes liberties in his use of quotation marks and dialogue tags, making it difficult at times to distinguish between the voices of different speakers and the voice of the narrator. In the following passage, for instance, it's unclear who is the speaker of the final sentence:

The cheekbone was gone. Oh shit, Rat Kiley said, the guy's dead. The guy's dead, he kept saying, which seemed profound—the guy's dead. I mean really.

Why Do Writers Use Dialogue in Literature?

Most writers use dialogue simply because there is more than one character in their story, and dialogue is a major part of how the plot progresses and characters interact. But in addition to the fact that dialogue is virtually a necessary component of fiction, theater, and film, writers use dialogue in their work because:

• It aids in characterization , helping to flesh out the various characters and make them feel lifelike and individual.
• It is a useful tool of exposition , since it can help convey key information abut the world of the story and its characters.
• It moves the plot along. Whether it takes the form of an argument, an admission of love, or the delivery of an important piece of news, the information conveyed through dialogue is often essential not only to readers' understanding of what's going on, but to generating the action that furthers the story's plot line.

Other Helpful Dialogue Resources

• The Wikipedia Page on Dialogue: A bare-bones explanation of dialogue in writing, with one or two examples.
• The Dictionary Definition of Dialogue: A basic definition, with a bit on the etymology of the word (it comes from the Greek meaning "through discourse."
• Cinefix's video with their take on the 14 best dialogues of all time : A smart overview of what dialogue can accomplish in film.

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What Is a Simile? Definition, Usage, and Literary Examples

Simile definition.

Simile  (SIH-muh-lee) is a  figure of speech  that directly compares two dissimilar things. Similes are most commonly signaled by the words  like  or  as . The term, which originated in the 14th century, stems from the Latin  similis , meaning “similar” or “like.”

Figures of speech like simile are examples of  figurative language , which uses nonliteral expressions to better convey a message or idea. Writers use simile,  metaphor ,  allusion , and other literary devices to better  persuade , educate, and captivate readers. Simile can be also combined with other figures of speech like  hyperbole  and  irony  to achieve greater symbolic effect.

Types of Simile

There are two primary types of simile in the English language: the traditional rhetorical simile and the Homeric (or epic) simile.

From ancient times to today, countless writers have wielded simile to great effect. One particularly notable proponent of the device is the Greek poet Homer, for whom the Homeric simile is named. Similes abound in  The   Iliad  and  The   Odyssey , where Homer regularly uses word-picture analogies to help readers relate to and understand the text.

While rhetorical similes are economical comparisons that create compelling descriptions with just a few words, the more detailed Homeric simile develops across several lines. Homeric similes are most common in  poetry , particularly  epic  poems, where they emphasize the subject’s grand or heroic nature.

Take this example from  The Odyssey :

Hoisting high that olive stake with its stabbing point,

Straight into the monster’s eye the rammed it hard—

I drove my weight on it from above and bored it home

as a shipwright bores his beam with a shipwright’s drill

that men below, whipping the strap back and forth, whirl

and the drill keeps twisting faster, never stopping—

so we seized our stake with its fiery tip

and bored it round and round in the giant’s eye

The Homeric simile begins in the fourth line, but it continues to develop throughout the rest of the  stanza , with words like  whipping ,  whirl ,  twisting , and  seized  all contributing to a more graphic image that intensifies the drama.

Similes in Other Languages

Similes concisely identify commonalities between disparate subjects, making them a useful writing tool in several languages. Vietnamese, for example, has two main types of simile: the meaning simile and the rhyming simile. Meaning similes are simply rhetorical similes, much like you see in English.  Rhyming  similes build analogies using similar sounds.

Thuy Nga Nguyen and Ghil’ad Zuckermann provide several rhyming similes in  “Stupid as a Coin: Meaning and Rhyming Similes in Vietnamese.”  This example achieves the intended effect by repeating the  anh  sound: “nhanh ư bát canh.” This translates to “quick as a bowl of soup,” which parallels the English phrase “quick as a wink.”

Why Writers Use Similes

Similes are powerful analogies that spark the imagination. Writers use them to paint vivid images, evoke emotion or memory, and clarify or explain ideas through comparison. In doing so, similes give readers a fuller understanding of the subject and help them connect to the text. “He was hungry” is a plain assertion, but “He was as hungry as a pig” leverages common perceptions to express a more robust idea of hunger, one characterized by gluttony and greed.

Writers also use similes to make intangible concepts more accessible to readers. “Happiness” is abstract, but “Happiness is like sunshine” uses the concrete image of sunshine to convey a sense a warmth and light.

Similes most commonly use the connecting words  like  and  as  to make comparisons. You’ll probably recognize these common examples:

• “As cold as ice”
• “Run like the wind”
• “As tough as nails”
• “As fast as lightning”
• “As busy as a bee”
• “Eat like a bird”
• “As slow as molasses”
• “Swim like a fish”
• “As white as snow”
• “Work like a dream”

Similes are highly versatile, and they can be combined with other  figures of speech  to achieve specific effects. Writers use ironic similes to express the opposite of what they mean:

• “The bed was as soft as concrete”
• “Her thesis was as clear as mud”

Simile can also be combined with  alliteration ,  hyperbole , and so on:

• “He roared like a lion”
• “She was as thin as a twig”

Simile vs.Metaphor

Simile and  metaphor  are both figures of speech that compare disparate things, and it can be tricky to tell them apart. Remember that similes are distinguished by a unique characteristic: connecting words, such as  like  or  as .

Metaphors, however, explicitly refer to one thing to describe another. These figurative descriptions are used to achieve symbolic effect, and like simile, they can clarify ideas, emphasize subtle similarities, or create compelling imagery. Metaphors are often signaled by verbs like  is ,  are , and  was  (e.g., “She is a star”), but this is not a hard rule (e.g., “road to freedom”). As writer F.L. Lucas succinctly puts it: “The simile sets two ideas side by side; in the metaphor, they become superimposed.”

Consider this simile:

• “Life is  like a box of chocolates. ”

Like  pairs life with a box of chocolates to illustrate its inherent unpredictability.

Now check out this metaphor:

• “America is a melting pot. ”

The melting pot image helps readers visualize cultural integration in the US. You could turn this into a simile—“America is like a melting pot”—but the effect is subtly different.

Similes in Other Literary Works

The simile’s utility extends well beyond literature. Poets and playwrights regularly use this literary device to connect with their readers or audience and help them visualize an image or idea

Similes in Poetry

Many readers will recognize  poetry  as a literary form that uses  figurative language  to communicate certain ideas and concepts. Poetry’s layered, open-to-interpretation nature lends itself to figures of speech like simile. It allows the reader to create their own understanding of a  poem ’s subject or meaning.

Consider “London, 1802,” a William Wordsworth poem that eulogizes fellow poet John Milton:

Thy soul was  like a Star , and dwelt apart:

Thou hadst a voice whose sound was  like the sea :

Pure as the naked heavens , majestic, free

By comparing Milton to natural images, such as stars and the sea, Wordsworth both compliments Milton and alludes to his enduring cultural legacy.

Another example comes from Maya Angelou. Though this writer and activist is better known for her  prose  works, she wrote many poems that used figurative language to describe tough subjects, such as abuse, trauma, and discrimination. In her poem  “And Still I Rise,”  Angelou employs several similes to reference nature:

Just  like moons and like suns,

With the certainty of tides,

Just  like hopes springing high,

Still I’ll rise.

These natural and celestial associations demonstrate the speaker’s inalienable strength and hope in the face of injustice.

Simile in Plays

Because plays are performed, playwrights must articulate ideas and feelings almost entirely through dialogue. As such, using figures of speech like similes helps convey characters’  motivations  and emotions to the audience.

In  Romeo and Juliet ,  William Shakespeare  uses similes to emphasize the youthful romanticism of the ill-fated couple. Consider Romeo’s dialogue in Act 2, Scene 2, which contains some of the play’s most famous lines:

She speaks.

O, speak again, bright angel! For thou art

As glorious to this night, being o’er my head,

As is a winged messenger of heaven

Words like  bright angel  and  winged messenger of heaven  demonstrate Juliet’s ethereal beauty and its effect on Romeo. It also captures the drama and overwhelming nature of teenage love.

Similes in Pop Culture

This effective literary device can be found in places other than books and poems—really, anywhere a writer needs to facilitate readers’ (or listeners’) understanding.

Similes in Songs

Figurative language is a staple in popular music. No matter the genre, songwriters use figures of speech to engage listeners and project certain meanings.

Consider these  lyrics  from British pop-rock band Coldplay’s song “The Scientist”:

Questions of science, science and progress

Do not speak  as loud as my heart

This simile highlights the power of emotion by comparing it to matters of logic. While science and the progress it enables can seemingly answer any question, it still cannot provide more clarity than the speaker’s love.

In “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” folk-rock duo Simon & Garfunkel allude to a supportive relationship by evoking the imagery of a bridge:

I’ll take your part, oh,

When darkness comes

And pain is all around

Like a bridge over troubled water

I will lay me down

Bridges enable safe passage over dangerous terrain, such as violently choppy water. The song’s speaker implies that they will take care of their loved one and guide them through times of distress.

Similes in Marketing

Figures of speech aren’t limited to traditionally creative outlets. Especially apt comparisons can persuade consumers to buy a product or service, which makes simile a potent marketing tool for brands. You’re sure to recognize at least one of these ad slogans that employ similes:

• State Farm: “Like a good neighbor”
• Chevrolet: “Built like a rock”
• Doritos: “Tastes like awesome feels”
• Vault: “Drinks like a soda, kicks like an energy drink”

Examples of Simile in Literature

1. Stephen Crane,  The Red Badge of Courage

In Crane’s Civil War novel, protagonist Henry Fleming observes daybreak from a river bank:

In the eastern sky there was a yellow patch  like a rug laid for the feet of the coming sun.

This simile compares dawn’s first light to a rug to create a more compelling description of the sunrise. It drives readers to imagine the growing sunlight covering the ground, giving it almost a tactile presence.

2. Margaret Mitchell,  Gone with the Wind

This Civil War novel focuses more on the war’s effects on wealthy Southerners, like protagonist Scarlett O’Hara, than the actual fighting. In this excerpt, O’Hara uses several figures of speech to reflect on Ashley Wilkes, her neighbor and the object of her affection:

Why he should have captivated Scarlett when his mind was a stranger to hers she did not know. The very mystery of him excited her curiosity  like a door that had neither lock nor key.

Locked doors can be both alluring and frustrating, inspiring curiosity and determination to see what lies inside. That is what Scarlett feels in this moment as she tries to examine why she fines Wilkes so captivating. Mitchell uses simile to convey this complex emotion in a single succinct phrase. She also uses metaphor—“His mind was a stranger”—to further imply how unknowable Wilkes is.

3. Harper Lee,  To Kill a Mockingbird

Lee’s acclaimed Southern gothic tale draws on vivid imagery to paint a picture of post-slavery America. When the Finch children and their best friend Dill Harris approach the rundown home of reclusive Boo Radley, it exerts an especially magnetic pull on Dill:

The Radley Place fascinated Dill. In spite of our warnings and explanations it drew him  as the moon draws water , but drew him no nearer than the light-pole on the corner, a safe distance from the Radley gate.

By referencing the moon’s effect on the sea, Lee colors Dill’s fascination with a kind of controlled inevitability. He cannot escape the pull of the Radley home, but he can at least maintain a semblance of immunity by not yet stepping foot on the property.

4. Haruki Murakami,  Norwegian Wood

In this Japanese bildungsroman, Murakami explores the life of a 1960s college student. Here, narrator and protagonist Toru Watanabe comments on memory:

The sad truth is that what I could recall in 5 seconds all too soon needed 10, then 30, then a full minute— like shadows lengthening at dusk.

Murakami evokes the image of shadows stretching in the waning light to illustrate the slippery nature of recollection. Much as shadows grow long and distance themselves from the observer, so too does the full weight and accuracy of the past break from a person’s memory.

Further Resources About Similes

Similes Dictionary  shares more than 16,000 similes organized by category, to help any writer set a scene or make a point with rich, imaginative comparisons.

Intrigued by the use of simile in song? Check out  this article listing 47 examples of simile  in popular music.

Test your ability to distinguish simile from metaphor with  this seven-question quiz .

Related Terms

• Figurative language
• Figure of speech

A Guide to All Types of Narration, With Examples

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• An Introduction to Punctuation
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

In writing or speech , narration is the process of recounting a sequence of events, real or imagined. It's also called storytelling. Aristotle's term for  narration was prothesis .

The person who recounts the events is called a narrator . Stories can have reliable or unreliable narrators. For example, if a story is being told by someone insane, lying, or deluded, such as in Edgar Allen Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart," that narrator would be deemed unreliable. The account itself is called a narrative . The perspective from which a speaker or writer recounts a narrative is called a point of view . Types of point of view include first person, which uses "I" and follows the thoughts of one person or just one at a time, and third person, which can be limited to one person or can show the thoughts of all the characters, called the omniscient third person. Narration is the base of the story, the text that's not dialogue or quoted material.

Uses in Types of Prose Writing

It's used in fiction and nonfiction alike. "There are two forms: simple narrative, which recites events  chronologically , as in a newspaper account;" note William Harmon and Hugh Holman in "A Handbook to Literature," "and narrative with plot, which is less often chronological and more often arranged according to a principle determined by the nature of the plot and the type of story intended. It is conventionally said that narration deals with time,  description  with space."

Cicero, however, finds three forms in "De Inventione," as explained by Joseph Colavito in "Narratio": "The first type focuses on 'the case and...the reason for dispute' (1.19.27). A second type contains 'a  digression ...for the purpose of attacking somebody,...making a comparison,...amusing the audience,...or for amplification' (1.19.27). The last type of narrative serves a different end—'amusement and training'—and it can concern either events or persons (1.19.27)." (In "Encyclopedia of Rhetoric and Composition: Communication from Ancient Times to the Information Age," ed. by Theresa Enos. Taylor & Francis, 1996)

Narration isn't just in literature, literary nonfiction, or academic studies, though. It also comes into play in writing in the workplace, as Barbara Fine Clouse wrote in "Patterns for a Purpose": "Police officers write crime reports, and insurance investigators write accident reports, both of which narrate sequences of events. Physical therapists and nurses write narrative accounts of their patients' progress, and teachers narrate events for disciplinary reports. Supervisors write narrative accounts of employees' actions for individual personnel files, and company officials use narration to report on the company's performance during the fiscal year for its stockholders."

Even "jokes, fables, fairy tales, short stories, plays, novels, and other forms of literature are narrative if they tell a story," notes Lynn Z. Bloom in "The Essay Connection."

Examples of Narration

For examples of different styles of narration, check out the following:

• ​The Battle of the Ants by Henry David Thoreau (first person, nonfiction)
• "The Holy Night" by Selma Lagerlöf (first person and third person, fiction)
• Street Haunting by Virginia Woolf (first person plural and third person, omniscient narrator, nonfiction)
• Definition and Examples of Narratives in Writing
• Point of View in Grammar and Composition
• Third-Person Point of View
• Understanding Point of View in Literature
• What Is a Novel? Definition and Characteristics
• AP English Exam: 101 Key Terms
• Introduction to Magical Realism
• How to Summarize a Plot
• Organizational Strategies for Using Chronological Order in Writing
• Narratio in Rhetoric
• How to Write a Narrative Essay or Speech
• What Is Narrative Poetry? Definition and Examples
• Compose a Narrative Essay or Personal Statement
• What Is Literary Journalism?
• Interior Monologues

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• Gettysburg Address
• I Have a Dream
• James Madison
• Letter From a Birmingham Jail
• Martin Luther King Jr.
• Notes of a Native Son
• Notes on the State of Virginia
• On Property
• Politics and the English Language
• Ralph Waldo Emerson
• Rights of Man
• Self-Reliance
• Shooting an Elephant
• Street Haunting
• Thomas Jefferson
• Thomas Paine
• Walking Thoreau
• Literary Criticism and Theory
• Literary Devices
• Literary Elements
• Literary Movements
• Literary Studies
• Non-Fiction Authors

Speech definition in literature

In literature, a speech is a public discourse performed by an orator. In other words, a person uses a public forum to inform, persuade, or entertain a group of people. Speeches help create a space for people to discuss policies that affect society, either after the decision or during the decision-making process. When a speech is widely believed to be particularly moving, it becomes classified as a work of literature.

History of public speaking

Egyptians were the first known society to formulate guidelines for effective public speaking. They believed speeches should focus on listening as much as speaking and that orators should carefully choose their words, emphasizing concepts with a sense of permanency. Their ideas about rhetoric mirrored their culture, as later eras would as well.

At its most basic, rhetoric is how we communicate. The discussion around a formal definition of rhetoric continues today because the ways we communicate change. Rhetorical analysis concentrated on oral and written communication for much of history, but visual media is now included in rhetorical studies. Applying rhetorical rules effectively in a speech requires language skills, cultural knowledge, and a working understanding of the purpose, context, and audience.

Classical Period (500-400 BC)

Ancient Greece picked up where the Egyptians left off, and as political participation was highly valued, rhetoric became a serious philosophical study.

Roman Era (30 BC-476 AD)

The Greeks’ eloquence influenced the Romans, so they began to devise their own rules of rhetoric. Their speeches included humor and diversions to create interest for the audience.

Medieval Era (400 AD-1400 AD)

Popular thought during the Medieval era considered rhetoric a way to manipulate and hide the truth. Speeches were mainly religious in nature.

Renaissance Period (1400-1600 AD)

As this period saw an increase in academic study, scholars began looking back at previous forms of speech-making. There was an increased focus on style and logic over rhetoric. Other scholars felt morality and ethics were essential parts of an effective speech.

Enlightenment Period (1600-1800 AD)

The Enlightenment took the best of the past and applied it to the present. Philosophers studied persuasiveness and rhetoric through the lens of scientific and moral reasoning. The Enlightenment period combined Rhetoric inspired by the Classical Era with new ideas about how speech delivery influenced audiences.

New School (1900-Today)

Classical rhetoric informs modern theories. Thanks to technology, speeches can now be pre-recorded and delivered over the internet in addition to live events. Podcasts, Ted Talks, YouTube, and video conferences are all ways modern speeches are delivered.

Types of speeches

There are three broad types of speeches:

• Entertaining: Speeches that deliver a message by stimulating their audience using humor or drama. Entertaining speeches are typical at special events such as weddings.
• A definition speech explains the main points of a topic so an audience will understand it better.
• A demonstration speech explains how something works.
• An explanatory speech usually uses statistics or other data types to describe a topic.
• A descriptive speech uses words to paint a picture of a subject.
• Persuasive: Speeches that try to influence an audience to believe or do something.

Persuasive speeches

Speeches that become known as works of literature are usually persuasive. The best way to persuade an audience has been studied since the Egyptians laid a foundation for rhetoric. However, philosophers throughout history have offered different theories regarding the most effective ways to use rhetoric to persuade an audience. As a result, much of what is taught today is actually thousands of years old.

Marcus Tullius Cicero of Ancient Rome established a five-step process for writing a persuasive speech that is still widely respected and used, called the Five Canons of Rhetoric (50 BC):

• Invention: How someone develops their idea. For example, to get ready for a political debate, a candidate will brainstorm about the main points they want to try to make.
• Arrangement: Deciding how the orator should organize the speech. Rather than diving right into the solution to a civil rights issue, a speechwriter first introduces the problem, so the audience knows why they’re supposed to act.
• Style: Language choices within the speech. For example, an orator should know their audience well enough to know whether or not humor will be appropriate.
• Memory: the act of memorizing a speech. To see why this is important, consider political leaders' consequences when they slip up mid-speech or misread words on a teleprompter.
• Delivery: How an orator presents the speech to the audience. People tend to trust a speaker who uses direct eye contact more than one who seems distracted because they keep looking down or off to the side.

Many of these guidelines can also be helpful when writing a paper.

Persuasive speech topics

Topics of a persuasive speech usually boil down to one of three types of debatable points:

• For example, the specific details surrounding a historical event can sometimes be debated.
• For example, public health is a policy issue.
• For example, a speaker's arguments for or against the death penalty are influenced by their values.

Evaluating speeches

A speech analysis essay examines how successfully a speech uses rhetorical devices to appeal to its audience.

The Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle established a formula known as the rhetorical triangle that balances three characteristics that work together to create a powerful speech:

• Logos (Word): In a speech, logos is the appeal to logic. In an analysis, look at how well the speech argues its main points.
• Ethos (Character): Ethos appeals to character, meaning it scrutinizes the reliability of the speech’s author. Ethos evaluates whether the speaker’s argument is credible.
• Pathos (Sympathy): Pathos appeals to the audience’s emotions. A speech analysis essay delves into the beliefs that underlie the argument and how they resonate with the audience.

Evaluate a speech using the rhetorical triangle and these guidelines:

What is the purpose of the speech?

Who is the target audience, and how does the speech appeal to them?

Does the speech back its claims with reliable proof?

Who is the speaker, and what is their effect on the speech?

How and where was the speech delivered?

Was the speech compelling? Why or why not?

Famous speeches in English Literature

Some speeches transcend their moment in time to become famous examples of the genre that continue to inspire others.

Demosthenes “Third Philippic” (341 BC)

Demosthenes was an Ancient Greek orator whose skills impressed Cicero three hundred years later. “Third Philippic” is the third speech Demosthenes made to his fellow Athenians to persuade them to go to war against Phillip of Macedon, who was creeping into their territory. After the speech, the Athenian Assembly immediately decided it was time to act.

Demosthenes studied for years to become one of the most respected orators in Athens (Ethos).

[I]n fact it is your indifference and carelessness that Phillip has conquered; your city he has not conquered. Nor have you been defeated–no! You have not even made a move. 2

Demosthenes calls out the Assembly’s previous inaction, which appealed to their sense of duty (pathos).

If we are going to wait for him to acknowledge a state of war with us, we are indeed the simplest of mortals; for even if he marches straight against Attica and the Piraeus, he will not admit it, if we may judge from his treatment of the other states. 2

Demosthenes provides proof of Phillip’s aggressive and devious behavior against other communities to convince the Assembly (logos).

George Washington “1783 Resignation Speech” (December 23, 1783)

George Washington commanded the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War and became the United States’ first President. He wrote this speech after the Revolutionary War was over and he had completed the duty bestowed on him.

One of the things Washington is famous for is that he didn’t seek out the offices he held. Instead, people saw his leadership qualities and asked him to serve. And when the job was done, Washington respectfully stepped away to let someone else take over (ethos).

The Successful termination of the War has verified the most sanguine expectations, and my gratitude for the interposition of Providence, and the assistance I have received from my Countrymen, encreases with every review of the momentous contest. 3

Washington compliments the men he fought with and thanks God for their success, which is even better than the most optimistic expectations as an appeal to Congress’s peace of mind (pathos).

Having now finished the work assigned to me, I retire from the great theatre of Action. 3

He logically argues that his job is complete because the war is won, so he is ready to stand aside (logos).

Sojourner Truth “Ain’t I A Woman?” (1851)

Sojourner Truth was a formerly enslaved person who became an activist. She gave the speech “Ain’t I A Woman?” at the Women’s Convention in Akron, Ohio, which calls out popular beliefs about race and gender.

Truth’s autobiography, The Narrative of Sojourner Truth (1850), brought her national attention, and she began speaking on various topics. She helped enslaved people escape slavery, and when the Civil War started, she encouraged African American men to help fight with the Union (Ethos).

I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother’s grief, none but Jesus heard me! 4

Truth appeals to the audience’s beliefs about motherly love to question why her race sets her apart as deserving the right to vote along with other women (pathos).

Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! . . . I could work as much and eat as much as a man–when I could get it–and bear the lash as well! 4

Truth argues that she has done as much work as any man, so if men can vote because they work, she should be allowed to vote also (logos).

Literary speeches meld rhetorical skills with creative writing. They transport the reader to their moment in history and inspire future generations to act. Literary speeches act as a time capsule that allows a glimpse into a famous (or infamous) person's thoughts and emotions and helps readers better understand their influence on society.

Speeches - Key takeaways

• When a speech is especially thought-provoking, it can become classified as a work of literature.
• Rhetoric looks at how we communicate. Rhetorical study requires language skills, cultural knowledge, and a working understanding of the purpose, context, and audience.
• Speeches that become works of literature are typically persuasive. Persuasive speech topics can be categorized as issues of fact, issues of policy, or issues of value.
• When evaluating a speech, examine its use of pathos, logos, and ethos.
• Great literary speeches invoke an emotional response thousands of years after they were written.
• Lincoln, Abraham. 1863 "The Gettysburg Address ." Abraham Lincoln Online. 2020
• Demosthenes. 341 BC "Third Philippic." The Bibliotheke.
• Washington, George. 1783 "Washington's Address to Congress Resigning His Commission." National Archives.
• Truth, Sojourner. 1851 "Ain't I A Woman?" Lit2Go
• Fig. 1: Poster announcing a lecture of Frederick Douglass, Public Domain, (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Poster_announcing_a_lecture_of_Frederick_Douglass.jpg)

Flashcards in Speeches 90

Who was Malcolm X?

Malcolm X was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement who was known for his outspoken beliefs regarding self-defense among the African American community and for holding white Americans accountable for the struggles of African Americans.

Why did Malcolm X change his last name?

Malcolm X changed his name from Little to X in honor of his unknown African surname when he joined the Nation of Islam.

What did Malcolm X believe as a Nation of Islam member?

While Malcolm X was a member of the Nation of Islam, he believed African Americans should separate themselves from white American society and form institutions run by African Americans. 

What was Malcolm X's response to the accusation that the Nation of Islam spread a message of hate?

In response to being accused that the Nation of Islam spread a hateful message, Malcolm X said, "Before you come asking Mr. Muhammad does he teach hate, you should ask yourself who taught you to hate being what God made you." 

True or False: Malcolm X founded the Organization of African Unity (OAU).

False. Malcolm X was inspired by the OAU to found his own Pan-African group, the Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU).

What was The Autobiography of Malcolm X about?

The Autobiography of Malcolm X chronicles Malcolm's life through his struggles as an African American man in the United States. The autobiography discusses how his Islamic faith allowed Malcolm to transform his anger into a desire to secure human rights for himself and others. 

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Frequently Asked Questions about Speeches

What is speech in literature?

In literature, a speech is a public discourse performed by an orator. In other words, a person uses a public forum to inform, persuade, or entertain a group of people. When a speech is widely believed to be particularly moving, it becomes classified as a work of literature. 

What are the three main types of speeches?

The three main types of speeches are:

• Entertaining
• Informative

What are the four types of informative speeches?

The four types of informative speeches are:

• Demonstration
• Explanatory
• Descriptive

What is a speech analysis essay?

A speech analysis essay examines how successfully a speech uses rhetorical devices to appeal to its audience.  

What are some examples of famous speeches?

Some examples of famous speeches are:

• Demosthenes's "Third Philippic" (341 BC)
• George Washington's "Washington's Address to Congress Resigning His Commission" (1783)
• Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I A Woman?" (1851)

Test your knowledge with multiple choice flashcards

What is Malcolm X's legacy?

Why was "The Ballot or the Bullet" important?

What parts of African American society did Malcolm X want them to control?

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, the 31 literary devices you must know.

General Education

Need to analyze The Scarlet Letter or To Kill a Mockingbird for English class, but fumbling for the right vocabulary and concepts for literary devices? You've come to the right place. To successfully interpret and analyze literary texts, you'll first need to have a solid foundation in literary terms and their definitions.

In this article, we'll help you get familiar with most commonly used literary devices in prose and poetry. We'll give you a clear definition of each of the terms we discuss along with examples of literary elements and the context in which they most often appear (comedic writing, drama, or other).

Before we get to the list of literary devices, however, we have a quick refresher on what literary devices are and how understanding them will help you analyze works of literature.

What Are Literary Devices and Why Should You Know Them?

Literary devices are techniques that writers use to create a special and pointed effect in their writing, to convey information, or to help readers understand their writing on a deeper level.

Often, literary devices are used in writing for emphasis or clarity. Authors will also use literary devices to get readers to connect more strongly with either a story as a whole or specific characters or themes.

So why is it important to know different literary devices and terms? Aside from helping you get good grades on your literary analysis homework, there are several benefits to knowing the techniques authors commonly use.

Being able to identify when different literary techniques are being used helps you understand the motivation behind the author's choices. For example, being able to identify symbols in a story can help you figure out why the author might have chosen to insert these focal points and what these might suggest in regard to her attitude toward certain characters, plot points, and events.

In addition, being able to identify literary devices can make a written work's overall meaning or purpose clearer to you. For instance, let's say you're planning to read (or re-read) The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. By knowing that this particular book is a religious allegory with references to Christ (represented by the character Aslan) and Judas (represented by Edmund), it will be clearer to you why Lewis uses certain language to describe certain characters and why certain events happen the way they do.

Finally, literary techniques are important to know because they make texts more interesting and more fun to read. If you were to read a novel without knowing any literary devices, chances are you wouldn't be able to detect many of the layers of meaning interwoven into the story via different techniques.

Now that we've gone over why you should spend some time learning literary devices, let's take a look at some of the most important literary elements to know.

List of Literary Devices: 31 Literary Terms You Should Know

Below is a list of literary devices, most of which you'll often come across in both prose and poetry. We explain what each literary term is and give you an example of how it's used. This literary elements list is arranged in alphabetical order.

An allegory is a story that is used to represent a more general message about real-life (historical) issues and/or events. It is typically an entire book, novel, play, etc.

Example: George Orwell's dystopian book Animal Farm is an allegory for the events preceding the Russian Revolution and the Stalinist era in early 20th century Russia. In the story, animals on a farm practice animalism, which is essentially communism. Many characters correspond to actual historical figures: Old Major represents both the founder of communism Karl Marx and the Russian communist leader Vladimir Lenin; the farmer, Mr. Jones, is the Russian Czar; the boar Napoleon stands for Joseph Stalin; and the pig Snowball represents Leon Trotsky.

Alliteration

Alliteration is a series of words or phrases that all (or almost all) start with the same sound. These sounds are typically consonants to give more stress to that syllable. You'll often come across alliteration in poetry, titles of books and poems ( Jane Austen is a fan of this device, for example—just look at Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility ), and tongue twisters.

Example: "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers." In this tongue twister, the "p" sound is repeated at the beginning of all major words.

Allusion is when an author makes an indirect reference to a figure, place, event, or idea originating from outside the text. Many allusions make reference to previous works of literature or art.

Example: "Stop acting so smart—it's not like you're Einstein or something." This is an allusion to the famous real-life theoretical physicist Albert Einstein.

Anachronism

An anachronism occurs when there is an (intentional) error in the chronology or timeline of a text. This could be a character who appears in a different time period than when he actually lived, or a technology that appears before it was invented. Anachronisms are often used for comedic effect.

Example: A Renaissance king who says, "That's dope, dude!" would be an anachronism, since this type of language is very modern and not actually from the Renaissance period.

Anaphora is when a word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of multiple sentences throughout a piece of writing. It's used to emphasize the repeated phrase and evoke strong feelings in the audience.

Example: A famous example of anaphora is Winston Churchill's "We Shall Fight on the Beaches" speech. Throughout this speech, he repeats the phrase "we shall fight" while listing numerous places where the British army will continue battling during WWII. He did this to rally both troops and the British people and to give them confidence that they would still win the war.

Anthropomorphism

An anthropomorphism occurs when something nonhuman, such as an animal, place, or inanimate object, behaves in a human-like way.

Example: Children's cartoons have many examples of anthropomorphism. For example, Mickey and Minnie Mouse can speak, wear clothes, sing, dance, drive cars, etc. Real mice can't do any of these things, but the two mouse characters behave much more like humans than mice.

Asyndeton is when the writer leaves out conjunctions (such as "and," "or," "but," and "for") in a group of words or phrases so that the meaning of the phrase or sentence is emphasized. It is often used for speeches since sentences containing asyndeton can have a powerful, memorable rhythm.

Example: Abraham Lincoln ends the Gettysburg Address with the phrase "...and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the Earth." By leaving out certain conjunctions, he ends the speech on a more powerful, melodic note.

Colloquialism

Colloquialism is the use of informal language and slang. It's often used by authors to lend a sense of realism to their characters and dialogue. Forms of colloquialism include words, phrases, and contractions that aren't real words (such as "gonna" and "ain't").

Example: "Hey, what's up, man?" This piece of dialogue is an example of a colloquialism, since it uses common everyday words and phrases, namely "what's up" and "man."

An epigraph is when an author inserts a famous quotation, poem, song, or other short passage or text at the beginning of a larger text (e.g., a book, chapter, etc.). An epigraph is typically written by a different writer (with credit given) and used as a way to introduce overarching themes or messages in the work. Some pieces of literature, such as Herman Melville's 1851 novel Moby-Dick , incorporate multiple epigraphs throughout.

Example: At the beginning of Ernest Hemingway's book The Sun Also Rises is an epigraph that consists of a quotation from poet Gertrude Stein, which reads, "You are all a lost generation," and a passage from the Bible.

Epistrophe is similar to anaphora, but in this case, the repeated word or phrase appears at the end of successive statements. Like anaphora, it is used to evoke an emotional response from the audience.

Example: In Lyndon B. Johnson's speech, "The American Promise," he repeats the word "problem" in a use of epistrophe: "There is no Negro problem. There is no Southern problem. There is no Northern problem. There is only an American problem."

A euphemism is when a more mild or indirect word or expression is used in place of another word or phrase that is considered harsh, blunt, vulgar, or unpleasant.

Example: "I'm so sorry, but he didn't make it." The phrase "didn't make it" is a more polite and less blunt way of saying that someone has died.

A flashback is an interruption in a narrative that depicts events that have already occurred, either before the present time or before the time at which the narration takes place. This device is often used to give the reader more background information and details about specific characters, events, plot points, and so on.

Example: Most of the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë is a flashback from the point of view of the housekeeper, Nelly Dean, as she engages in a conversation with a visitor named Lockwood. In this story, Nelly narrates Catherine Earnshaw's and Heathcliff's childhoods, the pair's budding romance, and their tragic demise.

Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is when an author indirectly hints at—through things such as dialogue, description, or characters' actions—what's to come later on in the story. This device is often used to introduce tension to a narrative.

Example: Say you're reading a fictionalized account of Amelia Earhart. Before she embarks on her (what we know to be unfortunate) plane ride, a friend says to her, "Be safe. Wouldn't want you getting lost—or worse." This line would be an example of foreshadowing because it implies that something bad ("or worse") will happen to Earhart.

Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement that's not meant to be taken literally by the reader. It is often used for comedic effect and/or emphasis.

Example: "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse." The speaker will not literally eat an entire horse (and most likely couldn't ), but this hyperbole emphasizes how starved the speaker feels.

Imagery is when an author describes a scene, thing, or idea so that it appeals to our senses (taste, smell, sight, touch, or hearing). This device is often used to help the reader clearly visualize parts of the story by creating a strong mental picture.

Example: Here's an example of imagery taken from William Wordsworth's famous poem "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud":

When all at once I saw a crowd, A host of golden Daffodils; Beside the Lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Irony is when a statement is used to express an opposite meaning than the one literally expressed by it. There are three types of irony in literature:

• Verbal irony: When someone says something but means the opposite (similar to sarcasm).
• Situational irony: When something happens that's the opposite of what was expected or intended to happen.
• Dramatic irony: When the audience is aware of the true intentions or outcomes, while the characters are not . As a result, certain actions and/or events take on different meanings for the audience than they do for the characters involved.
• Verbal irony: One example of this type of irony can be found in Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado." In this short story, a man named Montresor plans to get revenge on another man named Fortunato. As they toast, Montresor says, "And I, Fortunato—I drink to your long life." This statement is ironic because we the readers already know by this point that Montresor plans to kill Fortunato.
• Situational irony: A girl wakes up late for school and quickly rushes to get there. As soon as she arrives, though, she realizes that it's Saturday and there is no school.
• Dramatic irony: In William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet , Romeo commits suicide in order to be with Juliet; however, the audience (unlike poor Romeo) knows that Juliet is not actually dead—just asleep.

Juxtaposition

Juxtaposition is the comparing and contrasting of two or more different (usually opposite) ideas, characters, objects, etc. This literary device is often used to help create a clearer picture of the characteristics of one object or idea by comparing it with those of another.

Example: One of the most famous literary examples of juxtaposition is the opening passage from Charles Dickens' novel A Tale of Two Cities :

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair …"

Malapropism

Malapropism happens when an incorrect word is used in place of a word that has a similar sound. This misuse of the word typically results in a statement that is both nonsensical and humorous; as a result, this device is commonly used in comedic writing.

Example: "I just can't wait to dance the flamingo!" Here, a character has accidentally called the flamenco (a type of dance) the flamingo (an animal).

Metaphor/Simile

Metaphors are when ideas, actions, or objects are described in non-literal terms. In short, it's when an author compares one thing to another. The two things being described usually share something in common but are unalike in all other respects.

A simile is a type of metaphor in which an object, idea, character, action, etc., is compared to another thing using the words "as" or "like."

Both metaphors and similes are often used in writing for clarity or emphasis.

"What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun." In this line from Romeo and Juliet , Romeo compares Juliet to the sun. However, because Romeo doesn't use the words "as" or "like," it is not a simile—just a metaphor.

"She is as vicious as a lion." Since this statement uses the word "as" to make a comparison between "she" and "a lion," it is a simile.

A metonym is when a related word or phrase is substituted for the actual thing to which it's referring. This device is usually used for poetic or rhetorical effect .

Example: "The pen is mightier than the sword." This statement, which was coined by Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839, contains two examples of metonymy: "the pen" refers to "the written word," and "the sword" refers to "military force/violence."

Mood is the general feeling the writer wants the audience to have. The writer can achieve this through description, setting, dialogue, and word choice .

Example: Here's a passage from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit: "It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube-shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats -- the hobbit was fond of visitors." In this passage, Tolkien uses detailed description to set create a cozy, comforting mood. From the writing, you can see that the hobbit's home is well-cared for and designed to provide comfort.

Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia is a word (or group of words) that represents a sound and actually resembles or imitates the sound it stands for. It is often used for dramatic, realistic, or poetic effect.

Examples: Buzz, boom, chirp, creak, sizzle, zoom, etc.

An oxymoron is a combination of two words that, together, express a contradictory meaning. This device is often used for emphasis, for humor, to create tension, or to illustrate a paradox (see next entry for more information on paradoxes).

Examples: Deafening silence, organized chaos, cruelly kind, insanely logical, etc.

A paradox is a statement that appears illogical or self-contradictory but, upon investigation, might actually be true or plausible.

Note that a paradox is different from an oxymoron: a paradox is an entire phrase or sentence, whereas an oxymoron is a combination of just two words.

Example: Here's a famous paradoxical sentence: "This statement is false." If the statement is true, then it isn't actually false (as it suggests). But if it's false, then the statement is true! Thus, this statement is a paradox because it is both true and false at the same time.

Personification

Personification is when a nonhuman figure or other abstract concept or element is described as having human-like qualities or characteristics. (Unlike anthropomorphism where non-human figures become human-like characters, with personification, the object/figure is simply described as being human-like.) Personification is used to help the reader create a clearer mental picture of the scene or object being described.

Example: "The wind moaned, beckoning me to come outside." In this example, the wind—a nonhuman element—is being described as if it is human (it "moans" and "beckons").

Repetition is when a word or phrase is written multiple times, usually for the purpose of emphasis. It is often used in poetry (for purposes of rhythm as well).

Example: When Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote the score for the hit musical Hamilton, gave his speech at the 2016 Tony's, he recited a poem he'd written that included the following line:

And love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love cannot be killed or swept aside.

Satire is genre of writing that criticizes something , such as a person, behavior, belief, government, or society. Satire often employs irony, humor, and hyperbole to make its point.

Example: The Onion is a satirical newspaper and digital media company. It uses satire to parody common news features such as opinion columns, editorial cartoons, and click bait headlines.

A type of monologue that's often used in dramas, a soliloquy is when a character speaks aloud to himself (and to the audience), thereby revealing his inner thoughts and feelings.

Example: In Romeo and Juliet , Juliet's speech on the balcony that begins with, "O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?" is a soliloquy, as she is speaking aloud to herself (remember that she doesn't realize Romeo's there listening!).

Symbolism refers to the use of an object, figure, event, situation, or other idea in a written work to represent something else— typically a broader message or deeper meaning that differs from its literal meaning.

The things used for symbolism are called "symbols," and they'll often appear multiple times throughout a text, sometimes changing in meaning as the plot progresses.

Example: In F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel The Great Gatsby , the green light that sits across from Gatsby's mansion symbolizes Gatsby's hopes and dreams .

A synecdoche is a literary device in which part of something is used to represent the whole, or vice versa. It's similar to a metonym (see above); however, a metonym doesn't have to represent the whole—just something associated with the word used.

Example: "Help me out, I need some hands!" In this case, "hands" is being used to refer to people (the whole human, essentially).

While mood is what the audience is supposed to feel, tone is the writer or narrator's attitude towards a subject . A good writer will always want the audience to feel the mood they're trying to evoke, but the audience may not always agree with the narrator's tone, especially if the narrator is an unsympathetic character or has viewpoints that differ from those of the reader.

Example: In an essay disdaining Americans and some of the sites they visit as tourists, Rudyard Kipling begins with the line, "Today I am in the Yellowstone Park, and I wish I were dead." If you enjoy Yellowstone and/or national parks, you may not agree with the author's tone in this piece.

How to Identify and Analyze Literary Devices: 4 Tips

In order to fully interpret pieces of literature, you have to understand a lot about literary devices in the texts you read. Here are our top tips for identifying and analyzing different literary techniques:

Tip 1: Read Closely and Carefully

First off, you'll need to make sure that you're reading very carefully. Resist the temptation to skim or skip any sections of the text. If you do this, you might miss some literary devices being used and, as a result, will be unable to accurately interpret the text.

If there are any passages in the work that make you feel especially emotional, curious, intrigued, or just plain interested, check that area again for any literary devices at play.

It's also a good idea to reread any parts you thought were confusing or that you didn't totally understand on a first read-through. Doing this ensures that you have a solid grasp of the passage (and text as a whole) and will be able to analyze it appropriately.

Tip 2: Memorize Common Literary Terms

You won't be able to identify literary elements in texts if you don't know what they are or how they're used, so spend some time memorizing the literary elements list above. Knowing these (and how they look in writing) will allow you to more easily pinpoint these techniques in various types of written works.

Tip 3: Know the Author's Intended Audience

Knowing what kind of audience an author intended her work to have can help you figure out what types of literary devices might be at play.

For example, if you were trying to analyze a children's book, you'd want to be on the lookout for child-appropriate devices, such as repetition and alliteration.

Tip 4: Take Notes and Bookmark Key Passages and Pages

This is one of the most important tips to know, especially if you're reading and analyzing works for English class. As you read, take notes on the work in a notebook or on a computer. Write down any passages, paragraphs, conversations, descriptions, etc., that jump out at you or that contain a literary device you were able to identify.

You can also take notes directly in the book, if possible (but don't do this if you're borrowing a book from the library!). I recommend circling keywords and important phrases, as well as starring interesting or particularly effective passages and paragraphs.

Lastly, use sticky notes or post-its to bookmark pages that are interesting to you or that have some kind of notable literary device. This will help you go back to them later should you need to revisit some of what you've found for a paper you plan to write.

What's Next?

Looking for more in-depth explorations and examples of literary devices? Join us as we delve into imagery , personification , rhetorical devices , tone words and mood , and different points of view in literature, as well as some more poetry-specific terms like assonance and iambic pentameter .

Reading The Great Gatsby for class or even just for fun? Then you'll definitely want to check out our expert guides on the biggest themes in this classic book, from love and relationships to money and materialism .

Got questions about Arthur Miller's The Crucible ? Read our in-depth articles to learn about the most important themes in this play and get a complete rundown of all the characters .

For more information on your favorite works of literature, take a look at our collection of high-quality book guides and our guide to the 9 literary elements that appear in every story !

These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a commission.

Hannah received her MA in Japanese Studies from the University of Michigan and holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California. From 2013 to 2015, she taught English in Japan via the JET Program. She is passionate about education, writing, and travel.

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Definition of Allegory

Allegory is a narration or description in which events, actions, characters, settings or objects represent specific abstractions or ideas. Allegory generally operates on two levels as a literary device. The overt or surface narrative /description is meant to have enough literary elements to be a standalone work that is interesting and/or entertaining by itself. However, the emphasis of allegory is typically placed on the abstract ideals represented or symbolized by the work’s literary elements. In other words, the meaning behind the surface narrative has even greater value as a literary work. Though many allegories are intended to be didactic in providing a moral , ethical, or religious lesson, not all allegories set out to achieve this goal.

For example, Plato’s  Allegory of the Cave is considered a classic allegory and a fundamental text in classical literature. In the story , Plato sets forth a narrative of people living in a cave who are only able to see objects as shadows. These shadows are reflected on the wall of the cave from the firelight, and therefore the inhabitants of the cave cannot see the objects directly. However, the shadows are their reality. This allegory is a philosophical representation that symbolizes how humans understand their surroundings and the world at large. The surface narrative consists of events and people in the cave. The allegorical narrative, on a symbolic level, is meant to indicate a contrast between human perception and reason, or belief and knowledge.

Types of Allegory

There are four major types of allegories.

• Classical allegory: Allegorical stories told in the classical Grecian times about animals and other things to demonstrate human existence and teach the people a lesson. One of the best examples is Plato’s Allegory of the Cave.
• Biblical allegory: Biblical allegories show stories used in the Bible to convey Christian teachings. These stories often evoke Biblical themes such as the conflict between evil and good.
• Medieval allegory: This type of allegories presents stories such as the unity of Christianity
• Modern allegory: Modern allegories include stories of animals and birds to depict modern themes such as The Chronicles of Narnia and Animal Farm.

Common Examples of Allegory in Fable Form

Perhaps the most common or familiar examples of allegory are fables. A fable is considered a short allegory featuring anthropomorphic characters such as animals or other non-human characters that behave like humans and have human characteristics.

Fables, in general, feature an overt moral lesson or rule of behavior as part of the story, and fable characters often stand for abstract ideals. Like all allegory, fables work as standalone (or surface) narratives while also providing an instructive narrative lesson about behavior and/or values. Here are some common examples of allegory in the form of fables:

• The lion and the mouse
• The tortoise and the hare
• The city mouse and the country mouse
• The fox and the grapes
• The grasshopper and the ants
• The wolf in sheep’s clothing
• The fox and the crow
• The little red hen
• The hare and his ears
• The shepherd and the wolf

Examples of Biblical Allegory

There are two forms of Biblical allegory: a) one that refers to allegorical interpretations of the Bible, rather than literal interpretations, including parables; b) a literary work that invokes Biblical themes such as the struggle between good and evil. Here are some well-known examples of Biblical allegory:

• The Chronicles of Narnia (C.S. Lewis)
• The Old Man and the Sea ( Ernest Hemingway )
• The Prodigal Son ( parable from the Bible)
• The Pilgrim’s Progress (John Bunyan)
• The Adventures of Pinocchio (Carlo Collodi)
• The Good Samaritan (parable from the Bible)
• The Baggage Handler (David Rawlings)
• Hinds’ Feet on High Places (Hannah Hunnard)
• The Divine Comedy (Dante Alighieri)
• Goblin Market (Christina Rossetti)

Famous Examples of Allegory

Allegory is also found in many other famous and modern examples of poetry, prose , and drama . Here are some famous examples of allegory:

• The Alchemist ( Paulo Coelho )
• Siddhartha ( Hermann Hesse )
• The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde ( Robert Louis Stevenson )
• Everyman (attributed to Petrus Dorlandus)
• No Exit (Jean-Paul Sartre)
• The Metamorphosis ( Franz Kafka )
• Orientation (Daniel Orozco)
• The Jewbird (Bernard Malamud)
• Young Goodman Brown ( Nathaniel Hawthorne )
• Beatrice and Virgil ( Yann Martel )

Difference Between Allegory and Symbolism

It can be difficult to tell the difference between allegory and symbolism as literary devices . Essentially, symbolism is the use of words, characters, locations, or abstract ideas as symbols to represent something beyond their literal meaning. An allegory is a narrative work that utilizes symbolism to offer a broader moral or deeper meaning for the reader. In allegory, nearly all elements of the narrative typically can be interpreted as having a symbolic meaning that enhances the broader meaning of the story. Therefore, symbolism is a device featured in allegory in order to represent and communicate deeper meaning.

It’s important to remember that while allegory is dependent upon symbolism, the presence of symbols in a literary work does not make it an allegory. An allegory is a narrative in which nearly every element, including characters and even plot , represent symbols for something else, or a narrative in which the story itself is symbolic of a broader concept or historical event. Symbolism is essential to allegory, but it can also be found in any literary work that is not considered an allegory.

Allegory vs Metaphor

Although it seems that allegory and metaphor are similar, they are entirely different from each other. Whereas an allegory is a complete story told either in verse or in prose, a metaphor is a small figure of speech . An allegory presents parallelism of human life on a wider scale as compared to a metaphor that presents the same on a smaller scale, mostly a single sentence . Also, an allegory is meant to teach a moral lesson or outline a lesson for the people, while a metaphor does not stipulate such a lesson. An allegory could have several metaphors when describing a character , a metaphor does not become an allegory. It is just a linguistic feature of the prose used to describe something or a person.

Writing Allegory

As a literary device, allegory functions as a means of expressing abstract and complex ideas in a way that is understandable and approachable for the reader. This is effective for readers in that allegory is often a simple narrative that represents a much larger moral or meaning about society, human nature, and even religion. Allegorical characters may represent historical or well-known persons and plot situations may represent actual events. However, allegory just alludes to these interpretations; the connections are not stated explicitly.

It’s important for writers to remember that allegory must work as a narrative on two different levels in order to be successful. First, the narrative itself must feature enough material and literary elements to stand alone as a story. Second, the allegorical symbols must be somewhat accessible to the reader for interpretation. If the allegory features symbols that are extremely obscure or if the surface narrative is inadequate, then the allegory is ineffective.

Here are some advantages for writers of using allegory:

Allows Controversial Topics to be Addressed

The distance created by allegory between the writer and the subject allows controversial topics to be addressed. This is effective for readers as well in that the subject matter of an allegory is symbolic, not literally referenced. Through symbolism, allegory can more comfortably address topics such as war, religion, human nature, etc, for both the writer and reader.

Artistic Use of Literary Skill

It takes great literary skill to write an effective allegory. This is due to the necessity of the surface story being able to stand by itself while the symbolic narrative must be accessible and understandable for the reader at the same time. Allegory is therefore a very artistic use of literary skill.

Enhance Understanding for Reader

Certain abstract concepts can be difficult for readers to fully grasp. Using allegory as a means of explaining and/or demonstrating such concepts can enhance the overall understanding and meaning for the reader. This is particularly true when it comes to philosophical theories and higher-level reasoning.

Short Allegory Examples

The scorpion by paul bowles.

This is the story of an old lady who is marooned in a cave away from the town whereas her sons left her. An old man tried to take her with him but she refused and dreamed of the town when she suddenly woke up with the scorpion in her mouth and her son calling from outside.

The Dumb Man by Sherwood Anderson

This story comprises three characters, a reluctant narrator , and a woman upstairs with a newly arrived fourth man. The gist of the story is Anderson’s thesis on how a man could be happy at the same place when the other one is sad.

Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne

This story revolves around the journey of a young man, Goodman Brown, to the devil to talk to him and meet with several pious people on the way which opens his eyes that virtue is not as he has seen but what actually exists.

Purpose of Allegory in Writing

As there is always a purpose behind every writing, an allegory is no exception. A writer keeps himself detached from his narrative which usually involves unusual characters and unusual circumstances. The message the writer conveys lies hidden in the narrative of those characters. It is often of good, evil, sorrow, or happiness and their impacts on human life. The writer conveys this message through these narratives which comprise symbolic characters, situations, and happenings.

Examples of Allegory in Literature

Allegory is a very effective literary device. Here are some examples of allegory and how it adds to the significance of well-known literary works:

Example 1:  Animal Farm (George Orwell)

No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal . He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?

Animal Farm is one of the most well-known and appreciated allegorical novels in literature. This passage represents the multi-layered narrative of Orwell’s work. The surface narrative is that of a farm fable in which the animals “overthrow” the farmer as a means of escaping oppression. Unfortunately, the cycle of oppression is taken up by the small group of animals that subsequently put themselves in charge of the farm. This passage reflects the message of the surface story that certain animals should make important decisions even under the guise of equality .

On a symbolic level, Orwell’s allegory reflects the events of the Russian Revolution in which Bolshevik and liberal revolutionaries overthrew the Russian Czar. Two of the pigs in the novel symbolize the historical figures Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin, and nearly every literary element in the story symbolizes the rise of communism and its consequences in Russia and the Soviet Union.

Example 2:  Invisible Man (Ralph Ellison)

Come out of the fog , young man. And remember you don’t have to be a complete fool in order to succeed. Play the game, but don’t believe in it–that much you owe yourself. Even if it lands you in a strait jacket or a padded cell. Play the game, but play it your own way–part of the time at least. Play the game, but raise the ante, my boy. Learn how it operates, learn how you operate–I wish I had time to tell you only a fragment.

In Ellison’s allegorical novel, the reader follows the narrator’s story as he finishes his formal education in the South and joins a Brotherhood organization in the North that supposedly is designed to fight injustice and inequality. However, the narrator realizes that this organization, like nearly all American institutions, is exploitative of black people and more concerned with a political agenda than equality. The above passage reflects this sentiment.

The narrator’s journey from the South to the North is an allegory of American slavery, including representations of slave narratives, the Underground Railroad, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. In addition, the narrator’s surface story is symbolic and allegorical of a true education of what it means to be black in America . The narrator begins with a level of innocence that he loses through the experiences of his journey until his perception of his identity leads him to a different sense of reality.

Example 3: The R ime of the Ancient Mariner  (Samuel Taylor Coleridge)

And some in dreams assurèd were Of the Spirit that plagued us so; Nine fathom deep he had followed us From the land of mist and snow . And every tongue, through utter drought , Was withered at the root ; We could not speak, no more than if We had been choked with soot. Ah! well a-day! what evil looks Had I from old and young! Instead of the cross , the Albatross About my neck was hung.

Synonyms of Allegory

Related posts:.

• 10 Amazing Allegory in Films
• Plato’s The Allegory Of The Cave Allegorical Meanings
• Great Allegorical Poem Examples

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Literary Techniques for your Speech, with Examples Analyzed

March 2, 2021 - Dom Barnard

Planned use of language has a major impact on how your speech is received by the audience. Saying the right words at the right time, and in the right way, can achieve a specific impact.

Use language to achieve impact

Careful use of language has produced many powerful speeches over the years. Here are a few literary devices you can employ for your next speech.

Rhetorical Questions

Start your next presentation with an open question. It engages the audience and gets them thinking about your speech early on. Use questions throughout and leave pauses after, letting the audience think about an answer.

Pause at the Right Moment

This adds impact to sentence just before or after the pause. This is a good literary technique to use for the key message of your speech. Don’t be afraid to wait 3-5 seconds before speaking, adding maximum impact to your words.

Messages and words are remembered best in groups of three. The power of three is used in all aspects of speaking in public and by the media. Couple words in groups of three with alliteration for maximum impact, such as “They grew up with a long, lasting, love for each other.”

Repeat the Key Point

A technique used frequently by politicians, a word needs to be said on average 5 times before the audience begins to take in what is being said.

Dramatic Contrast

Contrasting two points, such as “Ten years ago we had a reputation for excellence. Today, we are in danger of losing that reputation.”

For additional literary techniques, check out these links:

• Stylistic Devices (Rhetorical Devices, Figures of Speech)
• BBC Literary Techniques

Spend time planning which of these language techniques you will use in your speech. You can add these in after your first draft of the speech has been written.

Two great speeches analyzed

1. martin luther king – i have a dream, transcript snippet.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today! I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of “interposition” and “nullification” — one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today! I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; “and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.”

Literary devices and techniques used

Anaphora  – Repetition of the “I have a dream” phrase at the beginning of each sentence.

Metonymy  – The phrase “The let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia… Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee… Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi“, King uses these well-known racist locations to enhance his point.

Hyperbole  – King uses the words ‘all’ and ‘every’ many times, exaggerating his point, “when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city”

Alliteration  – used throughout the speech, alliterations add a poetic quality to the speech, for example this sentence “judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

Amplification  – King repeats many of his points a second time, with greater emphasis and explanation the second time, “America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked insufficient funds.”

Speeches which mastered literary techniques

• Martin Luther King, Jr. – I Have A Dream
• Winston Churchill – We shall fight on the beaches
• John F. Kennedy – Inaugural Address
• Margaret Thatcher – The Lady’s Not For Turning
• Barack Obama – The Audacity Of Hope
• Elizabeth Gilbert – Your Creative Genius
• J. K. Rowling – Harvard Commencement Address

For addition detail on these speeches, check out  this article  on speeches that changed the world.

2. Winston Churchill – We shall fight on the beaches

Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end.

We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be.

We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.

And if, which I do not for a moment believe, this island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God’s good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.

Anaphora  – The repetition of the phrase “we shall fight” can be seen in the transcript snippet. This adds dramatic emphases on the words he is saying in these paragraphs.

Alliteration  – Churchill uses repetition of letters to emphasize the dark time Europe was in, “I see also the dull, drilled, docile, brutish masses of the Hun soldiery plodding on like a swarm of crawling locusts” and “your grisly gang who work your wicked will.”

Antistrophe  – The repetition of words at the end of successive sentences, “the love of peace, the toil for peace, the strife for peace, the pursuit of peace“.

Hypophora  – Churchill asks various questions and then answers them himself, “You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air” and “You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word, it is victory”.

Rule of Three  – Churchill uses this literary technique in many of his speeches, “This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning” and “Never before in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many, to so few”.

Easy to use literary techniques for your next speech

Rhetoric Question

Start your next speech with a rhetoric question – “Who here has used a virtual reality headset?”

Repetition of Phrase

Repeat a key phrase around 5 times throughout the speech, the phrase should be short – “Virtual reality is changing the world”.

Use the Rule of Three

Emphasize a product or service by describing it with three words – “Our software is faster, cheaper and easier to use”. For greatest impact on your audience, combine this with alliteration.

Ask a question then immediately answer it – “How many virtual reality headsets were sold last month? Over 2 million.”