What are Figures of Speech?

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

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.
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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!
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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
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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.
b. Idiom
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.
Oxymoron
An oxymoron is when you use two words together that have
contradictory meanings. Some common examples include small crowd,
definitely possible, old news, little giant, and so on.
Metonym
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
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!

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.
Example
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 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.
Examples of Figures of Speech in Literature

The idiom is a common way of saying that two tasks can be completed
in the same amount of time or same place.
c. Proverb
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).
Example
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!
Example 1
“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.
Example 2

Here, “don’t count your chickens before they hatch” means that you
shouldn’t act like something has happened before it actually does.
d. Simile
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.
Example
This example uses a simile for comparison:
“Our words are but crumbs that fall down from the feast of 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).
Example 3

“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