Figures of Speech英文修辞手法.doc

Figures of SpeechFigures of speech are forms of expression that depart from normal word or sentence order or from the common literal meanings of words, for the purpose of achieving a special effect. Figures of speech exist in almost endless variety and many are closely related or intricately overlap, hence no completely satisfactory system of classification has ever been devised. The following are some commonly used ones: 1. Simile A figure that involves an expressed comparison, almost always introduced by the word “like” or “as”. The two things compared must be dissimilar and the basis of resemblance is usually an abstract quality. a. The water lay gray and wrinkled like an elephants skin.b. That man cant be trusted. Hes as slippery as an eel.c. What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to the soul. 2. MetaphorThe substitution of one thing for another, or the identification of two things from different ranges of thought. It is often loosely defined as “an implied comparison,” “a simile without like or as”. Examples:a. Irrigation is the lifeblood of agriculture.b. The flames of rebellion were kindled in secret.3. Personification A figure of speech that gives human form or feelings to animals, or life and personal attributes to inanimate objects, or to ideas and abstractions. There are three chief kinds of personifications: 1) That produced by the use of adjectives: the blushing rose; the thirsty ground 2) That produced by the use of verbs: the kettle sings; the waves danced 3) That produced by the use of nouns: the smiles of spring; the whisper of leavesMore examples:a. The match will soon be over and defeat is staring us in the face.b. This time fate was smiling to him.4. MetonymyThe substitution of the name of one thing for that of another with which it is closely associated. For example:a. The pen is mightier than the sword.b. Gray hairs should be respected. Metonymy can be derived from various sources from names of persons, from animals, professions, locations or place names, etc., as illustrated below:A. Names of persons: Uncle Sam: The United States of AmericaB. Animals: the bear: the former Soviet Union or the Soviet government C. Parts of the body: a) heart: feelings or emotions b) head, brain: wisdom, intelligence, reasonExamples: Her heart ruled her head. Use your brains.D. Professions: a) the bar: the legal profession b) the press: newspapers; newspaper reportersE. Locations of government, of business or industrial enterprisesa) Downing Street: the British government or cabinetb)The White House: the President or Executive branch of the U.S. Governmentc) the Pentagon: the U.S. military establishmentd) Wall Street: U.S. financial circlese) Hollywood: American film-making industry5. SynecdocheA. The naming of a part to mean the whole. For example:e.g.: We are short of hands. b. a fleet of 50 sails B. The naming of the material for the thing made. e.g.: Have you any coppers?C. The naming of the genus for the species. e.g.: He is a poor creature. D. The naming of an individual for a class. e.g. He is the Newton of this century.6. Euphemism The substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant. A. Death, Illness, Old Age, etc. Examples: to die- to pass away; ones heart has stopped beating old people- senior citizens fat people- weight- watchersB. Toilet Habits, etc. Examples: go to the toilet- visit the necessary; answer natures call; C. Poverty and UnemploymentExample: slums- sub-standard housingD. Menial jobs or professions of low social standing Example: undertaker- mortician Manicurist- a nail technician garbage man- sanitation engineerE. Political and Military activitiesFor example: invasion- military action refugee- displaced person retreat- adjustment of the front; redeployment7. Hyperbole A conscious exaggeration for the sake of emphasis, not intended to be understood literally. For example: a. The wave ran mountain high. b. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. 8. Antithesis The setting of contrasting phrases opposite each other for emphasis. In true antithesis the opposition between the elements is manifested through parallel grammatical structure. For example:a. Good breeding consists in concealing how much we think of ourselves and how little we think of the other person. (Mark Twain)b. A friend exaggerates a mans virtues, an enemy his crimes.c. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.9. Paradox A statement that appears to be logically contradictory and yet may be true, the purpose of which is to provoke fresh thought. For example:a. In fact, it appears that the teachers of English teach English so poorly largely because they teach grammar so well.b. The child is father of the man. (Wordsworth)10. Oxymoron A compressed paradox, formed by the conjoining of two contrasting, contradictory or incongruous terms. Like paradox, an Oxymoron initially surprises one with its incongruity of terms, which really hides a certain truth, or a significant point. For example:a. bitter-sweet memories b. orderly chaos c. the wisest fool in the countryd. living deaths e. tearful joy11. Rhetorical question A question neither requiring nor intended to produce a reply but asked for emphasis. The assumption is that only one answer is possible. For example:a. Was I not at the scene of the crime? b. but can you doubt what our policy will be? (Lesson 5, Book 1)12. Irony A figure of speech that achieves emphasis by saying the opposite of what is meant, the intended meaning of the words being the opposite of their usual sense. For example:a. Oh, how I love queuing up! (In fact, the speak hates it.)b. This diligent student seldom reads more than an hour per month.13.ClimaxThe arrangement of phrases or sentences in ascending order of importance. For example:Empire offered a few man a source of profit, many men a sense of mission and, to the anonymous everyman of Europes slums, a sense of pride.14. Anti-climax The sudden appearance of an absurd or trivial idea following one or more significant or elevated ideas. Anticlimax is usually comic in effect.For example:a. The duties of a soldier are to protect his country and peel potatoes.b. Seldom has a city gained such world renown, and I am proud and happy to welcome you to Hiroshima, a town known throughout the world for its oysters. 15. Alliteration The use in a phrase or sentence of words beginning with the same letter or sound. Alliteration should be used only when the writer makes a strong emotional response to his subject. For example:a. We felt strong, smug, secure. (Bailey: The American Pageant)b. The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew, the furrow followed free.16. Onomatopoeia The use of words that, when pronounced, suggest their meaning, such as “hiss” or “buzz”. In poetry it involves suiting sound to sense and thereby creating verses that carry their meaning in their sound. This device makes use of imitation of sounds for effect. These sounds may be those made by a person, animal or thing, or associated with some action or movement. For example: Moo, mew, bow-wow, hiss, roar and baa are respectively imitative of the cries or calls of cows, cats, dogs, snakes, lions and sheep. In the same way, trains toot; doors bang; windows rattle; fire crackles; machines clang; and racing cars go vroom-vroom.17. Transferred epithet A figure of speech where an adjective or descriptive phrase is transferred from the noun it should rightly modify to another to which it does not really belong. Generally, the adjective is transferred from a person to a thing or idea. For example: a. a sleepless night b throwing a reassuring arm around my shoulder18. Pun A play on words based on similarity of sound and sharp difference in meaning, for a witty or humorous effect. There are many words in English which look or sound alike, but have different senses, or connotations. For example:a. If we dont hang together, we shall assuredly hang separately.b. .Ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man. (Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet)19. Parallelism In parallel construction it is necessary to balance word for word (noun with noun, verb with verb, adjective with adjective, etc.), phrase with phrase, clause with clause, sentence with sentence. Parallelism is regularly employed in the listing of facts, ideas, events, etc., and the parallel elements may range from a minimum of two to any number required. For example: and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth. (Abraham Lincoln: “Gettysburg Address”) Exercise:1. He bellowed like a bull seeking combat. 2. Marriage is a book of which the first chapter is written in poetry and remaining chapters in prose. 3. What is learned in the cradle is carried to the grave. 4. Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us. 5. Scepter and crown/ Must tumbled down/ And in the dust be equal made/ With the poor crooked Scythe and Spade (Shirley, “The Glorious of Our Blood”) 6. Some books are to be tasted, others swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested. (“Of Studies”, Bacon) 7. It is pity that there is more ignorance than knowledge in the country. 8. And so, my fellow Americans ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. The storm was raging and an angry sea was continuously tossing their boat.9. Down the drive dashed dashing Dan. 10. The pen is to a writer what the gun is to a fighter. 11. The thief made a trembling confession of his wrongdoings. 12. There is nothing more exhilarating to the nature-love than an early morning walk in the foot hill of the Himalayas. It lifts his spirit above material concerns and inspires in him noble thoughts. It also makes him hungry.13. One week