Common Types of Figure of Speech (in English)

Sep. 29, 2024

A figure of speech or rhetorical figure is a word or phrase that intentionally deviates from straightforward language use or literal meaning to produce a rhetorical or intensified effect (emotionally, aesthetically, intellectually, etc.).1

Schemes

Schemes are words or phrases whose syntax, sequence, or pattern occurs in a manner that varies from an ordinary usage.

  • Parallelism /ˈpærəlelɪzəm/: Parallelism is a rhetorical device that compounds words or phrases that have equivalent meanings so as to create a definite pattern.2

Tropes

Tropes are words or phrases whose contextual meaning differs from the manner or sense in which they are ordinarily used.

  • Allegory3 /ˈæləɡɔːri/: A story, play, poem, picture, or other work in which the characters and events represent particular qualities or ideas that relate to morals, religion, or politics.4
  • Allusion5 /əˈluːʒn/: Something that is said or written that is intended to make you think of a particular thing or person.6
  • Analogy /əˈnælədʒi/: Analogy is a comparison or correspondence between two things (or two groups of things) because of a third element that they are considered to share.7
  • Irony /ˈaɪrəni/: Irony, in its broadest sense, is the juxtaposition of what on the surface appears to be the case and what is actually the case or to be expected. It typically figures as a rhetorical device and literary technique. In some philosophical contexts, however, it takes on a larger significance as an entire way of life.8
  • Metaphor9 /ˈmetəfər/: An expression, often found in literature, that describes a person or object by referring to something that is considered to have similar characteristics to that person or object.10
  • Rhetorical /rɪˈtɔːrɪkl/ question: A rhetorical question is a question asked for a purpose other than to obtain information. In many cases it may be intended to start a discourse, as a means of displaying or emphasizing the speaker’s or author’s opinion on a topic.11


References

  1. Figure of speech. ˄

  2. Parallelism (rhetoric). ˄

  3. Allegory: As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a meaning with moral or political significance. ˄

  4. ALLEGORY. ˄

  5. Allusion: Allusion is a figure of speech, in which an object or circumstance from an unrelated context is referred to covertly or indirectly. ˄

  6. ALLUSION. ˄

  7. Analogy. ˄

  8. Irony. ˄

  9. Metaphor: A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are usually meant to create a likeness or an analogy. ˄

  10. METAPHOR. ˄

  11. Rhetorical question. ˄