高级英语修辞手法讲解.docVIP

Figures of Speech /od/fh/g/figuresterms.htm 1.Introduction***A figure of speech is a rhetorical device that achieves a special effect by using words in distinctive ways. Though there are hundreds of figures of speech (many of them included in our Tool Kit for Rhetorical Analysis, here well focus on just 20 of the most common figure s. ***You will probably remember many of these terms from your English classes. Figurative language is often associated with literature--and with poetry in particular. But the fact is, whether were conscious of it or not, we use figures of speech every day in our own writing and conversations. For example, common expressions such as falling in love, racking our brains, hitting a sales target, and climbing the ladder of success are all metaphors--the most pervasive figure of all. Likewise, we rely on similes when making explicit comparisons (light as a feather and hyperbole to emphasize a point (Im starving!. Using original figures of speech in our writing is a way to convey meanings in fresh, unexpected ways. Figures can help our readers understand and stay interested in what we have to say. For advice on creating figures of speech, see Using Similes and Metaphors to Enrich Our Writing. How to Review the Top 20 Figures of Speech Click on each of the following terms to visit a glossary page. There you will find the definition and several examples of the figure as well as its etymology (which shows where the term came from and a pronunciation guide. For each figure of speech, try to come up with an example of your own. 2..Definition The Top 20 Figures 1.Alliteration Repetition of an initial consonant sound. 2.Anaphora Repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or verses. (Contrast with epiphora and epistrophe. 3.Antithesis The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases. 4.Apostrophe Breaking off discourse to address some absent person or thing, some abstract quality, an inanimate object, or a no