Resources for Success

Glossary

Metaphor:  a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between two unlike things that actually have something important in common.  A simile is a metaphor, but not all metaphors are similes.  Metaphor is the broader term. In a literary sense metaphor is a rhetorical device that transfers the sense or aspects of one word to another. For example:  The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas. — “The Highwayman,” Alfred Noyes

Simile:  a figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared; using words like and is:  Example “she is like a rose

Personification:  the attribution of human nature or character to animals, inanimate objects, or abstract notions, especially as a rhetorical figure.   Example:   She did not realize that opportunity was knocking at her door.

Hyperbole:  obvious and intentional exaggeration; an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally.  Example:   “to wait an eternity.”

 Allusion:  a figure of speech that makes a reference to a place, person, or something that happened. This can be real or imaginary and may refer to anything, including paintings, opera, folk lore, mythical figures, or religious manuscripts. The reference can be direct or may be inferred.  Example:  “When she lost her job, she acted like a Scrooge, and refused to buy anything that wasn’t necessary.”

Oxymoron:  seemingly contradictory terms appear side by side;  Example:  alone together, criminal justice; "the same difference." This phrase qualifies as an oxymoron because the words "same" and "difference" have completely opposite meanings.

Paradox:  a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.  Example:  computers need maintenance so often, since they are meant to save people time.    Nobody goes to that restaurant, it's too crowded

Irony:  its use in sarcasm, comedy and just everyday conversation.  Example “how nice” she replied when I told her I had to work over the weekend.

Euphemism:  substituting a mild, indirect, or vague term for one considered harsh, blunt, or offensive.  Example:  using the word Eliminate instead of Kill.

Pun:  A play on words, sometimes on different senses of the same word and sometimes on the similar sense or sound of different words  as to suggest two or more of its meanings or the meaning of another word similar in sound.  Example:  A man's home is his castle, in a manor of speaking;   Without geometry, life is pointless.