Figures_of_speech

1、Figures of Speech A figure of speech is the use of a word or words diverging from its usual meaning. It can also be a special repetition, arrangement or omission of words with literal meaning, or a phrase with a specialized meaning not based on the literal meaning of the words in it, as in idiom, me

2、taphor, simile, hyperbole, or personification. Definition Figures of speech often provide emphasis, freshness of expression, or clarity, heighten effect, or create suggestive暗示的；影射的imagery . However, clarity may also suffer from their use, as any figure of speech introduces an ambiguity between lite

3、ral and figurative interpretation. A figure of speech is sometimes called a rhetorical figure.FunctionSimile a figure of speech makes a comparison between two unlike elements having at least one quality or characteristic in common. To make the comparison, words like as, as.as, as if and like are use

4、d to transfer the quality we associate with one to the other. As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. My love is like a red red rose. Tom is as tall as his brother. (not a simile) Tom is as tall as a tower. (simile)Examples Type One: like. E.g., Living without an aim is

5、 like sailing without a compass. Type Two: as. E.g., Men fear death, as children fear to go in the dark. As firm as a rock As brave as a lion As obstinate as a cow As white as snow As changeable as the weather As proud as a peacock As fresh as a rose充滿(mǎn)青春活力的，精力充沛的 Type Three: what. Two Patterns:A is

6、to B what C is to D.What C is to D, A is to B.E.g., Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. What salt is to food, wit智慧and humor are to conversation and literature. Type Four: than. E.g., A home without love is no more than a body without a soul. Type Five: and. E.g., Truth and roses ha

7、ve thorns about them. A word and stone let go放手cannot be recalled撤消.Metaphor A figure of speech containing an implied comparison, in which a word or phrase ordinarily and primarily used of one thing is applied to another. (Websters New World Dictionary)A comparison is usually implicit; whereas in si

8、mile it is explicit.Metaphors are often easy to identify and take the form X is Y. Something or someone is being compared to something or someone else through a construction using the appropriate part of the verb to be (i.e. am, are, is, was, were, will be). Marriage is a book of which the first cha

9、pter is written in poetry and remaining chapters in prose. Some books are to be tasted, others swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested. ( Of Studies, Bacon) All the worlds a stage, And all men and women merely players;They have their exits and entrances,And one man in his time plays many p

10、arts,His acts being seven ages (Shakespeare, As you Like it皆大歡喜)Personification It gives human form of feelings to animals, or life and personal attributes(個(gè)人屬性) to inanimate objects, or to ideas and abstractions.1. O, my loves like a red, red rose,Thats newly sprung in June:O, my loves like the mel

11、ody Thats sweetly played in tune. Robert Burns 2. Kindness is the golden chain by which the world is bound. -(Goethe)3. The rain to the wind said“You push and Ill pelt急降,”They so smote侵襲（smite的過(guò)去式） the garden bedThat the flowers actually kneltAnd lay lodged倒伏 though not deadI know how the flowers fe

12、lt. (Robert Frost)Questions: what figures of speech have been adopted respectively? Whats the difference? 1: simile; 2: metaphor; 3: personification. 1&2 are static figures of speech. No.3 is Dynamic; Very lively. A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes. 真理

13、還來(lái)不及穿上鞋子，謊言已經(jīng)走遍了半個(gè)世界。Metonymy轉(zhuǎn)喻；借代 *A figure of speech that consists in存在于using the name of one thing for that of something else with which it is associated.*Function: brief, vivid, interesting 轉(zhuǎn)喻(Metonymy)是指當(dāng)甲事物同乙事物不相類(lèi)似，但有密切關(guān)系時(shí)，可以利用這種關(guān)系，以乙事物的名稱(chēng)來(lái)取代甲事物。轉(zhuǎn)喻的重點(diǎn)不是在“相似”；而是在“聯(lián)想”。轉(zhuǎn)喻又稱(chēng)借代 。E.g., The pen is mi

14、ghtier強(qiáng)有力的than the sword.He keeps a good table. (待客周到,以豐盛的飲食招待客人)This is the struggle between the kimono和服and the miniskirt.Synecdochesnekdk提喻提喻 提喻是不直接說(shuō)某一事物的名稱(chēng)，而是借事物的本身所呈現(xiàn)的各種對(duì)應(yīng)的現(xiàn)象來(lái)表現(xiàn); 部份代整體，或整體代部份 a term is used in one of the following ways: 1.Part of something is used to refer to the whole thing 2.

15、 A thing (a whole) is used to refer to part of it 3. A specific class of thing is used to refer to a larger, more general class 4. A general class of thing is used to refer to a smaller, more specific class 5. A material is used to refer to an object composed of that material Examples Many hands mak

16、e light work. the good book, or The Book for the Bible John Hancock for the signature of any person glasses for spectacles steel for a sword barrel for a barrel of oil Transferred Epithet修飾語(yǔ)移置；移就修飾語(yǔ)移置；移就Epithet: An adjective or descriptive phrase that refers to the character or most important qualit

17、y of someone (表示某人性格或最主要特征的)修飾語(yǔ)或描述性短語(yǔ) 移就：這種修飾語(yǔ)不直接說(shuō)明它所修飾對(duì)象的性質(zhì)、形象或特色，而往往轉(zhuǎn)個(gè)彎子去表示該對(duì)象給人的某種感覺(jué)。a dizzy height: a. height that is dizzyb. a height that cause people to feel dizzy (令人眼暈的高度)a sleepless bed:a. a bed that is sleeplessb. a bed on which the sleeper has little sleep (寢不安枕)a sweet voice:一個(gè)甜嗓子(表示味覺(jué)的

18、形容詞轉(zhuǎn)移到了聽(tīng)覺(jué))an icy look:一副冷漠神色(表示觸覺(jué)的形容詞轉(zhuǎn)移到視覺(jué))I spoke to them in hesitant French.After an unthinking moment, she put her pen into her mouth.Hyperbole/OverstatementDefinition: An exaggerated or extravagant過(guò)度的statement used as a figure of speech; Exaggeration for effect, not meant to be taken literally E

19、xtravagant exaggeration.Function: exaggerate the toneCompare: He ran down the avenue, making a loud noise. He ran down the avenue, making a noise like ten horses at a gallop疾馳；飛奔. The most effective water power in the world womens tearsFor she was beautiful her beauty madethe bright world dim暗淡的, an

20、d everything beside seemed like the fleeting image of a shade. ShellyThe hyperbole “her beauty made the bright world dim” expresses the speakers great admiration for the female figure. What the poet intends to say, put in plain terms, is that she was extraordinarily beautiful.To be, or not to be: th

21、at is the questionWhethert is nobler in the mind to sufferThe slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,Or to take arms against a sea of troublesAnd by opposing end them?. (Shakespeares Hamlet )生存還是毀滅,這是一個(gè)值得考慮的問(wèn)題；默默忍受命運(yùn)的暴虐的毒箭，或是挺身反抗人世的無(wú)涯的苦難，在奮斗中結(jié)束一切？ A hyperbole is often metaphorical. The phrase a sea

22、 of troubles in line four is an exaggerated as well as metaphoric way of saying that it is a great quantity of troublesUnderstatement(低調(diào)/含蓄陳述)Statement that expressed an idea, etc, too weakly；the opposite of hyperbole, or overstatement. It achieves its effect of emphasizing a fact by deliberately un

23、derstating it, impressing the listener or the reader more by what is merely implied or left unsaid than by bare無(wú)裝飾的statement. low profile低調(diào)，低姿態(tài) This problem is not above us He is a man not without ambition. Money is a kind of tight, but I can manage.Onomatopoeia（擬聲 ）Definition: Combination of sounds

24、 in a word that imitating what the word refers to, like hiss嘶嘶聲 or boom隆隆聲; imitation of sound；sound from natureFunction: association, direct, vivid.The stream flows through the woods.The stream is murmuring through the woods.Dasi started laughing.Dasi started giggling. Cows low牛叫, moo.（哞哞叫） Cocks c

25、row. Cats mew, purr（貓的）嗚嗚聲 Lions roar. Snakes hiss. Wolves howl. Magpies喜鵲chatter. Dogs bow-wow.Euphemism The use of pleasant, mild or indirect words or phrases in place of more accurate or direct ones; to talk about unpleasant things in a pleasant way.Examples Under the weather 不舒服, 身體不適 Social dis

26、ease性病, 花柳病 Hard of hearing聽(tīng)力不好 Join ones ancestors Whats the matter with you? You look off colour. 你怎么了你怎么了?你的臉色看上去很不好。你的臉色看上去很不好。 Not all there 稀里糊涂的;不太正常 Senior citizen go west上西天上西天 Return to dust Globes, apples, curves, charms (breast) Relieve oneself大小便Oxymoron,ksmrn矛盾修飾法 The yoking結(jié)合；給上軛toget

27、her of two expressions which are incompatible, so that in combination they have no conceivable literal reference to reality. Features: contradictory in meaning；the complexity of things Example: A cheerful pessimist Painful pleasure A thunderous silenceAdj. + N. creative destruction, living death, te

28、arful joy, orderly chaos, etc.Adj.+ Adj. cold pleasant manner, sour-sweet days, poor rich guys, etc.Adv. +Adj. dully bright, mercifully fatal, falsely true, wisely stupid, etc.V. + Adv. hasten slowly (=make haste slowly), shine darkly, etc. N. + N. love-hate relationship, the sound of silence, etc.

29、It (New York) has the poorest millionaires, the littlest great men, the haughtiest傲慢的beggars, the plainest beauties, the lowest skyscrapers, the dolefulest悲痛的pleasures of any town I ever saw.Parody 拙劣模仿/滑稽模仿Literary or musical composition imitating the characteristic style of some other work or of a

30、 writer or composer, but treating a serious subject on a nonsensical(荒謬的) manner, as in ridicule嘲笑；愚弄. Function: humorous, ironical, interesting Example: I have no outlook, but an uplook. My place in society was at the bottom.我沒(méi)有人生觀，但我有“上爬觀”，我的地位在社會(huì)的最底層。*A husband in hand is worth two in the bush.A

31、bird in hand is worth two in the bush.*To lie or not to liethe doctors dilemma.To be or not to be, thats the problem.ParallelismThe arrangement of a number of related ideas of the same importance in a number of parallel or balanced structures forms an integrated whole, in order to intensify emotion

32、and to emphasize the authors point. Function: create rhythm, brief, compare and contrastThey could describe an entertainment with accuracy, relate an anecdote with humor, and laugh at their acquaintance with spirit. Read not to contradict and confuse; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find

33、 talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider.If you prick us, do we not bleed?If you tickle us, do we not laugh?If you poison us, do we not die?And if you wrong us無(wú)理地對(duì)待, shall we not revenge? (The Merchant of Venice) Antithesis(對(duì)偶) deliberate arrangement of contrasting words or ideas in balanced s

34、tructural forms to achieve emphasis. Feature: contrast in meaning, parallel in structureGive me liberty, or give me death不自由，毋寧死。 Knowledge make humble, ignorance make proud. Where theres marriage without love, there will be love without marriage. Benjamin FranklinPunplay on wordsn. An amusing use o

35、f a word or phrase that has two meanings, or words with the same sound but different meanings.The humorous use of a word, or of words which are formed or sounded alike but havedifferent meanings, in such a way as to playon two or more of the possible applications; a play on words.Pun: different type

36、s Type 1: The same sound, but different spelling and meanings You earn your living and urn骨灰甕your dead. 謀生即筑墓。 (earn your living 謀生， urn your dead火化死者） Type 2: The same spelling, same sound but different meanings. To England will I steal, and there Ill steal. (Shakespeare: Henry V) 我悄悄地溜到英國(guó)就在那兒偷。*We

37、 must hang together, or we shall all hang separately. （Benjamin Franklin)我們必須緊密地團(tuán)結(jié)在一起，否則我們 將被一個(gè)個(gè)地絞死。Make your every hello a real good-buy. (a Telephone Advertisement)讓你的每一聲“哈羅”都真的物有所值。這則廣告，打電話第一句稱(chēng)呼通常是“hello”而末尾通常是“good-bye”,那么每一次打電話從頭到尾都清晰，這個(gè)電話就確實(shí)買(mǎi)得好，good-buy與good-bye同音，一語(yǔ)雙關(guān)。Zeugmazjugm (軛式修飾法軛式修飾法)

38、 A figure of speech in which a single word, usually a verb or adjective, is syntactically related to two or more words, with only one of which it seems logically connected.* A word is used to modify or govern two or more words although its use is grammatically or logically correct with only one. 指用一

39、個(gè)詞（通常是動(dòng)詞，形容詞或介詞）同時(shí)修飾或支配兩個(gè)或兩個(gè)以上的名詞,但其中只有一個(gè)是合乎邏輯的搭配句式. * She opened the door and her heart to the homeless boy.她打開(kāi)門(mén)熱忱歡迎那個(gè)無(wú)家可歸的孩子。句中動(dòng)詞open(打開(kāi))先用于本義，后用于轉(zhuǎn)義。Three types of zeugma Type 1: V+N1 +N2(1個(gè)動(dòng)詞個(gè)動(dòng)詞+2個(gè)名詞個(gè)名詞)*She dropped a tear and her pocket handkerchief. (Dickens) 她掉了一滴眼淚，掉了一條手帕。 *She possessed two

40、false teeth and a sympathetic heart. (O.Henry) 她有兩顆假牙，一顆富于同情的心。以上兩個(gè)句子里動(dòng)詞后接的是兩個(gè)邏輯上明顯并不能并列的、屬于完全不同語(yǔ)義范疇的詞作同等成分，以達(dá)到滑稽、可笑的效果。 Type 2: Adj.+N1+N2(1個(gè)形容詞個(gè)形容詞+2個(gè)名詞個(gè)名詞) *The room was not light, but his fingers were. *It is much better to have a patched jacket than to have a (patched) character.穿有補(bǔ)丁的衣服也比品德上打補(bǔ)丁

41、好。Patched 作形容詞修飾jacket是規(guī)范搭配，而修飾character則是非規(guī)范搭配。 Type 3: Prep.+N1 +N2(1介詞+2名詞)* She was dressed in a maids cap, a pinafore, and a bright smile.她戴一頂少女戴的帽子，系一條圍裙，帶著燦爛的微笑。詞組be dressed in 中介詞in同cap與pinafore的搭配都屬于規(guī)范搭配，而與smile 的搭配則屬于非規(guī)范搭配。Allusion Definition: A figure of speech that makes a reference to,

42、or representation of, a place, event, literary work, myth神話, or work of art, either indirectly or by implication. The heel of Achilles唯一致命的弱點(diǎn)(Achilles阿基里斯(荷馬史詩(shī)里的角色) Open sesame秘訣, 開(kāi)門(mén)咒(magic words used, in one of The Arabian Nights Stories, to cause a door to open) Cinderella灰姑娘, 被埋沒(méi)的人 （格林童話中主角） Towe

43、r of Babel巴別塔;古代巴比倫未建筑成的通天塔（據(jù)圣經(jīng)創(chuàng)世記第11章記載，是當(dāng)時(shí)人類(lèi)聯(lián)合起來(lái)興建，希望能通往天堂的高塔。為了阻止人類(lèi)的計(jì)劃，上帝讓人類(lèi)說(shuō)不同的語(yǔ)言，使人類(lèi)相互之間不能溝通，計(jì)劃因此失敗，人類(lèi)自此各散東西。此故事試圖為世上出現(xiàn)不同語(yǔ)言和種族提供解釋。） Pound of flesh殘酷榨取;割肉還債;合法但極不合理的要求 （the story in The Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare ） Catch-22: dilemma faced by someone who is bound to suffer, whichever cour

44、se of action he takes 令人左右為難的規(guī)定;相互矛盾的困窘 To meet ones Waterloo滑鐵盧（比利時(shí)城鎮(zhèn)）；比喻慘敗，致命的打擊: be finally and crushing defeated in a contest (esp. after a period of success)Irony反諷反諷 A method of humorous or subtle sarcastic挖苦的; 諷刺的expression in which the intended meaning of the words used is the direct opposit

45、e of their usual sense. Feature: You say one thing, but mean quite the opposite.Examples We send missionaries to China so the Chinese can get to heaven, but we dont let them into our country. Her capacity for family affection親情 is extraordinary; when her third husband died, her hair turned quite gol

46、d from grief.What a noble illustration of the tender laws of his favoured country! they let the paupers go to sleep!他們竟允許窮人睡覺(jué)！ 這是多么高尚的例證，說(shuō)明他喜愛(ài)的那個(gè)國(guó)家的法律是多么仁慈！Climax(遞進(jìn)法)A rhetorical series of ideas, images, etc. arranged progressively so that the most forceful is last.通過(guò)一系列觀念、形象的修辭安排，逐步把意思往前推進(jìn)，最有力量的放在

47、最后 Im sorry, I am so very sorry, I am so extremely sorry. (Chesterton) He who loses wealth loses much; he who loses a friend loses more; but he who loses courage loses all. I came, I saw, I conquered. Some read to think, these are rare; some to write, these are common; and some read to talk, and these form the great majority.Some books are to be taste