英语修辞手法Figuresofspeech

Figures of speech,Figurative Language,metaphor,Alliteration,personification,simile,assonance,onomatopoeia,Words are either literal or figurative,Literal 原意Words used in their original meanings are used literally. Figurative 比喻义Words used in extended meanings for the purpose of making comparisons or calling up pictures in the readers or listeners mind are used figuratively.,colourful,In “a colourful garden” the word colourful is used in its literal sense to describe the many different colours of the flowers in “a colourful life” or “a colourful career” the word is used in its figurative sense because neither life or career has any colour.,The most common figures of speech,Simile 直喻Metaphor 暗喻,Whats the difference?,Literal“He ran quickly down the street.”Simile“He ran like a hare down the street.” Metaphor“He hared（如野兔般疾走奔跑） down the street.”,simile,Simile is a figure of speech in which two quite different things are compared as they seem similar in a way. This kind of comparison is normally introduced by “like” or “as”.,Simile:a way of describingsomething by comparing it with somethingelse using like or as,I am hungry as a horse.,You run like a rabbit.,He is sneaky as a snake.,She is happy as a clam.,Example of simile,The mysterious object.has a face thats as round as the moonhas hands like golden arrowsis as tall as a tower blockhas a voice like a gong（锣）and is as famous as any pop star.Big Ben,Example of simile,Time flies like an arrowFruit flies like a banana（果蝇爱香蕉）,metaphor,A figure of speech which consists in substituting for the name of a thing the name of an attribute（ 属性）of it or of something closely related.An implied comparison between two objects that are generally different but share a recognizable similarity without the use of “like” or “as”.,Metaphor:,A way of describingsomething by comparing it to something else,The girl was a fish in the water.,The clown was a feather floating away.,Plato,“the greatest thing by far is to be a master of metaphor. It is the one thing that cannot be learnt from others, and it is also a sign of genius, since a good metaphor implies an intuitive perception（直觉） of the similarity in dissimilars.”,Example of metaphor,Life is a yo-yo（哟哟球）. Its a series of ups and downs.,Mixed metaphors,One danger in using metaphors is the possibility of beginning with one comparison and ending with anotherThis is called a mixed metaphor（混合隐喻；多重隐喻）,Example of mixed metaphors,“We must solve the root problem, or the line will be drawn in the sand, and well be back in the soup again.”Root compares the problem to a plantLine drawn in the sand means an uncrossable boundarySoup is a food and means being in a mess,Mixed metaphors,ShakespeareHamlet proposes “to take arms against a sea of troubles”（是起而反抗这数不清的忧伤）The Tall Guy (1989 film)“Shes like a hungry leopard(豹) in full bloom.,Extended metaphor,J F Kennedy“The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavour（努力，尝试）will light our country and all who serve it, and the glow（微弱稳定的光） from that fire can truly light the world.,Personificationto compare somethingthat is not human as if it had humancharacteristics,The flowers danced in the wind.,The Earth coughed and choked in all of the pollution.,The friendly gates welcomed us.,Personification拟人,This involves turning an object either inanimate（无生命的）or natural into a human or animal form, with human or animal actions and feelings.,Example of personification,My car whines（哀鸣；惨叫）in pain as it climbs up steep（陡峭的 ） hills. The table groaned（呻吟） under the weight of the food placed on it.,Metonymy借代,The substitution of a noun for another closely associated noun. The substituted noun derives（获得 ） its meaning in the context it is used by the association produced in the readers mind.,Example of metonymy,In contemporary English when we speak of a statement from the “White House” we understand that this is not a talking building, but an official communication with the authority of the President of the United States who lives in the White House. The pen is mightier（强而有力的） than the sword.,Hyperbole夸张,Hyperbole is a figure of speech which contains a deliberate exaggeration（故意夸大） to coin（创造（新词语） ） a phrase, this is when writers go over the top with their use of language, suggesting that something is the strongest, the best, the greatest, which of course distorts（使变形；扭曲；使失真 ）the truth.,Example of hyperbole,Im so hungry I could eat a horseIve told you a thousand times, stop exaggerating. Ive not seen you for ages.Its raining dogs and cats.,understatement含蓄陈述,The opposite of hyperboleStating an idea in words that are less strong than anticipated（预期的）. to make something appear smaller or less important than it really is.,Example of understatement,It does seem to be raining a little.Theres a few cars out today, arent there?,euphemism委婉语,Words or phrases that substitute an agreeable or inoffensive term for a more direct one that might embarrass or suggest something unpleasant Profane(非宗教的;世俗的)words and expressions are generally taken from three areas: religion, toilets, and sex.,religion,God gosh/gollyJesus jeezDevil Old Nick,Toilets,mens room / womens room the little boys room / the little girls room restroom BathroomWash my handsthe head, (sailors terminology术语)latrine (common military term),sex,Sleep with someoneShagBonkExchanging bodily fluidsGetting laid,death,Passed awayPassed onDepartedKicked the bucketBought the farmPushing up daisiesSleeping with the fishes(掉水里淹死),irony,Stating one thing while meaning the exact opposite. or the person could be trying to be rude, even though the words used are seemingly polite etc.,Example of irony,Your friend turns up in ripped（撕裂的） jeans. With a smirk（傻笑；假笑）, you say, I see you have put on your best clothes!,sarcasm,Sarcasm is a form of irony that is widely used in English especially when people are being humorous. Generally the sarcastic speaker or writer means the exact opposite of the word they use, often intending to be rude or to laugh at the person the words are addressed（针对） to.,Example of sarcasm,I love being married. Its so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your lifeId insult you, but youre not bright enough to notice. Not all men are annoying. Some are dead.,Synecdoche（提喻 ： 是不直接说某一事物的名称，而是借事物的本身所呈现的各种对应的现象来表现该事物的这样一种修辞手段。提喻又称举偶法。）,A figure by which a more comprehensive term is used for a less comprehensive or vice vers; as whole for part or part for whole, genus（类，种；属） for species or species for genus, etc.,Example of synedoche,All hands were summoned to the quarter-deck(后甲板), where hands is used to describe sailors .,Antithesis（对比）,A direct contrast in which two sets of figures are set in opposition to one another.,Example of antithesis,“And so, my fellow Americans, ask not, what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.”J F Kennedys Inaugural Address Winston Churchill, in which he challenges the Luftwaffe (the German air force): “You do your worst - and we will do our best.”To err is human, to forgive divine（神圣的；非凡的）.,Parallelism（排比）,Parallelism refers to the figure of speech that expresses relevant ideas in the same or similar grammatical structures. It helps make a sentence brief, smooth and coherent(连贯的)and give it rhythm, balance and force.,Example of parallelism,To have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part.,Example of parallelism,The boy was sitting under a tree, singing a song and repairing his bicycle.The boy was sitting under a tree, singing a song and repairing his bicycle.,Oxymoron（矛盾修辞法）,Ancient Greek : Oxus = sharp Moros = dull Oxymoron = a sharp dullness or a foolish wise. .a self contradicting phrase.,oxymoron,A rhetorical figure by which contradictory or incongruous(不一致的)terms are conjoined(结合；连结)so as to give point to the statement or expression; an expression, in its superficial or literal meaning self-contradictory or absurd, but involving a point. (Now often loosely(宽松地)or erroneously(错误地；) used as if merely = a contradiction in terms, an incongruous conjunction.),Example of oxymoron,Pretty uglyCivil warMobile homeDry iceWhite goldOld newsOriginal copyVoice mail,Half nakedFinal draftAlmost perfectOpen secretWorking holidayMinor crisisAct naturallyOnly choice,Pun(双关语；俏皮话),A play on wordsthe humorous use of a word, or of words which are formed or sounded alike but have different meanings, in such a way as to play on two or more of the possible applications; a play on words.,Example of pun,I do it for the pun of it.Seven days without water makes one weak.Whats wrong with this fish? Long time no sea.What do lawyers do when they die? Lie still.Try our sweet corn. You will smile from ear to ear(笑得合不拢嘴).,Example of pun,Old photographers never die, they just have flash backs.That new mystery novel has a killer start to it.I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.He wanted to fly a kite, but it was over his head.The hospital lab is recruiting. Theyre looking for new blood.,Clich（陈词滥调，老生常谈）,A clich is a hackneyed（陈腐的；平庸的）phrase or expression. The phrase may once have been fresh or striking（显著突出的）, but it has become tired through over-use.,Example of clich,No pain, no gainEvery coin has two sidesLast, but not least, avoid clichs like the plague（瘟疫）.,Paradox（自相矛盾，悖论）,Paradox is a figure of speech in which a statement appears to be self-contradictory, but contains something of a truth.Paradox is used for emphasis or stylistic effect.,Example of paradox,The child is father to the man.Cowards（懦夫） die many times before their death.,Zenos paradox(芝诺,希腊哲学家),The Tortoise challenged Achilles to a race, claiming that he would win as long as Achilles gave him a small head start（先行一点点). Achilles laughed at this, for of course he was a mighty warrior and swift of foot, whereas the Tortoise was heavy and slow.,Zenos paradox,“How big a head start do you need?” he asked the Tortoise with a smile.“Ten meters,” the latter replied.Achilles laughed louder than ever.“You will surely lose, my friend, in that case,” he told the Tortoise, “but let us race, if you wish it.”,Zenos paradox,On the contrary,” said the Tortoise, “I will win, and I can prove it to you by a simple argument.”,Zenos paradox,“Go on then,” Achilles replied, with less confidence than he felt before.He knew he was the superior athlete, but he also knew the Tortoise had the sharper wits（智慧), and he had lost many a bewildering(使人困惑的) argument with him before this.,Zenos paradox,“Suppose,” began the Tortoise, “that you give me a 10-meter head start.Would you say that you could cover that 10 meters between us very quickly?”“Very quickly,” Achilles affirmed(断言；肯定）.“And in that time, how far should I have gone, do you think?”,Zenos paradox,“Perhaps a meter no more,” said Achilles after a moments thought.“Very well,” replied the Tortoise, “so now there is a meter between us. And you would catch up that distance very quickly?”“Very quickly indeed!”,Zenos paradox,“And yet, in that time I shall have gone a little way farther, so that now you must catch that distance up, yes?”Ye-es,” said Achilles slowly.“And while you are doing so, I shall have gone a little way farther, so that you must then catch up the new distance,” the Tortoise continued smoothly.,Zenos paradox,Achilles said nothing.“And so you see, in each moment you must be catching up the distance between us, and yet I at the same time will be adding a new distance, however small, for you to catch up again.”“Indeed, it must be so,” said Achilles wearily.,Zenos paradox,“And so you can never catch up,” the Tortois