英语修辞手法figuresofspech教学课件

1、Figures of speechFigurative LanguagemetaphorAlliterationpersonificationsimileassonanceonomatopoeiaWords are either literal or figurativeLiteral 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 u

2、p pictures in the readers or listeners mind are used figuratively. colourfulIn “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 nei

3、ther life or career has any colour. The most common figures of speechSimile 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.”simileSimile is a figure of speech in which two quite differe

4、nt 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 asI am hungry as a horse. You run like a rabbit. He is sneaky as a snake. She is happy as a cla

5、m.Example of simileThe 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 BenExample of simileTime flies like an arrowFruit flies like a banana（果蝇爱香蕉）metaphorA figure of speech w

6、hich 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

7、 by comparing it to something elseThe 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

8、perception（直觉） of the similarity in dissimilars.”Example of metaphorLife is a yo-yo（哟哟球）. Its a series of ups and downs. Mixed metaphorsOne 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

9、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 messMixed metaphorsShakespeareHamlet proposes “to take arms

10、 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 metaphorJ 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

11、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

12、 natural into a human or animal form, with human or animal actions and feelings. Example of personificationMy 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 associate

13、d 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 metonymyIn contemporary English when we speak of a statement from the “White House” we understand that this is not a talking building, but an official communica

14、tion 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

15、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 hyperboleIm 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.understatemen

16、t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 understatementIt does seem to be raining a little.Theres a few cars out today, arent there?euphemism委婉语Words or phrases

17、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. religionGod gosh/gollyJesus jeezDevil Old NickToiletsmens room / womens

18、 room the little boys room / the little girls room restroom BathroomWash my handsthe head, (sailors terminology术语)latrine (common military term)sexSleep with someoneShagBonkExchanging bodily fluidsGetting laiddeathPassed awayPassed onDepartedKicked the bucketBought the farmPushing up daisiesSleeping

19、 with the fishes(掉水里淹死)ironyStating 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 ironyYour 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 cloth

20、es!sarcasmSarcasm 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 sarca

21、smI 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

22、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 synedocheAll hands were summoned to the quarter-deck(后甲板), where hands is used to describe sailors .Antithesis（对比）A direct contras

23、t 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

24、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 giv

25、e it rhythm, balance and force. Example of parallelismTo 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 parallelismThe boy was sitting under a tree, singing a song and repairing

26、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. oxymoronA rhetorical figure by which contradictory or incongruous(不一致的)terms ar

27、e 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.)Exampl

28、e of oxymoronPretty uglyCivil warMobile homeDry iceWhite goldOld newsOriginal copyVoice mailHalf nakedFinal draftAlmost perfectOpen secretWorking holidayMinor crisisAct naturallyOnly choicePun(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 d

29、ifferent meanings, in such a way as to play on two or more of the possible applications; a play on words. Example of punI 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 w

30、ill smile from ear to ear(笑得合不拢嘴).Example of punOld 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. The

31、yre 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 clichNo pain, no gainEvery coin has two sidesLast, but not least, avoid clichs like the plague（瘟

32、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 paradoxThe child is father to the man.Cowards（懦夫） die many times before their death.Zenos paradox(芝诺

33、,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 n

34、eed?” 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 paradoxOn the contrary,” said the Tortoise, “I will win, and I can prove it to yo

35、u 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,” b

36、egan 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 mo

37、ments 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 Ac

38、hilles 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 paradoxAchilles 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 To