英语修辞手法

1、Figures of Speech,英语修辞,Figures of speech (修辞) are ways of making our language figurative. When we use words in other than their ordinary or literal sense to lend force to an idea, to heighten effect, or to create suggestive imagery, we are said to be speaking or writing figuratively.,Common forms of

2、 figures of speech,1. simile 2. metaphor 3. personification 4. metonymy 5. synecdoche 6. irony 7. epigram (paradox) 8. repetition 9. antithesis 10. parallelism 11. euphemism 12. transferred epithet 13. oxymoron 14. alliteration 15. hyperbole 16. litotes 17. anti-climax 18. assonance 19. periodic sen

3、tence 20. rhetorical question 21. onomatopoeia 22. pun 23. antonomasia 24. analogy,1. Simile (明喻),a comparison between two unlike things having at least one quality or characteristic in common 1. 用like The water lay grey and wrinkled like an elephants skin. Her eyes were jet black, and her hair was

4、like a waterfall.,2、用as表示 Every tree and every branch was encrusted with bright and delicate hoarfrost, white and pure, as snow, delicate and defined as carved ivory. His face was as grey as ashes. As the lion is king of beasts, so is the eagle king of birds. 3、用what表示 What light is to the eye knowl

5、edge is to the mind. Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. Judicious praise is to the children what the sun is to flowers.,2. Metaphor (暗喻),a comparison between two unlike things, but the comparison is implied rather than stated Snow clothes the ground. The ship ploughed the sea. All

6、the world is a stage, and all the men and women merely players. . The boy wolfed down the food the moment he grabbed it. He swam bravely against the tide of popular applause. main artery of transportation in the young nations heart,3. Personification (拟人),a figure that endows objects, animals, ideas

7、, or abstractions with human form, character, or sensibility Life dealt him profound personal tragedies. the river had acquainted him with . . to literatures enduring gratitude. Bitterness fed on the man. America laughed with him. The Middle Easter bazaar takes you. The window winked at me. dancing

8、flashes,4. Metonymy (换喻)(借代）,a figure of speech that consists in using the name of one thing for that of something else with which it is associated In Japan there is an incessant struggle between the kimono and the miniskirt. She was a girl who excited the emotions, but I was not one to let my heart

9、 rule my head. heart: feelings and emotions head, brain: wisdom, intelligence, reason,Metonymy can be derived from various sources:,a. Names of persons Uncle Sam: the USA b. Animals the bear: the Soviet Union the dragon : the Chinese (a fight between the bear and the dragon) c. Parts of the body hea

10、rt: feelings and emotions head, brain: wisdom, intelligence, reason She was a girl who excited the emotions, but I was not one to let my heart rule my head. grey hair: old age,d. Profession: the press: newspapers, reporters etc. He met the press yesterday evening at the Grand Hotel. the bar: the leg

11、al profession e. location of government, business etc. Downing Street: the British Government the White House: the US president and his government the Capitol Hill: US Congress Wall Street: US financial circles Hollywood: American filmmaking industry,Lets go to bed now. (bed- sleeping) What is learn

12、ed in the cradle is carried to the grave. (cradle- birth, grave - death) His pen would prove mightier than his pickax.,5. Synecdoche (提喻),with part representing the whole or vise versa Two heads are better than one. Many hands make light work. The football match was a close contest. In the end, Chin

13、a won. The world knows his worth. The city posted a sign, which turned out to be very controversial.,6. Irony (反语),a figure of speech in which the meaning literally expressed is the opposite of the meaning intended and which aims at ridicule, humour or sarcasm Hiroshima-the Liveliest City in Japan E

14、ach day of suffering that helps to free me from earthly cares congratulate myself on the good fortune that my illness has brought me marching backwards to the glorious age of the 16th century,7. Epigram (paradox) (警句)(隽语）,a brief, pointed saying that has the nature of a proverb The best epigrams are

15、 those in which there is an apparent contradiction between the intended meaning and the form of the expression. Like antithesis, epigram is based on contrast. Business is business. (Friendship is friendship.),Home is home, be it ever so homely. (East or West, home is best.) A little learning is a da

16、ngerous thing. Ignorance is the curse of God, knowledge the wing wherewith we fly to heaven. The day has eyes, the night has ears. A snow year, a rich year. Words are women, deeds are men. One has to be cruel to be kind. War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength. More haste, less speed

17、.,How young are the old? The child is father of the man. (Wordsworth) A friend to everybody is a friend to nobody. The more you give, the more you have. 多施多得。 A man who is full of himself is empty. (Donne),8. Repetition (重复),We have but one aim and one single purpose nothing will turn us-nothing We

18、will never parley, we will never negotiate. This is our policy and this is our declaration as we shall faithfully and steadfastly,9. Antithesis (对偶),the deliberate arrangement of contrasting words or ideas in balanced structural forms to achieve emphasis Many are called, but few are chosen. Speech i

19、s silver; silence is golden. Man proposes, God disposes. Deeds show what we are, words, what we should be. . between what people claim to be and what they really are. . a world which will lament them a day and forget them forever,10. Parallelism (排比),use of parallel parts of relevant meanings and si

20、milar structures to emphasize or render depth to the narration The past, with its crimes, its follies, and its tragedies. I see,.I see. the return of the bread-winner, of their champion, of their protector We shall fight him by land, we shall fight him by sea, we shall fight him in the air,11. Euphe

21、mism (委婉语),the substitution of an agreeable or in-offensive expression for one that may offend or suggest sth unpleasant He was sentenced to prison-He is now living at the governments expenses. He commented with a crushing sense of despair on mens final release from earthly struggle. The boy is a bi

22、t slow for his age.,12. Transferred epithet (移就),an adjective used to limit a noun which it cannot logically modify I spent sleepless nights on my project. The U.S. has now set up a loneliness industry. Darrow had whispered throwing a reassuring arm round my shoulder as He made himself a profoundly

23、bad cup of tea. Instantly from the dark holes all round, there was a frenzied rush of Jews.,13. Oxymoron (矛盾修辞),formed by conjoining of two contrasting terms Malone called my conviction a victorious defeat. bitter sweet memories proud humility orderly chaos a damned saint,cruel kindness 害人不浅的仁慈（残忍的仁

24、慈） laborious idleness 令人腻烦的闲散（辛苦的闲散） painful pleasure 悲喜交集（痛苦的喜悦）,The parental discipline can be described as cruel kindness. She is a clever fool. He is a cheerful pessimist. He was puzzled at her cruel kindness.,It (New York) has the poorest millionaires, the littlest great men, the haughtiest beg

25、gars, the plainest beauties, the lowest skyscrapers, the dolefulest pleasures of any town I ever saw. (O. Henry: The Duel) 心灵最空虚的百万富翁（最贫困的百万富翁） 人格最渺小的伟人（最矮小的伟人） 最目空一切的草包（最目空一切的乞丐） 最使人瞧不上眼的美女（最普通的美女） 最卑鄙龌龊的摩天大楼（最低矮的摩天大楼） 最令人悲哀的娱乐 （最令人悲哀的欢乐）,14. Alliterationor front rhyme (首字母押韵),the repetition of an

26、initial sound that is usu. a consonant in two or more neighbouring words slip to a stop tested and treated . the slow, sleepy, sluggish-brained sloth stayed at home Speech is silver; silence is golden.,15. Hyperbole (夸张),a device of comparison using exaggeration or obvious overstatement for comic or

27、 dramatic effect. takes you .hundreds even thousands of years innumerable lamps incredibly young with the dust of centuries: .cruise through eternal boyhood and .endless summer of freedom. The cast of characters- a cosmos.,The bag weighed a ton. You cannot carry it with you. They murdered us at the

28、negotiating session. I have a sea of sentiments and a world of words to speak to him, but fail to tell them with my poor pen.,16. Litotesor rhetorical understatement (含蓄表达),the opposite of hyperbole, which contains an understatement for emphasis, frequently with a negative assertion, often used with

29、 ironical intentions I shant be sorry when its over. (I shall be very glad ) Its no laughing matter. (Its very serious.) He is no mean scholar. (Hes a good scholar.) We are not unprepared for the war.,17. anti-climax (突降法),the sudden appearance of an absurd or trivial idea following a serious signif

30、icant ideas and suspensions. This device is usu. aimed at creating comic or humorous effects. a town known throughout the world for its-oysters The duties of a soldier are to protect his country and peel potatoes.,18. Assonance (押尾韵),the use of the same or related, vowel sounds in successive words c

31、lanking, heel-clicking, cowing and tying .plodding on like crawling locusts, .smarting from many a British whipping. easier and safer prey when bigots lighted faggots to burn.,19. periodic sentence (掉尾句)(圆周句）,to leave the most important part at the end of the sentence so as to keep the audience in s

32、uspense It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a fortune must be in want of a wife. When I awoke on.invasion of Russia. If Hitler imagines that. woefully mistaken. Any man or state who fights on against Nazidom will have our aid. Any man or state who marches with H

33、itler is our foe.,20. Rhetorical question (修辞问句),a question that needs no answer, but used for emphasis Was I not at the scene of the crime? but can you doubt what our policy will be ?,21. Onomatopoeia (拟声词),words imitating the sounds associated with the thing concerned The patient groaned as he was

34、 lifted on to the stretcher. The hinge of the door needs oiling, it creaks every time it is opened. The ticking of the clock was the only sound that greeted him, for not a soul remained. with its clanking, heel-clicking, dandified Prussian officers, I am hungry, my stomach is rumbling.,22. Pun (双关语)

35、,a play on words, or rather a play on the form and meaning of words Darwin is right - inside. Seven days without water makes one weak. A: Why are parliamentary reports called “Blue Books”? B: Because they are never red (read). A: What is the most contradictory sign seen in the library? B: To speak a

36、loud is not allowed (aloud).,23. Antonomasia换称,与借代、典故相似，但它所使用的专用名词却常涉及历史上或文学作品中的著名人物与事件。 1. 用专名词代替普通名词 (1) Soloman, Zhu geliang- a wise man (2) Judas - a traitor (3) Uncle Tom - a Negro who compromises and conforms with the Whites (4) Jim Grow - black people (5) Romeo - love 情郎,It may be called the West Lake of our province. Im sure he is our future Newton. A Dan