English Figures of Speech
Outline
• Figures of speech
• Why are figures of speech ud?
至关重要的意思• Why do we have to learn figures of speech?
• Classification of figures of speech.
I. Figures of Speech: a tool of expressing thoughts and the art of using language effectively
Examples:
1)The wind is blowing hard through the woods.
2)The little girl is singing merrily.
(literal, plain statements which give mere information about some facts and no more)
3)The wind is roaring through the woods.
4)The little girl is singing as merrily as a lark.
(Figurative statements or figures of speech (some expresd or implied comparisons are involved). The language in them is called figurative language.)
Language is a tool of expressing thoughts and rhetoric is the art of using language more effectively.
II. Why are figures of speech ud?
More examples:
5)Stars shine like diamonds in the sky=Stars shine brightly in the sky.
6)Imperialism is a paper tiger =Imperialism appears to be strong but inwardly it is weak..
In ntence 5) “like diamonds” is more vivid and colorful than “brightly”. And the “Paper Tiger” is more suggestive of the outward ferocity and inner weakness of the imperialism in ntence 6).
汽车如何漂移 The purpo of using figures of speech is to call up pictures in the reader’s or listener’s mind, to lend force to an idea, to heighten effect, or to create atmosphere, and to make the writings more appealing.
III. Why do we have to learn?
• A knowledge of the figures, and of how they are best ud will be of help to us not only in deepening our understanding of what we read, but also in appreciating more fully the finer points of a writer’s style. In the process, we might even learn to write better ourlves ,and progress from mere grammatical competence to rhetorical competence.
IV. Classification of Figures of Speech
airport• It is difficult to be preci about how many figures existed in classical times. The numbe
rs range from 65 to 200 or more. Here only tho that are of most universal appeal, and of the greatest practical value, are introduced.
The figures of speech are commonly divided into three categories:
⏹ A. Lexical figures of speech (使用词汇手段的修辞格): simile, metaphor, personification, etc.
⏹ B. Syntactical figures of speech (使用句法手段修辞格): antithesis, parallelism, repetition, etc.
⏹ C. Phonetic figures of speech (使用语音手段的修辞格): alliteration , assonance, onomatopoeia etc.
More examples:gole
4. As cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.
5. He was like a cock who thought the sun had rin to hear him crow.
mandarin
6.Tall trees towered like pillars to the sky, while below in the valley, Rivers flowed like streams of jade.
7. Flowers, giving off a fragrance like the incen of the gods, while the singing of the birds was like music in heaven.
8. The past ris before me like a dream.
9. Childhood is like a swiftly passing dream.
10. His happiness vanished like the morning dew.
11. The waterfall is like a piece of silk hanging
down from the edge of a precipice.
12. The fighter is as a lion in battle.
13. He ems like a hen on a hot girdle.
14. He spent money like water.
15. The slept like babies.
意义英文16. The first time I read an excellent book, it is to me
as if I had gained a new friend.
17. She is as beautiful as a flower.
shan18. I am as light as a feather, I an as happy as an angel. I am as merry as a school boy. I am as giddy as a drunken man.
⏹ as cold as ice
⏹ as good as gold
⏹ as strong as an ox (hor)
⏹ as cunning as a fox
现代大学英语精读2
⏹ as gentle as a lamb
⏹ as gay as a lark
⏹ as proud as a
peacock
⏹ as ugly as a toad
A metaphor, is in a n a condend simile. It is a higher form. It requires greater ability on the part of the reader to perceive the hidden association, the insight into persons, things or ideas that is implied.
More examples:
1) He is the soul of the team.
2) Campaign posters sprouted across the land like wild flowers after a spring rain.
laving
3) I skim over the book to taste the tone of it.
4) At last he felt a ray of hope.
5) Tho people experienced the ebb and flow of human miry.
6) He embarked early on the a of public life.
7) A stream of rush –hour traffic flooded down the street.
8) He gave her an icy stare which emed to burn him up.
9) Some books are to be tasted, others swallowed, and some
few to be chewed and digested. (Bacon)
