Definition of FIGURE OF SPEECH

a form of expression (as a simile or metaphor) used to convey meaning or heighten effect often by
comparing or identifying one thing with another that has a meaning or connotation familiar to the
reader or listener

figure of speech (Concise Encyclopedia)
Form of expression used to convey meaning or heighten effect, often by comparing or identifying one
thing with another that has a meaning or connotation familiar to the reader or listener. An integral part
of language, figures of speech are found in oral literatures as well as in polished poetry and prose and in
everyday speech. Common figures of speech include simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, irony,
alliteration, onomatopoeia, and puns.
Simile
Figure of speech involving a comparison between two unlike
entities. In a simile, unlike a metaphor, the resemblance is
indicated by the words like or as. Similes in everyday
speech reflect simple comparisons, as in He eats like a bird
or She is slow as molasses. Similes in literature may be
specific and direct or more lengthy and complex. The Homeric,
or epic, simile, which is typically used in epic poetry, often
extends to several lines.
metaphor
Figure of speech in which a word or phrase denoting one kind of object or action is used in place
of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them (as in the ship plows the seas or a
volley of oaths). A metaphor is an implied comparison (as in a marble brow), in contrast to
the explicit comparison of the simile (a brow white as marble). Metaphor is common at all
levels of language and is fundamental in poetry, in which its varied functions range from merely
noting a likeness to serving as a central concept and controlling image.

irony
Language device in which the real intent is concealed or contradicted by the literal meaning of
words or a situation. Verbal irony, either spoken or written, arises from an awareness of contrast
between what is and what ought to be. Dramatic irony, an incongruity in a theatrical work
between what is expected and what occurs, depends on the structure of a play rather than its use
of words, and it is often created by the audience's awareness of a fate in store for the characters
that they themselves do not suspect.
alliteration
Repetition of consonant sounds in two or more neighbouring words or syllables. A frequently
used poetic device, it is often discussed with assonance (the repetition of stressed vowel sounds
within two or more words with different end consonants) and consonance (the repetition of end
or medial consonants).
Variants of ALLI TERATI ON
alliteration or head rhyme
Personification
In the arts, personification means representing a non-human thing as if it were human.
Personification gives human traits and qualities, such as emotions, desires, sensations, gestures
and speech, often by way of a metaphor.
A few more examples of personification in sentences:-
1. The stars danced playfully in the moonlit sky.
2. Opportunity was knocking at her door.
3. The thunder grumbled like an old man.
4. At precisely 6:30 am my alarm clock sprang to life.
5. The fire ran wild and swallowed the forest, as the flames licked the green leaves

Hyperbole (/haprbli/ hy-PUR-b-lee;
[1]
Greek: hyperbol, "exaggeration") is the
use of exaggeration as a rhetorical device or figure of speech. It may be used to evoke strong
feelings or to create a strong impression, but is not meant to be taken literally.
[2][3]

Hyperboles are exaggerations to create emphasis or effect. As a literary device, hyperbole is
often used in poetry, and is frequently encountered in casual speech.
[4]
An example of hyperbole
is: "The bag weighed a ton."
[5]
Hyperbole makes the point that the bag was very heavy, though it
probably does not weigh a ton.
[6]