英语修辞手法.docx
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英语修辞手法
英语修辞手法
Figuresofspeechareformsofexpressionthatdepartfromnormalwordorsentenceorderorfromthecommonliteralmeaningsofwords,forthepurposeofachievingaspecialeffect.
Ineverydayspeechandwritingandinliteraturethechieffunctionsoffiguresofspeechareprobablytoembellish,toemphasizeortoclarify.Theyareusedtogivetoneoratmospheretodiscourse,toprovidevividexamples,tostimulatethoughtbystartlingthereaderorlistener,togivelifetoinanimateobjects,toamuse,ortoornament.
Figuresofspeechexistinalmostendlessvarietyandmanyarecloselyrelatedorintricatelyoverlap,hencenocompletelysatisfactorysystemofclassificationhaseverbeendevised.Thefollowingmaybeconsideredoneoftheserviceableclassificationsofthepresentday:
1.Figuresofresemblanceorrelationship.Thesearethemostimportant,interesting,andfrequentfiguresofspeech.
2.Figuresofemphasisorunderstatement.Thechieffunctionoftheseistodrawattentiontoanidea.
3.Figuresofsound.
4.Verbalgamesandgymnastics.Someofthesearerareandminorfigures.
1.Figuresofresemblanceorrelationship
1)Simile:
afigurethatinvolvesanexpressedcomparison,almostalwaysintroducedbytheword"like"or"as".Thetwothingscomparedmustbedissimilarandthebasisofresemblanceisusuallyanabstractquality.
a)Ascoldwaterstoathirstysoul,soisgoodnewsfromafarcounty.(Proverb)
b)Thewaterlaygrayandwrinkledlikeanelephant'sskin.(NancyHale)
c)Myverythoughtswereliketheghostlyrustleofdeadleaves.(JosephConrad)
2)Metaphor:
Thesubstitutionofonethingforanother,ortheidentificationoftwothingsfromdifferentrangesofthought.Itisoftenlooselydefinedas―animplied
comparison‖,―asimilewithout?
like‘or?
as‘‖.Metaphorisconsideredbymanythemostimportantandbasicpoeticfigureandalsothecommonestandthemostbeautiful.
a)Boysandgirls,tumblinginthestreetsandplaying,weremovingjewels.
b)Thetownwasstormedafteralongsiege.
c)Snowclothestheground.
d)Heswambravelyagainstthetideofpopularapplause.
Anoteofwarning:
Avoidmixingfiguresofspeech.
a)Thisisnotthetimetothrowupthesponge,whentheenemy,alreadyweakenedanddivided,areontheruntoanewdefensiveposition.(mixedmetaphor;amixtureofprize–ringandbattlefield)
b)ThereiseveryindicationthatNigeriawillbeatowerofstrengthandwillforgeahead.(mixedmetaphor;amixtureofafortressandaship)
3)Personification:
afigurethatendowsobjects,animals,ideas,orabstractionswithhumanform,character,orsensibility.Therearethreechiefkindsofpersonifications:
a)Thatproducedbytheuseofadjectives.
theblushingrose;thethirstyground
b)Thatproducedbytheuseofverbs.
thekettlesings;thewavesdanced
c)Thatproducedbytheuseofnouns.
thesmilesofspring;thewhisperofleaves
4)Metonymy:
thesubstitutionofthenameofonethingforthatofanotherwithwhichitiscloselyassociated.
a)Thepenismightierthanthesword.(Hereyouhavetheinstrument(penorsword)asanameforthepeoplewieldingit.)
b)Grayhairsshouldberespected.(thesymbol(grayhair)asanameforthepersons(oldpeople)symbolized)
c)Heistoofondofthebottle.(=Heistoofondofdrinking;thecontainer(winebottle)asanameforthething(wine)contained)
d)IhaveneverreadLiBai.(thepoet(LiBai)asanameforthethingmade(poemswrittenbyLiBai))
5)Synecdoche:
commonly,thenamingofaparttomeanthewhole,asin"hands"for"menwhodomanuallabour","afleetof50sails"for"afleetof50ships".Butvariousothersuchsubstitutionsarealsoincludedintheterm.
a)Haveyouanycoppers?
(=Haveyouanymoney?
)(coppersstandforcoinsoflowvaluemadeofcopperorbronze;hereitisthenamingofthematerial(copper)forthethingmade(coin))
b)Heisapoorcreature.(thenamingofthegenusforthespecies)
c)HeistheNewtonofthiscentury.(thenamingofanindividualforaclass)
Note:
Synecdochecaneasilybemistakenformetonymy.
6)Antonomasia:
thetermforsomecommonfigurativeusesofnames
a)theuseofanepithetortitleinplaceofaname
hismajestyforakingorthenameoftheking
hishonorforajudgeorthenameofthejudge
theBossforthenameoftheemployer
b)theuseofapropernameinsteadofacommonnoun
aJudas(JudaswasoneofthetwelvedisciplesofJesusChristwhobetrayedJesus)foratraitor
aQuisling(NorwegianfascistpoliticianwholedapuppetregimeduringtheGermanoccupationofNorway,laterexecutedfortreason)foratraitor
HeisourGorky.Gorky,(famousRussianwriter)forafamouswriter
Note:
cf.synecdoche.Thereisacertaindegreeofoverlappinghere.
7)Euphemism:
thesubstitutionofaninoffensiveexpressionforonethatmaybedisagreeable,asintheuseof"passawayorpasson"for"die","misinform"for"lie"in"thegentlemanismisinformed","remains"fora"corpse","visitingthenecessary"for"goingtothetoilet",etc.
2.Figuresofemphasisorunderstatement
1)Hyperbole:
aconsciousexaggerationforthesakeofemphasis,notintendedtobeunderstoodliterally.
a)Thewaveranmountainhigh.
b)AmericalaughedwithMarkTwain.
c)Hisspeechbroughtthehousedown.
d)AlltheperfumesofArabiawillnotsweetenthislittlehand.
2)Litotes:
aformofunderstatementwhichgainsitsparticulareffectbyphrasinginthenegativewhatitwishestosaypositively.
a)Thisisnosmallaccomplishment.(Itmeansthisisanaccomplishmentofconsiderablemagnitude.)
b)TheGermanfleetwasnotanunworthyopponent.(ItmeanstheGermanfleetwasaformidableopponent.)
c)Thisisnotatallunpleasant.(Itmeansitisquitepleasant.)
3)Antithesis:
thesettingofcontrastingphrasesoppositeeachotherforemphasis.Intrueantithesistheoppositionbetweentheelementsismanifestedthroughparallelgrammaticalstructure.
a)ThequestforrighteousnessisOriental,thequestforknowledge,Occidental.(SirWilliamOsler)
b)Goodbreedingconsistsinconcealinghowmuchwethinkofourselvesandhowlittlewethinkoftheotherperson.(MarkTwain)
c)Afriendexaggeratesaman'svirtues,anenemyhiscrimes.
d)Theconventionboughttime;itcouldnotbringsettlement.
e)itsfailuresbecameapartofhistorybutitssuccessesheldthecluetoabetterinternationalorder.
4)Paradox:
astatementthatappearstobelogicallycontradictoryandyetmaybetrue,thepurposeofwhichistoprovokefreshthought.
a)Oneman'sterroristisanotherman'sfreedomfighter.
b)Aloverofpeaceemergedasamagnificentleaderofwar.
c)Mylifeclosedtwicebeforeitsclose.(EmilyDickinson)
(meaningtwotrulyeventfulthingsoccurredinherlifebeforethatlifeceased)
5)Oxymoron:
akindofparadoxorantithesisthatlinkstogethertwosharplycontrastingterms,as"cheerfulpessimist'',"thewisestfoolinChristendom","livingdeaths","freezingfires","gloriousdefeat",etc.
6)Epigram:
ashort,pithystatementinverseorprose,usuallywithatouchofwit,oftenantithetical
a)Conscienceistheinnervoicethatwarnsusthatsomeonemaybelooking.(H.L.Mencken)
b)Necessityisthemotherofinvention.
c)Thechildisfatheroftheman.(Wordsworth)
(theintendedmeaningisthattheactionsofaboyindicatewhatkindofamanheislikelytobecome)
d)Experienceisthenameeveryonegivestohismistakes.
Note:
Theremaybesomeoverlappingofanepigramandaparadox.
7)Apostrophe:
theturningawayfromthesubjectandtheaddressingofanabsentpersonorapersonifiedobjectorabstraction.Theshiftisbothemotionalanddignified,thereforemostappropriateinseriousandstatelycontexts.
a)"YouHeavens,givemethatpatience,patienceIneed!
"(Shakespeare,KingLear)
b)"Envy,besilentandattend!
"(Pope)
c)"Milton,thoushouldstbelivingatthishour:
Englandhathneedofthee."(Wordsworth)
(Milton,famousEnglishrevolutionaryandpoet,whowrote"ParadiseLost".JohnMiltonlivedandwroteinthe17thcenturyandtheEnglishromanticpoet,WilliamWordsworthinthe18thand19thcenturies.)
8)RhetoricalQuestion:
aquestionneitherrequiringnorintendedtoproduceareplybutaskedforemphasis.Theassumptionisthatonlyoneanswerispossible.
a)WasInotatthesceneofthecrime?
(Lesson2)
b)OWind
IfWintercomes,canSpringbefarbehind?
(Shelley:
OdetotheWestWind.)
9)Irony:
theexpressionofactualintentinwordsthatcarrytheoppositemeaning.Itisaneffectiveliterarydevicebecauseitgivestheimpressionofgreatrestraint.
a)...untilwearemarchingbackwardstothegloriousageofthesixteenthcentury(Lesson10)
b)Hewasmyfriend,faithfulandjusttome:
ButBrutussayshewasambitious;
AndBrutusisanhonourableman.
(Shakespeare:
JuliusCaesar)
(Antonyhereissayingjusttheopposite.HemeansthatBrutusisnothonourabte,heisamurderer.)
10)Sarcasm:
acuttingremark,averbalsneer.Sarcasmpretendstodisguiseitsmeaning,butdoesnotintendtobemisunderstood.
a)"Oh,you'rereallyagreatfriend,aren'tyou?
"
(addressedtoonewhowon'tlendthespeaker5Yuan)
b)Heisverygenerousindeed.(referringtoonewhowon'tlendthespeakerhisdictionary)
c)Where'sy'goforit,man–Jamaica?
(Lesson16)
(Hopkins'scuttingremarktoMcNair,thecustodian,fornotbeingquickenoughwiththerum.JamaicaisanislandintheCaribbean,worldfamousforitsrum.)
11)Satire:
Itgenerallyreferstoapieceofliterarywork–prose,poetryordrama–
andgenerallynottoasinglesentence.Itusesridicule'toexpo