creative高级英语修辞Figures of speech

Figures of speech are forms of expression that depart from normal word

or sentence order or from the common literal meanings of words, for the

purpose of achieving a special effect.

In everyday speech and writing and in literature the chief functions of

figures

of

speech

are

probably

to

embellish,

to

emphasize

or

to

clarify.

They are used to give tone or atmosphere to discourse, to provide vivid

examples, to stimulate thought by startling the reader or listener, to give

life to inanimate objects, to amuse, or to ornament.

Figures of speech exist in almost endless variety and many are closely

related or intricately overlap, hence no completely satisfactory system of

classification

has

ever

been

devised.

The

following

may

be

considered

one of the serviceable classifications of the present day:

1.

Figures

of

resemblance

or

relationship.

These

are

the

most

important, interesting, and frequent figures of speech.

2. Figures of emphasis or understatement. The chief function of these

is to draw attention to an idea.

3. Figures of sound.

4.

Verbal

games

and

gymnastics.

Some

of

these

are

rare

and

minor

figures.

1. Figures of resemblance or relationship

1)

Simile:

a

figure

that

involves

an

expressed

comparison,

almost

always introduced by the word

must

be

dissimilar

and

the

basis

of

resemblance

is

usually

an

abstract

quality.

a)

As

cold

waters

to

a

thirsty

soul,

so

is

good

news

from

a

far

county. (Proverb)

b) The water lay gray and wrinkled like an elephant's skin. (Nancy

Hale)

c)

My

very

thoughts

were

like

the

ghostly

rustle

of

dead

leaves.

(Joseph Conrad)

2)

Metaphor:

The

substitution

of

one

thing

for

another,

or

the

identification of two things from different ranges of thought. It is often

lo

osely

defined

as

“an

implied

comparison”,

“a

simile

without

?like?

or

?as?”.

Metaphor

is

considered

by

many

the

most

important

and

basic

poetic figure and also the commonest and the most beautiful.

a) Boys and girls, tumbling in the streets and playing, were moving

jewels.

b) The town was stormed after a long siege.

c) Snow clothes the ground.

d) He swam bravely against the tide of popular applause.

句法、结构上看隐语 ：名词性、动词性、形容词性、副词性、介词性

e.g.1.

名词性

I am

an album of snapshot

s

, random, a whole show of

trailers

剧照

of old films. (

表语

)

2.

动词性

she did not so much cook as

assassinate

food.

It

escapes/ strikes/ upsets

me.

（物质过程代心理过程）

I don

?

t think

I?

m

distorting

his argument.

Yet I was

wound up

. I tick. I exist.

3.

形容词性

the air was

thick

with a brass chorus

低声合唱

.

(the air is a liquid. )

空气在低音合唱中显得十分

凝重

。

I expect a treaty, a

full-fledged

treaty on medium-range missiles.

完整的

协议

（

The treaty is full-fledged.

The treaty is a bird or an animal.

）

4.

副词性

He clambered after

跟随

her

sheepishly

.

温顺

He clambered after her

like a sheep

.

像绵羊（喻底不定）

5.

介词性

A

right

extremist

group

is

suspected

of

being

behind

the

killing.

幕后操纵屠杀

(< /p>

空间意义映射到抽象

“

操纵

”

)

Sanders

was

arrested

within

hours

of

returning

to

Britain.

(

“

behind

hours

”

空间意义映射到时间先后顺序上

”

语义结构上看隐喻

：

tenor

and

vehicle

, the components of a metaphor, with the tenor referring

to the concept, object, or person meant, and the vehicle being the image

that carries the weight of the comparison. The words were first used in

this

sense

by

the

critic

I.A.

Richards.

In

the

first

stanza

of

Abraham

Cowley

?s

poem

“The

Wish,”

the

tenor

is

the

city

and

the

vehicle

is

a

beehive

蜂窝

:

Well then; I now do plainly see,

This busy world and I shall ne?er agree;

The very honey of all earthly joy

Does of all meats the soonest cloy;

And they, methinks, deserve my pity

Who for it can endure the stings,

The crowd, and buzz, and murmurings

Of this great hive, the city.

1.

tenor, vehicle, ground

看过《西游记》的人都知道

“

唐僧肉

”

之 可贵，妖魔鬼怪都捉而啖之，

好处是延年益寿，妖可成仙。现在居民说的

“

唐僧肉

”

是指城市的绿

化草地，它是城市之肺，有利于供应阳光，空气和水，可以让人延 年

益寿的。

2.

Tenor, vehicle,

The building was a barn.

3.

Vehicle

He put his back against the suitcase.

(The rock is a suitcase.)

4.

Tenor

He son had been

damaged

in a crash.

(Human object is an object.)

The faint

whisper

of rain

A thin

trickle

of smoke

他给高松年

300

瓦特的眼光射得很不安。

（

《隐喻学研究》

束定芳）

A note of warning: Avoid mixing figures of speech.

a)

This

is

not

the

time

to

throw

up

the

sponge,

when

the

enemy,

already weakened and divided, are on the run to a new defensive position.

(mixed metaphor; a mixture of prize

–

ring and battlefield)

b) There is every indication that Nigeria will be a tower of strength

and

will

forge

ahead.

(mixed

metaphor;

a

mixture

of

a

fortress

and

a

ship)

3)

Personification:

a

figure

that

endows

objects,

animals,

ideas,

or

abstractions

with

human

form,

character,

or

sensibility.

There

are

three

chief kinds of personifications:

a) That produced by the use of adjectives.

the blushing rose; the thirsty ground

b) That produced by the use of verbs.

the kettle sings; the waves danced

c) That produced by the use of nouns.

the smiles of spring; the whisper of leaves

4) Metonymy:

换喻

the substitution of the name of one thing for that

of another with which it is closely associated.

a)

The

pen

is

mightier

than

the

sword.

(Here

you

have

the

instrument (pen or sword) as a name for the people wielding it.)

b)

Gray

hairs

should

be

respected.

(the

symbol

(gray

hair)

as

a

name for the persons (old people) symbolized)

c) He is too fond of the bottle. (= He is too fond of drinking; the

container (wine bottle) as a name for the thing (wine) contained)

d) I have never read Li Bai. (the poet (Li Bai) as a name for the

thing made (poems written by Li Bai))

5)

Synecdoche:

提喻

commonly,

the

naming

of

a

part

to

mean

the

whole,

as

in

for

who

do

manual

labour

fleet

of

50

sails

for

fleet

of

50

ships

But

various

other

such

substitutions

are

also included in the term.

a) Have you any coppers? (= Have you any money?) (coppers stand

for coins of low value made of copper or bronze; here it is the naming of

the material (copper) for the thing made (coin) )

b) He is a poor creature. (the naming of the genus for the species)

c) He is the Newton of this century. (the naming of an individual for a

class)

Note: Synecdoche can easily be mistaken for metonymy.

6)

Antonomasia:

换称

the

term

for

some

common

figurative

uses

of

names

a) the use of an epithet or title in place of a name

his majesty for a king or the name of the king

his honor for a judge or the name of the judge

the Boss for the name of the employer

b) the use of a proper name instead of a common noun

a

Judas

(Judas

was

one

of

the

twelve

disciples

of

Jesus

Christ

who

betrayed Jesus) for a traitor

a

Quisling

卖国贼

(Norwegian

fascist

politician

who

led

a

puppet

regime

during

the

German

occupation

of

Norway,

later

executed

for

treason) for a traitor

He is our Gorky. Gorky, (famous Russian writer) for a famous writer

Note: cf. synecdoche. There is a certain degree of overlapping here.

7)

Euphemism:

the

substitution

of

an

inoffensive

expression

for

one

that may be disagreeable, as in the use of

2. Figures of emphasis or understatement

1) Hyperbole: a conscious exaggeration for the sake of emphasis, not

intended to be understood literally.

a) The wave ran mountain high.

b) America laughed with Mark Twain.

c) His speech brought the house down.