Literature: General

Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Further reading

FIGURE OF SPEECH

Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language | 1998 | | Copyright

FIGURE OF SPEECH, also figure. In RHETORIC, a device that achieves a special effect by using words in distinctive ways, such as ALLITERATION, in which the same sound, especially an initial consonant, is repeated, as with /f/ in life's fitful fever, and HYPERBOLE, in which one engages, usually deliberately, in unrealistic exaggeration, as in the informal phrase tons of money (‘a great deal of money’). Here, a word usually associated with weights and measures has been moved out of context to refer to money, with which it is not normally associated. See FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE.

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TOM McARTHUR. "FIGURE OF SPEECH." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

TOM McARTHUR. "FIGURE OF SPEECH." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-FIGUREOFSPEECH.html

TOM McARTHUR. "FIGURE OF SPEECH." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-FIGUREOFSPEECH.html

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figure of speech

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

figure of speech intentional departure from straight-forward, literal use of language for the purpose of clarity, emphasis, or freshness of expression. See separate articles on antithesis ; apostrophe ; conceit ; hyperbole ; irony ; litotes ; metaphor ; metonymy ; paradox ; personification ; simile ; and synecdoche .

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"figure of speech." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"figure of speech." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-figuresp.html

"figure of speech." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-figuresp.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	Figure of Speech. Magazine article from: What Magazine; 9/1/1999
	Figure of speech.(LIFE - ARTS ETC.)(TAKING NAMES) Newspaper article from: The Washington Times (Washington, DC); 2/8/2005
	Romney: It was a figure of speech.(Front) Newspaper article from: The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA); 12/22/2007