euphemism: is an acceptable or mild expression which replaces an unpeasant or hurtful one. e.g: some people find it too distressing to speak of death and so soften the effect by such terms as: he has passed on; she has gone to a better place.
hyperbole: is exaggeration, a deliberate exaggeration for dramatic effct and not intended to be taken literally.
innuendo: refers to the way in which meaning is implied in language, often in a negative or derogatory way.
irony: saying one thing but actually meaing the exact opposite.
litotes:is a figure of speech consisting of an understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite, as in the attempt was not unsuccessful.
metaphor: is a comparison where one thing is said to be another. e.g the crimson rose of passion (passion = crimson rose)
metonymy:Reference to something or someone by naming one of its attributes. We await word from the crown (king).
paradox: is a contradiction which at first seems irreconcilable, but with deeper reflection proves to be a truth. a paradox holds contraries in unity allowing the mind to contemplate both possibilities at once.
personification: is the figure of speech which gives human qualities to non-human things. e.g. trees are waving at them. the kind old sun.
pun: a play on words in which the word has two meanings. e.g: being electrocuted is shocking, writing with a broken pencil is pointless.
simile: is the figure of speech which compares two things using like or as.
