Literary figures

We explain what literary figures are and for what purpose they are used. In addition, the types of rhetorical figures that exist and various examples.

1. What are the literary figures?

The literary figures, tropos o appear be a set of turns of the language be used to beautify the speech, especially in the context of oratory and literature, significantly altering the common and everyday way of using the language.

They are usually used for aesthetic or persuasive purposes, as part of an elaborated discourse, and they emphasize the poetic function of language : the one that focuses on way of transmitting the message above all else. They can also be found in colloquial language, by way of creative olympic turns.

A complete catalog of literary figures will be extremely extensive, as dozens of them are registered. The best known and frequently used are:

• M et fora ys mil . Go together because they are comparisons: two terms are directly or indirectly checked to highlight some quality between them, whether by similarity, difference, figurative sense, etc. The metaphor is done directly, substituting terms; the simile indirectly, with a comparative nexus: as, similar to, etc.
• H ip rbole . It is an exaggeration for expressive purposes: to emphasize or minimize some particular feature of something.
• M etonymy. A form of metaphor, in which the name of one thing is taken by that of another, with which it is related or has a nexus of closeness or belonging.
• It is an idea. One part for the whole.
• P ersonification. It consists in attributing human properties to an inanimate object or an animal.
• Amphora . It consists of the repetitive repetition of osteolabic sounds within a verse or phrase.
• Allegor a . Occurs when we refer to something without naming it, but through a set of metaphorical associations or indirect allusions.
• H ipérbaton . In this case, the traditional order of the sentence is altered to allow a more singular expression, either adjusting to the metric (as in rhymed poetry) or not.
• Or nomatopeya . It consists of the verbal representation of a sound through its spoken equivalent.
• S inesthesia . A sensation (tactile, olfactory, auditory, etc.) is attributed to an object or situation that does not normally correspond.
• Or xymoron . It consists of the joint use of two terms or descriptions whose meanings contradict each other.
• Ellipsis It occurs when some term of the sentence or sentence is omitted, either for the purpose of generating suspense or because it has become clear from previous sentences and it would be redundant to repeat it.
• Asyndeton . It consists in the suppression of a copulative nexus (“and”) within an enumeration or context in which it would commonly go.
• Polysyndeton Contrary to the previous case, it incorporates an excess of copulative links, generating a repetition in the sentence.

See also: Anaphora.

1. Examples of literary figure

Metaphor:

• "The snow of time in his head" (to refer to gray hair)
• "His withered and brittle arms" (to refer to old age or weakness)
• "The flames of her hair" (to say they are red)

Simile:

• “His hair was snow white”
• "His arms were so old they looked withered and brittle."
• "His hair was red like the flames of a torch"

Hyperbole:

• “I told you millions of times” (there were many)
• “In the corner supermarket they are giving away the detergent” (they sell it very cheaply)
• “The most beautiful woman in the world” (she thought it was very beautiful)

Metonymy:

• “Do you want to eat Japanese today?” (Japanese food)
• “Are we going to the Peruvian corner?” (To the Peruvian restaurant)
• "He took a Scot on the rocks" (a Scotch whiskey)

Synecdoche:

• "He extracted the steel from his sheath" (the metal of the sword)
• “Without work and with four mouths to feed” (four children)

• "Cat parasites infect man" (individual by species)

Personification:

• "The river runs fast down the slope"
• “The sun smiled at the adventurers”
• “The city opened its arms to me that night”

Anaphora:

• "Miguel and Celeste meet, Miguel hugs her, Celeste kisses him"
• “You and your fears. You and your failures. You and your desire to lose. ”
• "They were taken alive and we love them alive"

Allegory:

• “When you left, I lost everything” (he suffered a lot)
• He found a treasure in you (a very valuable relationship)
• I have calluses on my hands (I am a worker)

Hip rbaton:

• In your mouth a sweet kiss hung up
• You can't love teaching you can't
• To our bed wrapped in sheets come back, love

Onomatopoeia:

• Tic, toc (the clock)
• Pum, pum, pum (the anti-aircraft gunner)
• Suishhh (the lightsaber)

Synesthesia:

• His name knew Jasmine
• It has a furious, intermittent skin color
• It was a book that smelled like corpses.

Ox moron:

• The luminous darkness in the afternoon
• A beautiful monstrosity
• The sweet bitterness of my being

Ellipse:

• Do I feel like crying, don't you? ( T Do you not feel like it too?)
• We returned to Ram n's room and was not (Ram n was not there )
• Rodrigo is a movie fan, Mireya is not so much (Mireya is not as fanatic as he is)

Asndendeton:

• I buy potatoes, lettuce, tomato
• From the sky lightning strikes, snow, risks of all kinds
• Adobar, stir, let cool, stir again

Polis ndeton:

• The night came and also the breeze, and the laments and the despair n
• Y t, and I, and we
• The house is large and bright and cozy