Rhetoric figurative language

Device	Definition / How It Works	Effect / Why Use It	Example
Metaphor	Comparing two unlike things without “like” or “as”	Creates vivid imagery, helps explain abstract ideas	“Time is a thief.”
Simile	Comparing two unlike things using “like” or “as”	Makes descriptions vivid and relatable	“Her smile was like sunshine.”
Personification	Giving human traits to non-human things	Adds emotion or relatability	“The wind whispered through the trees.”
Hyperbole	Extreme exaggeration	Emphasizes a point, creates humor or drama	“I’ve told you a million times.”
Litotes	Understatement by negating the opposite	Emphasizes subtly, ironic effect	“It’s not bad” (meaning it’s good)
Irony	Expressing meaning opposite to words	Creates humor, sarcasm, or emphasis	“Oh great, another traffic jam.”
Oxymoron	Combining contradictory terms	Draws attention, creates tension	“Deafening silence”
Paradox	Statement that seems contradictory but reveals truth	Provokes thought	“Less is more.”
Allusion	Indirect reference to a person, event, or text	Adds depth, context, resonance	“He met his Waterloo.”
Metonymy	Replacing something with a closely related term	Concise, symbolic	“The crown will decide” (meaning the king/queen)
Synecdoche	Part represents whole, or whole represents part	Adds vividness, concrete image	“All hands on deck.”
Pun	Play on words with multiple meanings	Humor, wit	“I used to be a banker, but I lost interest.”
Onomatopoeia	Words that imitate sound	Creates auditory imagery	“The bees buzzed.”
Euphemism	Mild expression replaces harsh one	Softens impact, polite	“Passed away” instead of “died”
Apostrophe	Addressing absent or abstract entity	Emotion, dramatization	“O Death, where is thy sting?”