What is a figure of speech?
Q: What is a figure of speech?
A: A figure of speech is an indirect way of communicating an idea using language that is not literal.
Q: Are figures of speech meant to be understood in their literal sense?
A: No, figures of speech are not meant to be understood exactly as they are said. They use indirect language and mean something different from ordinary language.
Q: What are tropes?
A: Tropes are figures of speech, or a play on words, using language in a way that is different from its accepted literal form.
Q: How many different figures of speech have been catalogued by rhetoricians?
A: According to DiYanni, rhetoricians have catalogued more than 250 different figures of speech or expressions.
Q: What is a metaphor?
A: A metaphor is a figure of speech where a word or phrase is applied to an object or action, which is not literally applicable, but helps explain an idea in a non-literal sense.
Q: Can you give an example of a common figure of speech?
A: One common figure of speech is to say that someone "threw down the gauntlet", which means that the person issued a public challenge to another person or many persons.
Q: Can plain speech be distinguished from figures of speech easily?
A: According to the text, there is no one easy way to distinguish plain speech from figures of speech.
