Figures of Speech Exercises with Answers

Figures of speech are stylistic devices used to make language more expressive and engaging. Instead of using words in their literal sense, they are used to convey deeper or mover creative meanings. This helps make language more creative, vivid, and expressive. Figures of speech are commonly used in everyday language, literature, stories, poetry, and speeches to add feeling and meaning. Practising figures of speech exercises helps us understand these expressions and improves overall communication skills.

Table of Contents

• What is a Figure of Speech?
• Figures of Speech Exercise with Answers
• Exercise 1: Identify the Figure of Speech
• Exercise 2: Fill in the Blank
• Exercise 3: Multiple Choice Questions

What is a Figure of Speech?

A figure of speech is a word or phrase that means something different from its literal meaning. Writers and speakers use figures of speech to make language more vivid, fun, and expressive. It is like painting a picture with words, not just listing facts.

Think of it this way: instead of saying "it was raining heavily", you could say "it was raining cats and dogs!" That's a figure of speech, and it's far more interesting!

Here are the most common figures of speech you will see in the exercises below:

• Simile: Compares two things using like or as. Example: She is as brave as a lion.

• Metaphor: Says one thing is another without using 'like' or 'as'. Example: Life is a rollercoaster.

• Personification: Gives human qualities to animals, objects, or ideas. Example: The wind whispered through the trees.

• Hyperbole: An extreme exaggeration used for effect. Example: I've told you a million times!

• Alliteration: Repeating the same starting sound in nearby words. Example: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

• Onomatopoeia: A word that imitates the sound it describes. Example: The bees buzzed around the flowers.

• Oxymoron: Two opposite words placed together. Example: It was a deafening silence.

• Irony: Saying the opposite of what you actually mean or when the opposite of what is expected happens. Example: A fire station catches fire.

• Idiom: A phrase whose meaning is different from the literal words. Example: Break a leg! (meaning: good luck)

• Assonance: Repeating similar vowel sounds in nearby words. Example: The early bird catches the worm.

• Antithesis: Places two opposite ideas side by side in a balanced sentence to create a strong contrast. Example: It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.

• Euphemism: A polite or mild word used in place of a harsh one. Example: He passed away. (Instead of 'he died')
  
  

Figures of Speech Exercise with Answers

Here are some figures of speech exercises to help you practise and improve your understanding of the types of figures of speech. These exercises will help you identify figures of speech in sentences, understand meanings, and use them correctly and creatively in your own writing.

Exercise 1: Identify the Figure of Speech

Read each sentence carefully. Identify the figure of speech used and write it in the blank provided. 

1. The sun smiled down on the children playing in the park.

2. She ran as fast as the wind.

3. I am so hungry I could eat a horse.

4. Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale.

5. The thunder grumbled like an angry old man.

6. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

7. The whole world is a stage.

8. Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, / And sorry I could not travel both

9. The kettle sang a cheerful tune on the stove.

10. The crash of the thunder made everyone jump.

11. Variety is the spice of life.

12. It was bittersweet news for the team.

13. He was a walking dictionary.

14. The pen is mightier than the sword.

15. The stars danced playfully in the midnight sky.

16. My backpack weighs a ton!

17. The stars danced in the night sky.

18. O Solitude! Where are the charms that sages have seen in thy face?

19. He sizzled the onions in the pan.

20. She has a heart of gold.

21. Break a leg tonight at the performance!

22. 'O Captain! My Captain! Our fearful trip is done.'

23. Suddenly, the classroom felt like a zoo.

24. His backpack weighed a ton by the time they reached the top of the hill

25. The White House refused to comment on the matter.

26. He was an absolute Einstein in the science class.

27. She passed away peacefully in her sleep.

28. All hands were needed to finish the project.

29. The thunder grumbled like an angry giant across the sky.

30. Life is a journey; enjoy the ride.

Answers: 

1. Personification

2. Simile

3. Hyperbole

4. Simile

5. Simile

6. Alliteration

7. Metaphor

8. Allusion 

9. Personification

10. Onomatopoeia

11. Metaphor

12. Oxymoron

13. Metaphor

14. Metonymy

15. Personification

16. Hyperbole

17. Personification

18. Apostrophe

19. Onomatopoeia

20. Metaphor

21. Idiom

22. Apostrophe 

23. Simile

24. Hyperbole

25. Metonymy

26. Allusion

27. Euphemism

28. Synecdoche

29. Simile

30. Metaphor
    
    

Exercise 2: Fill in the Blank

Fill in each blank with the correct figure of speech given below.

Figure of speech: simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, alliteration, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, irony, idiom, euphemism

1. "The cat meowed loudly at midnight" is an example of ___________ because the word 'meowed' imitates the sound a cat makes.

2. "As cold as ice" is a ___________ because it compares two things using "as".

3. "Time is a thief" is a ___________ because it says time is something else without using like or as.

4. "The flowers nodded their heads in the breeze" is ___________ because the flowers are given a human action.

5. "I have a million things to do today!" is a ___________ because it is a wild exaggeration.

6. "Sally sells seashells by the seashore" is ___________ because the same starting consonant is repeated.

7. "Jumbo shrimp" is an ___________ because two opposite words are placed together.

8. A professional swimmer being afraid of water is an example of ___________.

9. "Kick the bucket" is an ___________ because its meaning cannot be guessed from the individual words.

10. Saying someone "passed away" instead of "died" is a ___________.

Answers:

1. Onomatopoeia

2. Simile

3. Metaphor

4. Personification

5. Hyperbole

6. Alliteration

7. Oxymoron

8. Irony

9. Idiom

10. Euphemism
    
    

Exercise 3: Multiple Choice Questions

Choose the correct answer for each question. 

1. "The moon is a silver coin in the sky." This is an example of the following:

1. Simile

2. Metaphor

3. Personification

4. Hyperbole

2. "The bees buzzed busily in the garden." This sentence uses:

1. Metaphor and irony

2. Alliteration and onomatopoeia

3. Simile and hyperbole

4. Idiom and euphemism

3. ‘The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees.’  This is an example of the following: 

1. Simile

2. Metaphor

3. Personification 

4. Alliteration 

4. "I have told you a thousand times to clean your room!" This is an example of the following:

1. Oxymoron

2. Allusion

3. Hyperbole

4. Personification

5. The cookies called her name from the kitchen shelf. This is an example of the following:

1. Metaphor

2. Simile

3. Personification

4. Euphemism 

6. "She was as quiet as a mouse during the exam." What figure of speech is this?

1. Metaphor

2. Irony

3. Simile

4. Alliteration

7. "The flowers danced in the morning breeze." This sentence uses:

1. Synecdoche

2. Personification

3. Oxymoron

4. Assonance

8. She had to babysit her little monster of a brother all afternoon. 

1. Metaphor

2. Simile

3. Personification

4. Irony 

9. "It was an open secret that she was leaving." Which figure of speech is used here?

1. Hyperbole

2. Oxymoron

3. Allusion

4. Metonymy

10. "All hands on deck!" is an example of the following:

1. Irony

2. Euphemism

3. Synecdoche

4. Simile

11. "The thunder roared like an angry beast." What two figures of speech are used?

1. Personification and alliteration

2. Simile and personification

3. Metaphor and onomatopoeia

4. Irony and hyperbole

12. "He was a real Hercules on the football field." This is an example of:

1. A pun

2. An allusion

3. An idiom

4. A euphemism

13. "The kettle whistled, the toast popped, and the morning came alive." This passage primarily uses:

1. Alliteration

2. Hyperbole

3. Personification

4. Synecdoche

14. “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.” This rhyme is an example of the following: 

1. Personification

2. Hyperbole

3. Alliteration 

4. Metaphor 

15. His words were like a warm blanket on a cold winter night. This passage is an example of:

1. Simile

2. Metaphor

3. Personification

4. Oxymoron 

Answers: 

1. b) Metaphor

2. b) Alliteration and onomatopoeia

3. b) Metaphor

4. c) Hyperbole

5. c) Personification

6. c) Simile

7. b) Personification

8. a) Metaphor

9. b) Oxymoron

10. c) Synecdoche

11. b) Simile and personification

12. b) Allusion

13. c) Personification

14. c) Alliteration

15. a) Simile