Comparison — one of stylistic devices in English

When we read a literary text in the English language, or watching movies in the original, that the most interesting and memorable, in addition to the plot, staring us in the eye? Of course, this choice of words in which the authors paint a bright and vivid images in our imagination. On how rich and colorful speech writer, it depends our perception of a literary text. To create a unique world in the book, the authors use a variety of stylistic devices, or figures of speech such as similes, metaphors, hyperbole, litotes and many others.

In the English linguistics have a science that deals with the stylistic figures of speech — style. Stylistics — the science of the use of language, exploring the principles and the effect on the choice and use of lexical, grammatical, phonetic and general language means to transmit thoughts and emotions in different contexts of communication.

This section of linguistics is very familiar to all students of philological faculties, but not a philologist, unfortunately, are not familiar with all the stylistic variety of the English language. In our articles we will acquaint you with the most interesting stylistic devices, and now look at such a figure of speech as a «simile» or «colorful comparison».

Simile — is a stylistic comparison, which is formed by prepositions like (like) or as … as (such as), when the difference or similarity between the two objects or people. It is the most popular and frequently used stylistic device, t. To. To describe an object or a person, we often resort to the comparison.

Life is like a roller-coaster — sometimes you go up and sometimes you go down. — Life is like a roller coaster, sometimes you go up and sometimes down.

She walks as gracefully as a cat. — She is graceful, like a cat.

Examples simile can be found in any literary text. Some of them are used so often that they have become resistant expressions that we use in speech and did not even notice that these expressions were originally colorful similes.

Phrase	Translation	Meaning
as dry as dust	dry as dust	very dry, boring
as light as a feather	light as a feather	very light
as sharp as a knife	sharp as a knife	very sharp
as weak as a kitten	weak as a kitten	very weak
as quick as a flash	quick as a flash	very fast
as white as a sheet	pale as a sheet	very pale, white
as old as the hills	Old as the hills	very old
as drunk as a lord	drunk as a lord (a fiddler)	very drunk
as poor as a church mouse	poor as a church mouse	very poor
as cool as a cucumber	calm as a cucumber	very cool
as fit as a fiddle	Healthy as a fiddle	very healthy
as sober as a judge	sober as a judge (a whistle)	sober
as good as gold	good as gold	very good
as thin as a rake	thin as a lath	very slim and thin
as deaf as a post	as deaf as a post	deaf

Examples simile can also be found in songs and poems. Although we do not often «listen attentively», which is sung in our favorite songs, but it was colorful similes and metaphors make us draw our minds bright pictures and images. Let’s look at some examples of simile based on the following video:

1. All eyes on me in the center of the ring just like a circus. — All eyes on me in the middle of the ring, like in a circus.

2. I’m feeling so fly like a G6. — I feel as steep as Ji 6. (most likely, we are talking about the Pontiac G6, very expensive car)

3. You’re as cuddly as a cactus. You’re as charming as an eel. — You’re as nice as cactus. Such as charming as an eel. (t. e. the author would like to say how ugly and nasty Grinch)

4. I’m starting to feel like a dungeon dragon. — I begin to feel like a dungeon dragon.

5. Seasons go and seasons come steady as the beating drum. — Seasons come and go steady as the rhythm of the drum.

6. Zip your lips like a padlock. — «Button on the zipper,» his mouth as the castle.

7. I’m going to miss you like a child misses their blanket. — I’ll miss you, just like a child misses their blanket on.

8. You change your mind like a girl changes clothes. — You have to change his mind like a girl changes her clothes. (t. e. very often)

9. Tranquil as a forest. — Quiet as a forest.

10. You can have my heart or we can share it like the last slice. — You can take my heart or we can share it like the last piece.

And what? So, like any use of, or as, if we compare things or people, will be considered simile? Of course not, stylistic coloration appears only when there is a kind of metaphorical comparison, t. E .:

She is as clever as her brother. — She’s as smart as her brother. (this is a simple comparison, has nothing to do with the simile)

She works as a confectioner — She works as a pastry chef. (there is no comparison, we’re talking about her profession)

Colorful comparisons make it intense and rich, so it would be desirable and pleasant to listen to, it sounds easily and naturally, so feel free to experiment, especially English — is a very broad field for experimentation!

 

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