【英语】高级英语上册 修辞

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Ⅴ. Study of the Figures of Speech in Lesson 9 & Lesson 10:
1. Irony
Irony is the expression of actual intent (意图；意思) in words that carry the opposite meaning. It is an effective literary device because it gives the impression of great restraint (抑制).
Irony spring from a perception or awareness of discrepancy (差异) ans incongruity (不一致) between words
and their meaning, or between actions and their results, or between appearance and clarity. In all cases, there
may be an element of the absurd and the paradoxical (反論的).
1) This hard-working boy seldom reads more than an hour per week.
2) Robbing a widow of her savings was certainly a noble act.
3) I fear I wrong the nonorable men whose daggers have stabbed Caesar. (Shakespeare)
4) You are as eloquent as an oyster.
2. Euphemism
Euphemism is a figure of speech in which less exact but milder or less blunt (生硬的)words or phrases are
used in place of disagreeable (令人不快的)or unpleasant expression. It is a substitution of an inoffensive (不
冒犯人的)expression for one that may be disagreeable.
1) Euphemisms for “mad”
Many of the expressions are funny, so as to dispell the unpleasantness of being mad.
E. g. He is queer (odd; crazy; unhinged; off his head; out of his head; unsound in the mind; not of sound mind;
unbalanced; unsettled in his mind; touched in the head; out of his mind; of unsound mind; soft in mind; not all
there; far-gone; not in his right mind; simple-minded; brain-sick; all possessed鬼魂附体; not right; off in his
upper story; not quite right upstairs; nuts; nutty; dafty, dotty, goofy; loomy; lunatic; buggy; cuckoo;
feeble-minded; innocent; simple; off his chump; off his nut, off his base, off his trolley; off the truck, off his
rocker; metally ill, touched, etc.)
2) Euphemisms for “die”:
a) He is gone (to his rest, to to glory).
b) He ceased to be.
c) He is no more.
d) He passed away.
e) He is departed from me.
f) He closed his life.
g) He checked out.
h) He took leave of life and bowed himself to the will of Heaven.
i) He kicked the bucket. (or: He kicked off.)
3) Euphemisms for “drunk”
a) He is fuddled.
b) He is merry (or: jolly or happy or gay).
c) He is groggy. (grog 酒)
d) He is in his cups.
e) He is smelling of the cork.
f) He has had a drop too much.
g) He is top-heavy.
h) He is full of Dutch courage. (酒后之勇)
i) He is glorious.
j) He is reeling. (旋转)
k) He is far-gone. (He is far-gone in drink.)
l) He is tanked up.
4) Euphemisms for War and politics:
strike (罢工) ____ industrial action         debt ____ cash advance
economic crisis ____ recession             poor people ____ the underpriviledged, the needy people
attack ____ active defence     retreat ____ strategic withdrawal (战略转移)  
concentration camp (集中营)____ strategic village （战略村）
Others
old people ____ senior citizens                asylum ____ mental home
pregnant ____ in the family way, in an interesting condition
free love (非法同居) ____ trial marriage (试婚)
pornographic movies (色情影片) ____ adult films; X-rated films; blue films
vagina or penis ____ private parts
3. Oxymoron
Oxymoron is a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms are combined to produce an
epigrammic警句的 effect.  (Longman Modern English Dictionary)
Oxymoron is a kind of paradox or antithesis that links together two sharply contrasting terms, as “cheerful
pessimist”, “clever fool”, “eloquent silence”, “freezing fires”. (英语反义词的一种灵活运用)
1) adj. + n.
a. She is a clever fool.
b. Parting is such a sweet sorrow. 离别就是这样一种既甜蜜又忧伤的事。
c. I like a smuggler. He is the only honest thief. 我喜欢走私者，他是唯一诚实的贼。
d. he was puzzled at her cruel kindness.
e. I despise its very vastness and power. It has the poorest millionaires, the littlest great men, the haughtiest
beggars, the plainest beauties, the lowest skyscapers, the doleullest pleasures of any town I ever saw. (O.
Henry)
这座城市（纽约）里有的是心灵最空虚的百万富翁，人格最渺小的伟人，最目空一切的草包，最使人上
眼的美女，最卑鄙龌龊的摩天大楼。
2) adj. + adj.
a. Those bitter-sweet memories can never be forgotten. 苦甜参半的往事
b. poor rich gugs 可怜的有钱人
c. a miserable, merry Christmas 又悲又喜的圣诞节
3) v-ing + adj.
a. a living death 半死不活       b. loving hate 爱中有恨
4) adv. + adj.
a. dully bright sky 阴沉暗淡的晴空   b. a mercifully fatal blow 仁慈为怀的致命打击
c. a wisely stupid idea 自作聪明的糊涂的人
5) v. + adv.
a. The moon shone darkly. 月亮暗淡地发光。   b. At last they hastened slowly. 最后他慢慢地快起来。
6) adv. + v-ing
a. deliciously aching  即令人愉快，又令人头疼   b. changlessly changing 即始终如一，又变化多端
7) n. + n.
a. They have a love-hate relationship. 他们的关系是爱中有恨，恨中有爱。
b. That’s a life-death struggle. 那是一场生死的搏斗。
Study of the Figures of Speech Lesson Two: （1 period）
1. Irony
Irony is a figure of speech that achieves emphasis by saying the opposite of what is meant, the intended meaning of the words being the opposite of their usual sense. This form of irony is called verbal irony， and differs from the stylistic device of dramatic irony. It is an effective literary device because it gives the impression of great restraint [ris’treint]（抑制）。
Irony springs from a perception or awareness of discrepancy（差异）and incongruity（不一致）betweenwords and their meaning, or between actions and their results, or between appearance and reality. In all cases there may be an element of the absurd and the paradoxical（反语的）。
In everyday life we often hear people using irony in their speech, though they may not be conscious of it. For instance, they may call a very thin boy “fatty”, or a very fat one “skinny”. Similarly we may hear people saying, “Oh, how I love queuing up” when in fact they hate it.
However, not all verbal irony is of this light and humorous type. More often it is used to veil feelings in a subtle way, using words of praise where condemnation is meant, and vice versa; such irony can be light or heavy, depending on the circumstances.
Examples:
This hard-working boy seldom reads more than an hour per week.
Robbing a widow of her savings was certainly a noble act.
I fear I wrong the honorable men whose daggers have stabbed Caesar. (Shakespeare)
You are as eloquent as an oyster.
“Generally speaking,”said Miss Murdstone. “I don’t like boys. How d’ye do, boy?”
Under these encouraging circumstances, I replied that I was very well, and that I hoped she was the same, with such indifferent grace that Miss Murdstone disposed of me in two words, — “wants manner!” (C.Dickensavid Copperfield)
(Here the word encouraging is used ironically, for the circumstances were not encouraging at all — they were, in fact, discouraging, for Miss Murdstone had said she didn’t like boys.)

2. Sarcasm / Satire
While Innuendo is a mild form of irony, Sarcasm is just the opposite. It attacks in an taunting and bitter manner, and its aim is to disparage（毁谤），ridicule and wound the feelings of the subject attacked.
Sarcasm 与Innuendo 含沙射影的温和语气不同，它常常使用尖刻的语句揭露与讽刺某人、某事或某些错误、愚蠢、丑恶等。讥讽是尖刻的，不友善的，常常是技巧的谈话或写作的方式。
Sarcasm 常出现在文娱节目或文学作品里，目的是激起人们对所讥讽的人、事的抗议和批评。许多著名作家都是运用Sarcasm的行家。
Examples:
Fool（傻瓜）
Fools had ne’er less grace in a year,
For wise men are grown foolish,   
And know not how their wits to wear,
Their manners are so apish. (ape-like)    (Shakespeare: King Lear)
（这年头的傻瓜供过于求，）
（聪明人个个变了糊涂，）
（顶着个没有思想的头脑，）
（只会跟着人依样画葫芦。）（朱生豪译）
嘲讽了那种没有思想、亦步亦趋的傻瓜

Laws are like cobwebs（蜘蛛网）， which may catch small flies, but let wasps（黄蜂） and hornets（大黄蜂） break through.

Quite right. The laws are turnpikes, only made to stop people who walk on foot, and not to interrupt those who drive through them in their coaches.
太对了。法律是关卡，设立它只是阻拦步行者，并不是妨碍乘四轮大马车过关地达官显贵人。

“Mr. Bennet, how can you abuse your own chidren in such a way. You take delight in vexing me. You have no compassion on my poor nerves.”
“You mistake me, my dear. I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends. I have heard you mention them with consideration these twenty years at least.” (J.Austin: Pride & Prejudice)

3. Anti-climax（渐降）
Anti-climax is a figure of speech in which successive words, phrases, clauses or sentences are arranged in
such a way that the content becomes less interesting or important as it proceeds. It is a common literary
device used to achieve humor, surprise, satire and comic in effect.
具体地讲，就是按着由强到弱，又达到小，由远到近等格式排列语气成分，使语势递减，其目的
是为了制造讥讽或幽默的气氛。
Examples:
① He lost his empire, his family and his fountain pen. 他失出了帝国，失出了家庭，失出了钢笔。
② The duties of a soldier are to protect his country and peel potatoes. 战士的职责是保卫祖国和剥土豆皮。
③ Simon is a great statesman, a great warrior, a great poet, and a skilled performer on the harp.
   西蒙是一个伟大的政治家，一个伟大的战士，一个伟大的诗人，一个老练的竖琴演奏者。
④ I love my motherland, I love my people, I love my wife and my son and daughter, I also love my pretty little dog.
   我爱我的祖国, 我爱我的人民，我爱我的妻室儿女，我也爱我那可爱的小狗。
⑤ She fears thunder and lightening, she fears dogs and cats, she fears moths and caterpillars.
   他怕雷声和闪电，怕狗和猫，怕蛾和毛虫。
Anti-climax, as used in the text, states one’s thoughts in a describing order of significance or intensity
from strong to weak, from weighty to light. It has achieved a humorous or surprised or even a sarcastic
effect when the mayor was introducing his city to his visitors, who were expecting his answer to have
something to do with the atom bomb, but who ironically heard “Oysters” in the end.
渐降在重要性和强烈程度上以一种降序排列的方式陈述。当市长向游客介绍他的城市时没有按人
们期待的介绍有关的原子弹的情况，反而说到“牡蛎”，这个渐降的使用取得了非常幽默、令人惊
奇甚至讽刺的效果。

4. Climax   （层进）
Climax is a figure of speech in which phrases or sentences are arranged in ascending order of
importance.
结构上一系列词的并列，意义由轻到重，由弱到强，依次递进，使说话的感情渐趋强烈，最后达
到顶点的修辞方法，叫做层进。
英语的层进辞格常从语义上按下列方式排列：
A. 程度由浅到深，语气由轻到重。E.g.
① I was born an American; I live an American; I shall die an American.
   我生来是一个美国人，我活着是一个美国人；我死时也还是一个美国人。
② The audience smiled, chuckled, and finally howled.
   观众们继而微笑，继而窃笑，终于捧腹大笑起来。
③ Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested. (Bacon)  书有可浅尝者，有可吞食者，少数则需咀嚼消化。
B. 按时间先后的顺序：E.g.       
① I came, I saw, I conquered. (Julius Caesar)
   我来了，我扫视一切，征服一切。
② The prisoner was first questioned, then tortured, and finally shot.
    囚犯先受审，然后遭拷打，最后被枪杀。
C. 按范围大小的顺序。E.g.
① We could find pigeons here, there, everywhere.
② He gazed upon the pretty houses, green hills and the broad Pacific, his heart was filled with awe.
他凝视着美丽的房子，绿色的山岗和辽阔的太平洋；敬畏之情油然而生。
层进修辞格的使用，使语言凝炼，不累赘、罗嗦。程度渐次加强，语义逐渐强化。

5. Alliteration   （头韵）
Alliteration is a figure of speech in which consonants especially at the beginning of words or stressed
syllables are repeated. It is a very old device used indeed in English verse (older than rhyme 韵脚). It is
also commonly used in other occasions. E.g.
① They are fighting for their hearth and home.
② Let’s learn the lesson by heart.
③ Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden.
(John F. Kennedy)
④ We felt strong, smug, secure.
⑤ He never forgives nor forgets.

In proverbs:
① No pain, no palm. [pa:m] victory, glory (胜利，荣誉)
② No thorns, no throne.
③ No gall, no glory.
④ No cross, no crown.
⑤ Many a man, many a mind.
⑥ A miss is as good as a mile.
⑦ A fair face may hide a foul heart.
⑧ Men may meet but mountain never. 人生何处不相逢。
⑨ Dumb dogs are dangerous.   哑巴狗最危险。
⑩ The work shows the workmen. 什么匠人出什么活。
⑾ Plenty is no plague.   多多益善。
⑿ Practice what you preach.  说到做到。
⒀ bag and baggage  全部家当
⒁ tit for tat  针锋相对
⒂ with mighty and main  尽全力
⒃ fall flat  达不到预想的效果
⒄ spick and span  十分整洁
⒅ hale and hearty  老当益壮
⒆ Look before you leap.  三思而行。
⒇ Wilful waste makes woeful want. 肆意挥霍， 家徒四壁。

In Tongue Twisters:
① She sells sea shells on the sea shore. 她在海边买蚌壳。
② Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper.  笛诗彼得买了一配克泡辣椒。
③ Round and round the rugged r**d rascal ran.  那个衣衫褴褛的流浪儿绕着岩石团团转。

In advertisements and Titles of newspaper writings:
① Cut cost without cutting corners    (Advertisement for cars)
② Bye, Bye, Balanced Budget
③ Battle for Balanced Budget

6. Rhetorical Question:
A Rhetorical question (修辞疑问句) differs from an ordinary question in this way: when a writer asks a rhetorical question, he does not expect the reader to answer it. Instead, a rhetorical question is used for emphasis. When a reader comes upon a rhetorical question, he generally pauses and reflects intensely for a moment. The question will fix an idea more firmly in his mind than a declarative statement would. Thus you can give special force to an idea by expressing it in the form of a rhetorical question. Such a question may appear at the beginning, middle, or end of a composition. But wherever it is placed, the following points should be kept in mind:
1) A rhetorical question focuses and intensifies the reader’s interest.
2) A rhetorical question should be used only to give force to the writer’s main ideas; it should not be
wasted on minor points.
3) The rhetorical question — like any stylistic device — should be used sparingly for best effect.
A. A single rhetorical question used for emphasis:
1) Isn’t it a silly question?
2) O, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?  (Shelley)
3) Can the leopard change his spots?
4) Is it possible that you can’t, oughtn’t, shouldn’t, mustn’t, and won’t be tempted, this gorgeous day? (Dickens)
5) Can we sit idle when all others are working like a house on fire?
6) Will such a staunch（可靠的，忠实的）fighter yield to difficulties?
7) Would a man like him ever let himself run short?
8) Isn’t it the best choice?
B. A series of rhetorical questions asked and answered by the speaker showing a process of reasoning:
1) Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentleman wish? What would they have？Is life so dear or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?  (Patrick Henry)
2) Well, ‘its no matter; honour pricks me on. Yea, but how if honour prick me off when I came on? How then? Can honour set to a log? No. Or an arm? No. Or take away the grief of a wound? No. Honour hath no skill in surgery, then? No. What is honour? A word. What is in that word honour? Air; a trim reckoning! Who hath it? He that died o’ Wednesday. Doth he feel it? No. Doth he hear it? No. ‘Tis insensible, then? Yea, to the dead. But will it not live with the living? No. Why? Detraction will not suffer it.  (Shakespeare)

Rhetorical question (修辞问句) 不同于语法中的问句： 语法问句是有疑而问，目的在于释疑或得
到答复；而修辞问句则是无疑而问，即该问之答案对问话者来说已了然于胸，采用问句形式，其
目的要么是引出给问话者答案的下文，要么是唤起读者的回响，传达问者寓于句中的强烈感情，
目的是使文章生动有利。

修辞问句分为两类：
1. 反问：用疑问的形式表达确定的意思，不需要回答，其答案寓于问句的反面。其作用是加强语气，表达强烈的感情，以引起读者或听者的深思。
(1) When Adam delved and Eve span, who was then the gentleman?   (John Ball)
(2) O, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?             (Shelley)
2. 设问: 为引出下文而先提问，目的在于引起读者或听众的注意。例如：
Can we make it? If so, will it w** can we market it? Where can we market it cheaply?
Are we going to tolerate this intrusion upon our freedom? Are we going to accept these restrictions? Are
we to be intimidated by time-serving bureaucrats?
反问和设问的共同点都是“明知故问”，即说话人或作者事先均有了答案而“故问”； 它们的不同
点在于反问在问话中暗示了答案，勿需回答便表明了态度，而设问没有在问话中暗示答案，其答
案在问话之后。

7. Simile:
Simile is a figure of speech in which one thing is likened to（比作）another, in such a way as to
clarify and enhance an image. To make the comparison, words like as, as…so, like and some other words indicating comparison or likeness such as more than, as if, resemble, resemblance are used to indicate similes and transfer the quality we associate with one to the other.
There are set expressions in the form of similes. A list of many such idioms is given below:

A. Used with adjectives:
1) as white as a sheet/snow 苍白如纸/洁白如雪
2) as brown as a berry（果酱）
3) as dark as night
4) as green as grass
5) as bold/brave as a lion
6) as cheap as dirt
7) as cool as cucumber（泰然自若）
8) as cold as charity（慈善）像慈善机关对穷人那样冷冰冰的
9) as clean as a whistle 像哨子一样光洁
10) as clever as a barrel of monkeys
11) as clear as a bell/the day / the sun
12) as cross as two sticks / a bear with a sore head非常生气
13) as dead as a door nail 确已将死的
14) as easy as ABC
15) as dull as ditch-water非常单调乏味
16) as deaf as a post 全聋
17) as drunk as a lord 大醉
18) as dry as a bone/dust干透了
19) as different as chalk from cheese完全不同
20) as easy as falling off a log
21) as fresh as a daisy菊
22) as fit as a fiddle 非常健康
23) as free as a bird / air
24) as good as a play非常有趣
25) as hot as hell
26) as heavy as lead
27) as honest as the day非常诚实
28) as hungry as a hunter / a hawk / a bear / a wolf
29) as hard as a brick / iron / nails
30) as happy as a prince / the day is long非常幸福，非常快乐
31) as innocent as a (new-born) baby
32) as like as two peas一模一样
33) as light as a feather轻如鸿毛
34) as mad as a March hare / a hatter 极为疯狂
35) as meek as a mouse
36) as old as the hills极老
37) as pure / spotless as the driven snow（飘雪）洁如白雪
38) as pretty as a picture
39) as poor as a church mouse
40) as quiet as a mouse / mice
41) as quick as lightning / a flash
42) as rich as Croesus非常富有
43) as stubborn / obstinate as a mule
44) as silent as a grave
45) as silly as a duck
46) as slippery as an eel
47) as sure as fate千真万确
48) as steady as a rock
49) as slow as a snail
50) as sharp as a razor / a needle
51) as snug as a bug in a rug像小地毯里的臭虫一样舒服
52) as thin as a rail
53) as timid as a mouse
54) as tough as leather
55) as true as steel绝对真实可靠
56) as ugly as sin极丑，极恶劣
57) as weak as water 身体虚弱；意志薄弱
58) as wise as Solomon（所罗门，古以色列王子，以智慧著称）
Notes:
1. In the above examples, the first ‘as’ is sometimes omitted.
2. There is often alliteration or rhyme in similes,
E.g. as hungry as a hunter
3. An appropriate use of them does add color and flavour to the language and the above list itself
invites attention, since it tells us something about the wit and humor of the English people and their
habit of thinking.

B. Used with verbs and verbal phrases:
1) behave like a bull in a china shop
2) blush like a schoolgirl
3) crawl like a snail
4）collapse like a house built on sand
5) come down / fall like a ton of bricks
6) drink like a fish
7) grin like a Cheshire cat总是无缘无故的笑（源出Lewis Carroll所著的“Alice in Wonderland”，该
书谈及Cheshire郡的猫总是露齿而笑，笑得身子消失了，只见笑容。
8) have nine lives like a cat 猫有九命（指猫的生命力很强）
9) have a memory like a sieve 记忆力极差
10) hate like poison 嫉恨，深恶
11) jump about like a cat on a hot tin roof
12) look like a dying duck in thunder storm 惊慌失措
13) run like a hare
14) know ( a person ) like a book 非常了解（某人）
15) roar like a lion
16) sigh like a furnace 长声叹气
17) speak like a book 咬文嚼字
18) shake like an aspen（白杨）leaf 飕飕的抖动
19) spring up like mushrooms overnight
20) sleep like a top（陀螺）/ log 熟睡
21) take to（沉湎于） something like ( or as ) a duck to water 极爱，最喜欢
22) work like a horse / a Trojan（特洛伊人）辛苦的工作
23) They spent money like water.
24) And at once they shut up like clams.

C. more than
1) When in a fury, she is more savage than a tigress.

D. seem, resemble, resemblance
1) Seems he a dove? His feathers are but borrowed.  ( Shakespeare )
2) Her face resembled a silver moon.
3) Her face bore the resemblance of a moon.
4) These childhood companions seemed phantoms （幻象）in a dream now.

E. as if
1) The first time I read an excellent book, it is as if I had gained a new friend.
2) The thought hurt him, then lost edge（锋刃）, as if it had come in contact with a breast-plate（胸铠）。

F. no more…than
A home without love is no more than a home than a body without a soul in a man.

G. might as well…as
You might as well expect a leopard to change its spots as expect him to give up smoking.

[ 本帖最后由 左岸眼睛 于 2009-7-11 11:54 编辑 ]

never飘泊

看不明白。。[em:18]

a赟赟

谢谢啦

miamia123

修辞今年考的不难，最基本的借喻和借代。选择题，比以前自己找自己写简单多了

beebebear

请问这是所有关于修辞的总结吗?

hunansummer

找了好久想找个修辞归纳的
终于找到啦

edy1989

谢谢了！！！

luluenjoying

谢谢LZ 真的非常好 不知道有下册的总结么？

abelia

谢了哦

左依

这是总结啊？？