pun examples in figure of speech

Definition of Pun

Common examples of puns, examples of puns as character names, famous examples of pun, difference between pun and joke.

First Person: “My dog has no nose.” Second Person: “How does he smell?” First Person: “Awful!”

Writing Pun

Evoke humorous response, enhance interpretation, artistic and clever use of language, intended and unintended pun, when to use pun intended or no pun intended, using pun in a sentence  , examples of pun in literature, example 1: the importance of being earnest (oscar wilde).

To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.”

Example 2: Romeo and Juliet (William Shakespeare)

ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man.

William Shakespeare is known for his clever use of puns for comedic effect. Yet he also utilized this literary device as a means of enhancing tragic and ironic circumstances as well. Romeo’s dear friend Mercutio is stabbed by Tybalt, and makes this statement during his death scene. Shakespeare creates a play on the word grave that adds a level of tragedy and sense of irony to Mercutio’s death.

Example 3: Pragmatist (Edmund Conti)

Apocalypse soon Coming our way Ground zero at noon Halve a nice day.

In Conti’s poem , the speaker offers a pun based on the word “halve” and its homophone “have” in the last line. Phonetically, the last line reads as “have a nice day.” This cliche is an ironic finish to the poem considering its subject is an impending apocalypse and the world’s end. However, the poet’s use of the word “halve” rather than “have” is a clever way of supporting the rest of the poem. If “ground zero” of the apocalypse is “at noon,” then it is only possible to have half of a day. Therefore, “halve” a nice day is a much more accurate, though ironic, end to the poem.

Example 4: Design (Robert Frost)

What had the flower to do with being white, The wayside blue and innocent heal-all? What brought the kindred spider to that height, Then steered the white moth thither in the night ? What but design of darkness to appall? – If design govern in a thing so small.

Synonyms of Pun

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Pun Definition

What is a pun? Here’s a quick and simple definition:

A pun is a figure of speech that plays with words that have multiple meanings, or that plays with words that sound similar but mean different things. The comic novelist Douglas Adams uses both types of pun when he writes: "You can tune a guitar, but you can't tuna fish. Unless of course, you play bass." In the first sentence, Adams puns on the similar sounds of "tune a" and "tuna," while in the second he puns on the two meanings of the word "bass"—the musical instrument, and the fish.

Some additional key details about puns:

• Puns are ancient and important. Not only were they present as far back as the ancient Sumerian and Egyptian civilizations, but the writing systems of those civilizations, including Egyptian hieroglyphs, were in fact based on systems of punning.
• Puns are usually used to create humor, but can also be used in non-humorous ways.
• The word "pun" can be both a noun and a verb. The actual figure of speech is called a pun, while the verb form "to pun" describes the act of making a pun.
• Puns are also—but much less commonly—referred to using the more technical term paronomasia .

Pun Pronunciation

Here's how to pronounce pun: puhn

Types of Puns

There are three main types of puns. All of them are based on words or phrases that either have multiple meanings or that sound similar:

• Homographic puns play with words that are spelled identically but have different meanings and are pronounced differently. Douglas Adam's pun about "bass," which references both the instrument (pronounced "beyss") and the fish (pronounced "bass"), is an example of a homographic pun because the words are spelled the same, but they sound different and mean different things.
• Note that homophonic puns don't always have to involve words that sound identical . They can also involve words that sound merely similar . For instance, a book about the history of puns called The Pun Also Rises exploits the similarity of the words "pun" and "sun" to make a pun on the famous Hemingway novel The Sun Also Rises . The words aren't identical, but the pun is still classified as homophonic.
• Homonymic puns: These puns involve homonyms , words that have identical spellings and sounds, but different meanings. Here's an example: "Two silk worms had a race. It ended in a tie ." This pun plays on the fact that "tie" can refer to a race in which two participants finish at the same time, and also to neckwear that's often made of silk.

Compound Puns

Many websites on the internet also refer to compound puns, but these sites aren't always particularly clear about what that term means. In fact, the term often seems to refer to two separate things:

• A buildup of multiple puns that play on each other. The most famous example is this quip from Richard Whately: "Why can a man never starve in the Great Desert? Because he can eat the sand which is there. But what brought the sandwiches there? Why, Noah sent Ham , and his descendants mustered and bred ." Here the original pun is on "sand which is"/ "sandwiches" and then all the puns that follow (Ham/ham, mustered/mustard, and bred/bread) build on the initial pun.
• Puns that combine phrases through a shared word. In this sort of pun, two different phrases are joined together through a pun on a shared word. Here's an example: "Where do mathematicians go for fun? To a Möbius strip club!" Here the pun is built on "Möbius strip" and "strip club" through the shared word "strip."

Put another way: the definition for compound puns is really not settled, but it's enough to know that the term can refer to either of these two things.

Puns, Double Entendres, and Malapropisms

Puns are sometimes confused with double entendres and malapropisms , two other figures of speech.

• For instance, a double entendre based on ambiguity occurs in the movie To Catch a Thief . In it, a woman named Francie says to a man named John: "I have a feeling that tonight, you're going to see one of the Riviera's most fascinating sights... I was talking about the fireworks." Francie's double entendre here depends on the fact that she at first ambiguously leaves unclear just what the "fascinating sight" might be, until she clears up that it's the fireworks. This double entendre doesn't play on any double meaning of "fascinating sight," so it's not a pun. It instead plays on the ambiguity of what the "fascinating sight" refers to.
• For instance, if someone advised you to "Illiterate your ex from your memory" when they meant "obliterate," that would be a malapropism.

Pun Examples

Puns often appear in short quips or jokes, but also commonly appear in all sorts of literature, from poems to plays to novels.

Example of a Pun in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Lewis Carroll's novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is full of all sorts of wordplay, including puns. In the example below, Carroll makes a homophonic pun on the words "lesson" and "lessen."

“And how many hours a day did you do lessons?” asked Alice, in a hurry to change the subject. “Ten hours the first day,” said the Mock Turtle: “nine the next, and so on.” “What a curious plan!” exclaimed Alice. “That’s the reason they’re called lessons,” the gryphon remarked: “because they lessen from day to day.”

Example of a Pun in Hamlet

In the beginning of Shakespeare's play Hamlet , the main character Hamlet is upset at the death of his father and what he considered to be the too-hasty remarriage of his mother Gertrude to his uncle Claudius. In Act 1, Scene 2, Claudius asks Hamlet why he's so gloomy by using a metaphor of about "clouds" hanging on him:

CLAUDIUS How is it that the clouds still hang on you? HAMLET Not so, my lord. I am too much i' the sun.

Hamlet uses the phrase "in the sun" to deny that he's gloomy, directly refuting Claudius's use of "clouds." However, at the same time, Hamlet is making a homophonic pun on "sun"/"son" to refer to the fact that Hamlet is actually upset that Claudius's marriage to Gertrude has made Hamlet his step-son. This example shows a way that puns can operate in a way that is not merely humorous. Here Hamlet uses a pun to hint at a meaning he can't say outright. The pun allows him to land a punch at Claudius without even obviously throwing one.

Example of a Pun in George Carlin's Comedy

The comedian George Carlin could toss off the occasional excellent pun. For instance, he once described atheism like this:

Atheism is a non-prophet institution.

Here Carlin makes a homophonic pun on the words "profit" and "prophet" in order to play with the meaning of the common phrase "non-profit institution."

Example of a Pun in The Importance of Being Earnest

The title of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest is a triple pun: not only is it a homophonic pun on the name "Ernest" and the word "earnest," but it's also a homonymic pun (and an example of double entendre) because "earnest" was a Victorian slang word meaning "homosexual." The play itself is also full of puns. Here's one the character Algernon makes about his piano playing:

As far as the piano is concerned, sentiment is my forte.

This pun operates in a variety of ways. First, it uses the primary meaning of "forte" as strength, and so Algernon is dismissing his not very good technical skill by saying that his real strength lies in the feelings behind his playing. But the word "forte" also refers to a kind of marking in musical notation, and it also refers to the actual name of the instrument itself (pianos were originally called pianoforte ). So here Algernon is making a triple pun on a single word.

It's also worth thinking about the fact that there are so many puns in The Importance of Being Earnest . This is a play in which many of the characters are pretending to be people who they are not. All the puns, then, with their double and even triple meanings, thematically fits with the characters and their double lives.

Example of a Pun in Romeo and Juliet

This is another pun from a Shakespeare play, which is fitting because Shakespeare used a lot of puns in his plays. In this example from Romeo and Juliet , Mercutio (who is always playing with language in a way that makes him seem both hyper-smart and cynical—and on the verge of a nervous breakdown) puns homonymically on the word "grave" even as he knows he is about to die from a wound he has received from Tybalt. Referring to his wound, he says:

No, ’tis not so deep as a well nor so wide as a church-door, but ’tis enough, ’twill serve. Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man.

Here Tybalt plays with two meanings of "grave," implying that the next day he will be "serious" as well as literally in the grave. In this pun, he captures both how death will rob him of his wry humor and also how it will put him in the ground.

Why Do Writers Use Puns?

When most people think of puns, they think of groan-inducing jokes. But writers use puns for a variety of reasons:

• To make groan-inducing jokes: Of course, no one should ever deny that puns are perfect for making groan-inducing jokes.
• To create humor: The humor from puns can also be surprising and delightful. In other words, they can also create non-groan-inducing jokes.
• To create double entendres: The double meanings in most puns are very clear. But they don't have to be. A subtle pun can allow someone to communicate a hidden meaning only to those in the know, or to make a comment without definitively appearing to be saying that thing. Such double entendres might be illicit, sexual, or even political.

Other Helpful Pun Resources

• The Wikipedia entry on puns : Somewhat technical, but with coverage of the history of puns and how puns translate to visual mediums.
• Shakespeare puns ruined by modern English : An article that identifies puns that Shakespeare wrote but we don't notice because of changes in pronunciation over time.
• The 10 Best Puns of all time : At least according to this YouTube video.

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Pun - Definition, How to Use and Examples

Pun equals fun. Are you a person who likes to make a situation a little humorous? Do you enjoy cracking jokes and being the one who can make people laugh? Even if you are a person who just wants to have a good laugh, this article is for you. Learn how to form interesting and hilarious puns by exploring the meaning, definition and how puns can be formed and used. Also, go through the number of examples given in the article for a clearer idea and to have a good time. Learn and have fun in one go. Check out the topics given below.

Table of Contents

What is a pun – meaning and definition, examples of puns, some hilarious examples of puns from movies and tv shows, some common examples of puns from literature, frequently asked questions on puns.

A pun is a figure of speech that includes a play of words that have more than one meaning or those that sound alike. Among the figures of speech, pun can be said to be the most intriguing and amusing. All that one requires is a creative intellect and some wit to create humorous puns.

Now, take a look at how various dictionaries define the term ‘pun’. The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines ‘pun’ as “the clever or humorous use of a word that has more than one meaning, or of words that have different meanings but sound the same”, and according to the Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms, the term ‘pun’ is explained as “an expression that achieves emphasis or humour by contriving an ambiguity, two distinct meanings being suggested either by the same word or by two similar-sounding words.” The dictionary also mentions ‘paronomasia’ as an alternate term to refer to ‘pun’.

‘Pun’ is defined as “a humorous use of a word or phrase that has several meanings or that sounds like another word”, according to the Cambridge Dictionary, and “the usually humorous use of a word in such a way as to suggest two or more of its meanings or the meaning of another word similar in sound”, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

How to Form Unputdownable Puns? – Points to Remember

Forming puns can be an easy job if you know how to use words skillfully to create a humorous effect. Take a look at the following points to learn the different ways in which puns can be formed.

• Using homonyms can be the best and most effective way to form puns. Homonyms include homophones (words that have the same sound but different meanings and/or different spellings) and homographs (words that have the same spelling but different meanings and/or different pronunciation).
• The next thing that can help you with the formation of puns is the clever use of these words in a way that would make it look and sound humourous.
• In order to be able to do that, you should first decide what is the kind of meaning you want your audience to perceive.
• The sentence structure you employ is another important factor that will decide how creative and funny your puns can be.
• Punctuation can be one other factor that helps you with the construction of puns. A common example of this is,

I would like to thank my parents, Tiffany and God.

I would like to thank my parents, Tiffany, and God.

• Also, if you have a particular word that would produce the effect of a pun, you can use a dictionary to find rhyming words to complete the sentence and give the effect you intend to bring forth.

Now that you know how to make puns fun, try using punctuation marks, various sentence structures and homonyms to form interesting puns.

Having learnt what a pun is and how to form puns, going through a few examples can be your next step. Check out the number of examples given below, study how it is done and try writing some on your own.

Here are a few examples of puns from famous movies and television series for your reference.

The following example from the movie, ‘Winnie the Pooh’ plays with the words knot and not.

Rabbit : Good grief! Tie them together, Piglet! Can you tie a knot?

Piglet : I cannot.

Rabbit : Ah, so you CAN knot.

Piglet : No. I cannot knot.

King Candy, in the movie, ‘Wreck It Ralph’ is seen chased by Ralph in a scene. He puts on a pair of glasses and expects that Ralph would not hit a guy with glasses, but Ralph, on the other hand, used the glasses to hit him. The word ‘glasses’ here refers to a pair of spectacles.

King Candy: “You wouldn’t hit a guy with glasses, would you?

Oh…you hit a guy, with glasses. Well played.”

In the movie, ‘Zootopia’, when all the police officers of Zootopia(animals) gather in a room to discuss the affairs to be taken care of, Chief Bogo (the bull) enters the room saying that he has three items on the docket to be discussed. He starts the meeting saying, “First, we need to acknowledge the elephant in the room” and then after a short pause, says, “Francine” and then “Happy birthday!”

The moment Chief Bogo says this and utters the name, everyone turns to him in shock and the moment he wishes the elephant ‘Happy birthday’, everyone starts to cheer and wish her.

This is a wonderful example of pun as the phrase, ‘elephant in the room’ means a major problem or something that is controversial and for which any sort of discussion is normally avoided. The only thing to be noted here is that the usage of ‘elephant in the room’ is done in the literal sense and does not imply the phrasal meaning.

Zazu: “Well the buzz from the bees is that the leopards are in a bit of a spot. And the baboons are going ape over this. Of course, the giraffes are acting like they’re above it all… The tick birds are pecking on the elephants. I told the elephants to forget it, but they can’t. The cheetahs are hard up, but I always say, cheetahs never prosper.”

The above example is from the movie, ‘The Lion King’. Zazu, the red-billed hornbill is the royal advisor of the Pride Lands kingdom. In this scene, Zazu is seen giving the morning report to Mufasa, the Lion King. This dialogue by Zazu is a clever example of a pun. The word, ‘buzz’ is associated with the sound of bees and also means an activity that creates an atmosphere of activity or excitement. It also means gossip.

The next occurrence of pun is with the use of the word, ‘spot’. The phrase, ‘a bit of spot’ means to face a predicament or to be in a challenging situation. In addition to this, the word ‘spot’ can also refer to the spots on the leopard. Likewise, there are more occurrences of puns in the dialogue. Giraffes acting as if they are above it all and elephants not able to forget about the tick birds are examples of pun. The usage of the phrase, ‘above it all’ means that nothing affects them. It can also relate to the giraffe being taller than all the other animals. The elephants not being able to forget can relate to the literal meaning as well as to the fact that elephants have the largest brains among all land mammals and also a very good memory power.

If you are a person who watches English series, you should have definitely come across a lot of puns. One such example of the use of pun in the series, ‘F.R.I.E.N.D.S.’ is found in the scene when Chandler is speaking to Joey about settling down.

Chandler: “It’s time to settle down. Make a choice. Pick a lane.”

Joey: “Who’s Elaine?”

Let us also take a look at a few examples of pun from different works of literature. Check out the examples given below.

In Act III Scene 1 of ‘Romeo and Juliet’, William Shakespeare gives an example of a pun intended in the following lines.

Mercutio: “No, ’tis not so deep as a well nor so wide as a church-door, but ’tis enough, ’twill serve. Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man.”

The use of the word ‘grave’ helps give the effect as the word can either act as an adjective meaning serious and sober or as a noun meaning a tomb. However, here, Mercutio means to say that he would be dead and in the grave because of the wounds.

“‘Mine is a long and a sad tale!’ said the Mouse, turning to Alice, and sighing. ‘It is a long tail, certainly,’ said Alice, looking down with wonder at the Mouse’s tail; ‘but why do you call it sad?’ And she kept on puzzling about it while the Mouse was speaking.”

The above lines are from the novel, ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ by Lewis Carroll. The pun intended here is with the use of the homophone pair – ‘tale’ and ‘tail’.

Oscar Wilde’s play, “The Importance of Being Earnest’ has multiple occurrences of pun. The use of the word ‘earnest’ and the character’s name, ‘Ernest’ induces the effect of pun to a great extent. Jack, who is neither earnest nor Ernest, becomes both by the end of the play.

An example of the same is given below. Check it out and try to analyse the pun intended.

Jack: “I always told you, Gwendolen, my name was Ernest, didn’t I? Well, it is Ernest after all. I mean it naturally is Ernest.”

What is a pun?

A pun is a figure of speech that includes a play of words that have more than one meaning or those that sound alike.

What is the definition of pun?

The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines ‘pun’ as “the clever or humorous use of a word that has more than one meaning, or of words that have different meanings but sound the same”, and according to the Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms, the term ‘pun’ is explained as “an expression that achieves emphasis or humour by contriving an ambiguity, two distinct meanings being suggested either by the same word or by two similar-sounding words.”

Give some examples of pun.

Here are a few examples of pun for your reference.

• “First, we need to acknowledge the elephant in the room” (Zootopia)
• “I always told you, Gwendolen, my name was Ernest, didn’t I? Well, it is Ernest after all. I mean it naturally is Ernest.” (‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ by Oscar Wilde)
• “No, ’tis not so deep as a well nor so wide as a church-door, but ’tis enough, ’twill serve. Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man.” (‘Romeo and Juliet’ by William Shakespeare)
• “You wouldn’t hit a guy with glasses, would you?

Oh…you hit a guy, with glasses. Well played.” (Wreck It Ralph)

• “‘Mine is a long and a sad tale!’ said the Mouse, turning to Alice, and sighing. ‘It is a long tail, certainly,’ said Alice, looking down with wonder at the Mouse’s tail; ‘but why do you call it sad?’ And she kept on puzzling about it while the Mouse was speaking.” (‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ by Lewis Carroll)

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Table of Contents

Introduction, what are puns, types of puns, why do writers use puns, examples of puns from literature.

“Ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man.” From “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare

“‘Mine is a long and a sad tale!’ said the Mouse, turning to Alice, and sighing. ‘It is a long tail, certainly,’ said Alice, looking down with wonder at the Mouse’s tail; ‘but why do you call it sad?’ And she kept on puzzling about it while the Mouse was speaking.” From “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” by Lewis Carroll

“What a curious plan!” exclaimed Alice. “That’s the reason they’re called  lessons ,” the Gryphon remarked: “because they lessen from day to day.” From “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” by Lewis Carroll

“Now is the winter of our discontent Made glorious summer by this sun of York.” From “Richard III,” by William Shakespeare

“You can tune a guitar, but you can’t tuna fish. Unless, of course, you play bass.” Attributed to Douglas Adams , an English author, humorist, and screenwriter

Knock-Knock Joke And Puns

“Knock, knock.” “Who’s there?” “Lettuce.” “Lettuce who?” “Lettuce in, it’s cold out here!”

“Who’s there?” “Atch.” “Atch who?” “Bless you!”

“Who’s there?” “Tank.” “Tank who?” “You’re welcome!”

Literary Devices

Literary devices, terms, and elements, definition of pun, types of puns, difference between pun and joke, common examples of pun.

There are thousands of common puns in English; many languages have their own puns as well. Puns are quite frequent in every day language. You may have heard or used the following ones in regular conversations:

What Does “No Pun Intended” Mean?

The phrase “no pun intended” is quite common. People say this when they unintentionally say something that could be construed as a pun, but in fact they don’t mean to make light of the situation. Consider the following situations:

Significance of Pun in Literature

Examples of pun in literature.

HAMLET I will speak to this fellow.—Whose grave’s this, sirrah? GRAVEDIGGER Mine, sir. HAMLET I think it be thine, indeed, for thou liest in ’t. GRAVEDIGGER You lie out on ’t, sir, and therefore it is not yours. For my part, I do not lie in ’t, and yet it is mine. HAMLET Thou dost lie in ’t, to be in ’t and say it is thine. ‘Tis for the dead, not for the quick. Therefore thou liest. GRAVEDIGGER ‘Tis a quick lie, sir. ‘Twill away gain from me to you.

CECILY: You must not laugh at me, darling, but it had always been a girlish dream of mine to love some one whose name was Ernest. [ALGERNON rises, CECILY also.] There is something in that name that seems to inspire absolute confidence. I pity any poor married woman whose husband is not called Ernest.

( The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde)

Oscar Wilde used many examples of puns in his works, though he was also once quoted as having said, “Puns are the lowest form of humor.” His entire play The Importance of Being Earnest hinges on a homophonic pun. “Earnest” functions both as a name and as a quality. The quote from Cecily perfectly sums up the dual meanings. Cecily says she wants to marry a man named “Ernest” because its homonym, “earnest,” inspires confidence. Cecily mistakenly believes that the character of Algernon is named “Ernest,” which is one of the primary reasons that she loves and wants to marry him.

[Alice:] ‘You see the earth takes twenty-four hours to turn round on its axis–‘ ‘Talking of axes,’ said the Duchess, ‘chop off her head!’

Test Your Knowledge of Pun

A. Recursive B. Homonymic C. Compound [spoiler title=”Answer to Question #2″] Answer: B is the correct answer. This pun hinges on the two meanings of “ear.”[/spoiler]

ROMEO: Not I, believe me. You have dancing shoes With nimble soles. I have a soul of lead So stakes me to the ground I cannot move.

ROMEO: But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.

JULIET: O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name, Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.

[spoiler title=”Answer to Question #3″]Answer: A is the correct answer. Romeo uses a homophonic pun on the repetition of the word “sole” and “soul,” comparing the two terms as though they were synonymous.[/spoiler]

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• Knowledge Base
• What Is a Pun? | Definition, Examples & Types

What Is a Pun? | Definition, Examples & Types

Published on May 26, 2024 by Magedah Shabo .

A pun is a form of wordplay that uses terms with similar or identical sounds or spellings for humorous effect. Puns can also underscore irony, contribute to character development, or highlight absurdity.

I told a chemistry joke, but there was no reaction .

Puns are a common form of wordplay in comedy, literature, film, and everyday life.

Table of contents

What is a pun, 4 types of puns, pun examples, frequently asked questions about puns.

A pun is a type of wordplay that exploits words with multiple definitions or similar sounds to create humor or suggest various layers of interpretation.

Puns often involve polysemy : the phenomenon where a single word has more than one meaning (e.g., “bank,” “light,” “bat”). However, puns can also involve homophones , words with similar or identical sounds that are spelled differently (e.g., “pair” and “pear”).

In linguistics, relevance theory explains how communication often involves interpreting words beyond their literal meanings to grasp implied or secondary meanings. Puns are a prime illustration, as they require understanding multiple meanings of the same words for humorous or rhetorical effect.

Puns are sometimes seen as a low form of humor, so they are often accompanied by an apology (e.g., “if you’ll excuse the pun”) or an ironic claim that the pun is unintentional (e.g., “no pun intended”). Particularly cliché or predictable puns are often referred to as “dad jokes” or “groaners” (e.g., “I’m on a seafood diet; I see food and I eat it”).

Puns are closely related to several other rhetorical concepts:

• Wordplay : A broad term encompassing various clever or amusing uses of words (e.g., puns , alliteration, anagrams)
• Paronomasia : A device that exploits phonetic similarities between words, sometimes (but not always) resulting in puns
• Double entendre (French for “double meaning”): A term typically reserved for a pun that carries a risqué or suggestive connotation

There are four main types of puns:

Homographic pun

Homonymic pun, homophonic pun, compound pun.

Homographic puns are based on homographs: words with identical spellings but different meanings—and often different pronunciations. “Homograph” is derived from the Greek for “same write.”

The word “wind” (to twist) is a homograph of the word “wind” (moving air). Homographic puns are typically presented in written form if they involve words with different pronunciations.

Homonymic puns use homonyms: different words that are identical in both spelling and sound. “Homonym” is derived from the Greek for “same name.”

The words “bark” (the sound a dog makes) and “bark” (the outer covering of a tree) are homonyms.

Homophonic puns rely on homophones: words that sound the same but have different meanings—and typically different spellings. “Homophone” is derived from the Greek for “same sound.”

The words “peace” and “piece” are homophones.

Compound puns are a form of wordplay that incorporates multiple puns. A compound pun can include any combination of homophonic puns, homographic puns, and homonymic puns. The inclusion of multiple puns can enhance a joke’s complexity and humor.

Puns are ubiquitous in Shakespeare’s plays, often appearing even in tragic contexts to serve as comedic relief. Shakespeare’s use of wordplay often engages the audience both cognitively and emotionally.

Lewis Carroll is another author whose writing is known for its rich and entertaining wordplay, including puns . Carroll’s use of wordplay typically highlights the absurdity of a scene for entertainment purposes and sometimes for satirical effect.

“It is a long tail, certainly,” said Alice, looking down with wonder at the Mouse’s tail ; “but why do you call it sad?”

Puns are used in pop culture mediums such as sitcoms, movies, and cartoons, often to portray a character’s naivety in a humorous or endearing manner. In many contexts, puns employ situational irony, with the humor arising from a discrepancy between the speaker’s understanding and the audience’s interpretation, typically making the speaker the butt of the joke.

Cartman: I’m not a miner , [expletive]. Do you see a shovel in my hand?

Puns are used in jokes because people often find it gratifying to decipher a surprise double meaning. Below are some examples of pun jokes.

My boss asked if I’m good with PowerPoint. I said I Excel at it.

Want to hear a construction joke? Sorry, I’m still working on it .

What do you call a bear with no teeth? A gummy bear.

Puns and double entendres both involve double meanings, but there is a key difference:

• A pun is any play on words that involves multiple meanings of the same word or phrase.
• A double entendre is a specific type of pun that has a slightly indecent (typically sexual) connotation.

Malapropisms and puns are similar, but they have key differences:

• Malapropisms are usually unintentional on the part of the speaker or character. They typically don’t aim to highlight double meanings.
• Puns are typically used deliberately. They rely on multiple meanings of the same word (or similar-sounding words) to achieve a double entendre .

“ No pun intended ” is a common expression used to highlight a pun while ostensibly claiming that the pun was unintentional. This phrase is often used humorously to call attention to a pun that the speaker recognizes is cliché and likely to elicit a groan. However, in some cases the phrase is used sincerely, indicating that the speaker did not notice the pun until after it was spoken.

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Pun: Definition and Examples of Pun in Speech and Literature

When listening to an English conversation, you are very likely to come across the use of a pun at one time or another. This is also the case with written text in the English language. The pun is a common form of figure of speech , but what is it used for and how can it be integrated into our daily conversations? In this article, we will be looking at what a pun is and how it is used as well as looking at some examples of puns in everyday speech and within literature.

Pun Definition

A pun is usually described as a play on words. It is a clever, witty form of figurative language which uses the words within a sentence to convey another meaning. The pun is often used in the form of a joke where words can have more than one meaning or words can sound like they mean something else.

Pun’s are often used in day to day conversation in order to add a sort of complex humour to a statement or situation. They are also used as a literary device, in this case they are also used for a humorous effect but can also be used in order to encourage the reader to think differently about the situation at hand.

Pun Examples

Examples of pun in spoken language.

The pun is something which can be heard often within day to day conversation in the English language. We are now going to take a look at some examples of common puns which are likely to be heard in a spoken context.

• Why is John Milton a bad game rival? Because when he is there, there is a pair of dice lost. (Paradise lost.) Paradise lost is a famous work written by John Milton.
• The helpers of Santa are known as subordinate clauses.
• A boiled egg for lunch is hard to beat.
• She had a photographic memory but she didn’t develop it.
• The two pianists who got married were well suited since they were always in a chord.
• I didn’t understand how lightening worked, but all of a sudden, it struck me.
• The grammar lover had a lot of comma sense.
• What is the favourite car of a chicken? A coupe.
• I go to the dentist so often that I really know the drill.
• The chicken who crossed the road is poultry in motion.
• How do they party on a construction site? They raise the roof.
• Returning new clothes is like post traumatic dress syndrome.
• Why can’t the bike stand alone? Because it is two tired.
• My dog wears his coat in the winter but in the summer he wears a coat and pants.
• What happened to the skunk who fell in the ocean? He stank to the bottom.
• Fish are smart because they live in a school.
• The stock clerk was taking up all the space, he was being shelfish.
• What type of clothes does a cloud have? Thunderwear.
• I do like children, but I don’t think I could eat an entire one.
• What an emotional wedding, the cake was even in tiers.

Examples of Pun as A Literary Device

As we mentioned previously, the pun is often used within literature in order to add humour or a new way of thinking for the reader. We are now going to take a look at some examples of when puns have been used in a literary sense.

• Comedian George Carlin wrote the pun into his routine which reads ‘ atheism is a non prophet organisation .’
• In the Holy Bible we can see many examples of pun, one example of this is a line spoken by Jesus Christ which says ‘ I will build my church on this rock ‘ He was referring to his disciple Peter, as the rock.
• Another example of a pun from the Holy Bible can be found in the book of Judges, this reads ‘ the rode thirty burros and lived in thirty boroughs .’
• William Shakespeare was famous for regularly using puns in his work, one example of this is in the play Two gentlemen of Verona where he confuses the use of the words tide and tied. ‘ You will lose the tide if you wait any more .’ ‘It does not matter if the tied is lost for it is the most unkind tied that any man ever tied.’
• In the book, Ulysses, written by James Joyce, we can see an example of pun in the lines ‘ If you see Kay, tell him that he may, see you in tea, tell him from me .’ In this case, the words also sound like letters which spell out a profanity .
• In the poem ‘With a book’ written by Ambrose Bierce, the writer creates a pun surrounding the name of Robert Browning in which he says ‘ there is nothing more strange than a Browning, except a Blackling .’
• In the adventures of Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll, the use of the words tail and tale are confused in order to create a pun, the line reads ‘ “ it is a long and sad tale that I have .” said the mouse, looking at Alice and sighing. “ it certainly is a long tail .” said Alice, looking at the tail of the mouse. “ but why do you say it is sad ?” ‘
• In the play ‘The importance of being Earnest’ we see an example of a pun which uses the word Earnest to mean a name and also an adjective meaning sincere. The line reads ‘ I have finally realised, for the very first time, the very importance of being Earnest .’

By looking deeper into the meaning of pun and how it can be used, we have discovered that a pun is a play on words in which the words within a statement are used for humorous effect. This type of figure of speech can be used in both a spoken conversation and within written works such as poetry, fiction and scripts. When a pun is used in literature it can often encourage the reader to think about the sentence in a new light.

Pun Infographic

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• Literary Terms
• Definition & Examples
• When & How to Write a Pun

I. What is a Pun?

A pun is a joke based on the interplay of homophones — words with the same pronunciation but different meanings. It can also play with words that sound similar , but not exactly the same. The joke’s humor (if any) comes from the confusion of the two meanings.

II. Examples of Puns

The tallest building in town is the library — it has thousands of stories!

A pun on the difference between stories in books and stories (floors) in a building.

I can’t remember which state my wife wanted to visit for our next vacation — it’s OK, Alaska.

Read the joke out loud: “Alaska” sounds like “I’ll ask her.”

Why do amphibians take the bus? Because their cars are always getting toad.

“Toad” vs. “towed”

I dropped an electron somewhere! -Are you sure!  -Yes, I’m positive!

A slightly brainier sort of pun. Losing an electron (a negatively charged particle) would turn a neutral atom into a positively charged one. The pun works on the difference between a positive charge and being “positive,” or certain.

III. The Importance of Puns

The point of a pun is to make the reader laugh. It tends to be a pretty heavy-handed form of comedy (not at all subtle or dry), so puns create a “jokey” tone for your writing. This is great for some kinds of writing, especially if you’re writing a creative piece and you want one of the characters to come in as silly comic relief. However, it’s not the right tone for formal essays .

Why are puns funny? Why do we laugh when we hear words used in odd or unfamiliar ways? Nobody knows for sure, but the problem has been studied by scientists: in 2011, a group of neuroscientists published a study on why people laugh (or groan) at puns. Although the precise source of the comedy is still unknown, the scientists discovered that puns activate a different part of the brain from other jokes — specifically, puns activate a “puzzle-solving” brain region before they activate the regions associated with general humor.

One popular theory of comedy is that it is a response to the alleviation of micro-discomfort — that is, something makes us just a tiny bit uncomfortable, and when that discomfort passes we laugh out of relief. So, it might be that a pun causes just a tiny amount of confusion, forcing the brain to activate its puzzle-solving mechanisms. This confusion, though very easily resolved, still causes a brief moment of micro-discomfort. As soon as the brain works out the puzzle, the discomfort is relieved and we laugh.

Of course, many puns are not as funny as the joker expects, and so people groan with annoyance rather than laughing. This may be a result of the joke being too “obvious,” and thus failing to create the micro-discomfort that leads to laughter.

IV. Examples of Puns in Literature

Shakespeare was a huge fan of the pun. Even his tragic plays, like Romeo and Juliet , are packed with wordplay and puns, some of them very raunchy even by modern standards. Shakespeare loved to use similar-sounding words to make dirty puns – to find them, keep an eye out for his use of words like “clock,” “shift,” and “country.”

Oscar Wilde was also famous for his love of puns. One of his most famous plays is called The Importance of Being Earnest , and much of the comedy surrounds several characters all pretending to be someone named Ernest. Of course, in pretending to be Ernest they are not being earnest.

V. Examples of Puns in Pop Culture

Comic strips use puns all the time as the source of their comedy. For example, an early Calvin & Hobbes comic begins with Calvin asking Hobbes if he wants to see an antelope. But instead of an actual antelope, Calvin is talking about an eloping ant (“do you want to see an ant elope?”). “See?” says Calvin, “She’s climbing down the ladder to her boyfriend’s car.

Episodes of CSI: Miami frequently open with Detective Caruso making a pun about the case at hand. For example, in one episode the murder victim is an ex-Marine who has died from electrocution. Caruso quips, “I guess he’s been… discharged .”

In action movies, there’s a popular trope that screenwriters call the “post-kill pun.” Made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1980s and 90s, this is a pun that the hero says right after killing one of his enemies. For example, in The Last Action Hero , Schwarzenegger’s character assassinates an enemy by blowing him up in an ice cream truck. Schwarzenegger quips, “I just iced him…to cone a phrase.” The trope was so widely used in this era that it’s become a cliché, and many movies parody classic action films by having the hero deliver a terrible pun at climactic moments in the action.

VI. Related Terms

“Wordplay” is largely synonymous with “pun.” However, it can also refer to a double entendre when the purpose of the double entendre is to be humorous or playful. Wordplay can also cover word games such as “GHOST” and other games popular with children on long car trips.

• Double Entendre

“Double Entendre” means “double intention” or “double meaning,” and it refers to any use of a word’s multiple meanings. This can be done for the sake of comedy, sexual innuendo, deliberate misunderstanding, or any other purpose.

For example, a famous short story by Damon Knight begins with a group of aliens coming to Earth with a book called “To Serve Man.” Everyone is excited that the aliens want to serve them, thinking this means to perform services . But actually, the book turns out to be a cook book – the aliens’ plan is to serve man for dinner!

Although there is some overlap between “double entendre” and “pun,” they usually refer to a different kind of wordplay: a pun usually draws on homophones and similar-sounding words; a double entendre usually draws on a single word with many possible meanings. In addition, a pun is always a joke, whereas a double entendre can be used for many purposes besides comedy.

List of Terms

• Alliteration
• Amplification
• Anachronism
• Anthropomorphism
• Antonomasia
• APA Citation
• Aposiopesis
• Autobiography
• Bildungsroman
• Characterization
• Circumlocution
• Cliffhanger
• Comic Relief
• Connotation
• Deus ex machina
• Deuteragonist
• Doppelganger
• Dramatic irony
• Equivocation
• Extended Metaphor
• Figures of Speech
• Flash-forward
• Foreshadowing
• Intertextuality
• Juxtaposition
• Literary Device
• Malapropism
• Onomatopoeia
• Parallelism
• Pathetic Fallacy
• Personification
• Point of View
• Polysyndeton
• Protagonist
• Red Herring
• Rhetorical Device
• Rhetorical Question
• Science Fiction
• Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
• Synesthesia
• Turning Point
• Understatement
• Urban Legend
• Verisimilitude
• Essay Guide
• Cite This Website

Pun Definition A pun is a play on words that produces a humorous impact through using a word that suggests or greater meanings, or by using exploiting similar sounding phrases that have extraordinary meanings. Humorous effects created by puns rely on the ambiguities the words entail. These ambiguities arise typically in homophones and homonyms. For instance, inside the sentence, “A glad existence depends on a liver,” the word liver can talk to the physical organ, or simply a person who lives. Similarly, within the saying “Atheism is a non-prophet institution,” the word “prophet” is used instead of “profit” to produce a humorous impact. Common Pun Examples In regular existence, pun examples are found deliberately or accidentally, utilized in jokes and witty remarks. The existence of a affected person of high blood pressure is constantly at steak. Why do we nevertheless have troops in Germany? To hold the Russians in Czech. A horse is a totally stable Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana. An elephant’s opinion carries plenty of weight. What is the difference among a conductor and a teacher? The conductor minds the trainand a trainer trains the mind. Examples of Pun in Literature In literature, puns have been used by using famous writers in the course of history. Example #1: William Shakespeare In building puns, William Shakespeare became a grasp craftsman. We locate many examples of puns in his plays. Let us have a look at a number of them: “It is the unkindest tied that ever any man tied.” (Richard III) “Now is the wintry weather of our discontent … made wonderful summer by this sun of York.” (Richard III) “Not I, trust me. You have dancing shoes with nimble soles; I even have a soul of lead” (Romeo and Juliet) Claudius: “… But now, my cousin Hamlet, and my son…” Hamlet: [aside] “A little extra than kin, and less than kind.” (Hamlet) Example #2: A Hymn to God the Father (By John Donne) John Donne’s A Hymn to God the Father has several examples of pun. “When Thou hast done, Thou hast now not finished for I actually have greater. That at my death Thy Son / Shall shine as he shines now, and heretofore And having done that, Thou hast achieved; I fear no extra.” He is playing together with his call Donne, and with the name of his spouse Anne More. Besides, he uses Son, regarding the Christ, as opposed to the solar. Example #3: The Importance of being Earnest (By Oscar Wilde) Oscar Wilde employs puns in his play The Importance of being Earnest. Jack Earnest tells Aunt Augusta, in Act III: “On the contrary, Aunt Augusta, I’ve now realised for the first time in my life the crucial Importance of Being Earnest.” Similarly, in Act III we see Jack puns his own family name again: “I usually told you, Gwendolen, my name changed into Ernest, didn’t I? Well, it's miles Ernest after all. I suggest it certainly is Ernest.” Here Jack discovers his father’s call, which makes him virtually earnest. Example #4: Great Expectations (By Charles Dickens) Charles Dickens plays round with words in his novel Great Expectations. In his beginning chapter, Pip says: “They appeared to suppose the possibility lost, if they failed to factor the verbal exchange to me, each now and then, and stick the factor into me” Note the pun in the use of the phrase “point.” We see another exciting instance in Chapter 2: “Tickler become a wax-ended piece of cane, worn clean by using collision with my tickled frame.” The creator puns the phrase “tickle”. Example #5: Lolita (By Vladimir Nabokov) We notice a completely unique use of multilingual puns in Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita. For instance, the call of the person Humbert is a pun in two languages. In French it means “Shadow,” and in Spanish it means “guy.” Similarly, Lolita changing her call to “Dolores,” which means “pain” in Latin, and her nickname “Dolly” refers to a toy in English. Function of Pun Apart from being witty and humorous, puns add profound meanings to texts, and form the way wherein the text is interpreted by means of the readers. By playing with the phrases, the writers reveal their cleverness and the cleverness in their characters. Besides, puns in a literary works act as a supply of comic relief, or an intentional attempt on the part of the author, to reveal his or her creative capacity in using language.

• Alliteration
• Anachronism
• Antimetabole
• Aposiopesis
• Characterization
• Colloquialism
• Connotation
• Deus Ex Machina
• Didacticism
• Doppelganger
• Double Entendre
• Flash Forward
• Foreshadowing
• Internal Rhyme
• Juxtaposition
• Non Sequitur
• Onomatopoeia
• Parallelism
• Pathetic Fallacy
• Personification
• Poetic Justice
• Point of View
• Portmanteau
• Protagonist
• Red Herring
• Superlative
• Synesthesia
• Tragicomedy
• Tragic Flaw
• Verisimilitude

A pun is a literary device that’s defined as a play on words.

Writers twist words and combine them in interesting ways in order to make puns. Puns depend on similar or identical sounds with different meanings or a double meaning. It’s critical that the words used in puns have different meanings in order to get the writer’s point across in an interesting way.  

Explore Pun

• 1 Pun Definition and Explanation
• 2 Common Pun Examples
• 3 Pun Examples in Literature 
• 4 A Pun or a Joke?
• 5 Why Do Writers Use Puns? 
• 6 What is a Double Entendre?
• 8 Related Literary Terms 
• 9 Other Resources 

Pun   Definition and Explanation

While most puns are humorous and are meant to make someone laugh, or at least roll their eyes, some can be used more seriously. Many puns use what is known as a homophone , or one word that sounds like another but has a different, sometimes related meaning. Writers who use puns want readers to think about their texts differently. They allow someone to reconsider the meaning of the word as they initially read it and look at it through another lens.  

There are two different types of puns: homophonic puns and homographic puns. The latter depends on words that look the same while the former depends on words that sound the same.

Common Pun Examples

• Some bunny loves you.  
• This vacuum sucks.  
• The wedding cake had me in tiers.
• The population of Ireland is always Dublin.  
• Make like a tree and leave.  

Pun Examples in Literature  

Romeo and juliet by william shakespeare  .

Shakespeare is well-known for his puns. In Romeo and Juliet , perhaps his best-known tragedy , he uses a pun while the characters Mercutio and Romeo are talking about wounds and the former’s death. Here are a few of Mercutio’s lines:  

  No, ’tis not so deep as a well nor so wide as a church-door, but ’tis enough, ’twill serve. Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man. I am peppered, I warrant, for this world. A plague o’ both your houses! Zounds, a dog, a rat, a mouse, a cat to scratch a man to death!

There is a very interesting line approximately halfway through this passage. It reads: “Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man.” With this line, Shakespeare is playing on the two meanings of the word “grave.” It is tragic and ironic in these circumstances. Mercutio has been stabbed by Tybalt and as he’s dying, he refers to him as a “grave man,” or someone who is soon going to end up in his grave. He is both serious and solemn, (the meaning of “grave” when it is used as an adjective) and nearing death and his final resting place (with “grave” being used as a noun).  

There is another good example in Romeo and Juliet in Act I Scene 4. Romeo says the following line to Mercutio:  

Give me a torch. I am not for this ambling. Being but heavy, I will bear the light.

He’s saying to his friend that he doesn’t feel like dancing, he’ll instead carry the light. He’s feeling “heavy,” or sad, rather than “light” or happy.

Read the poetry of William Shakespeare and Shakespeare’s best plays .

Two Gentlemen in Verona by William Shakespeare  

There are several good examples of puns in Two Gentlemen in Verona. In one specific passage, he has two characters, Launce and Panthino, play with the meanings of “tide” and “tied.” Here is an excerpt:  

Panthino Away, ass! You’ll lose the tide if you tarry any longer. Launce It is no matter if the tied were lost; for it is the unkindest tied that ever any man tied. Panthino What’s the unkindest tide? Launce Why, he that’s tied here, Crab, my dog.”

Readers should seek out all the examples of “tied” and “tide” in these short lines and determine which word the speaker was using, how they used it, and how the other character interpreted it. One of the funniest things a pun can do is cause confusion.  

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

In Lewis Carroll’s best-known novel , he uses a pun in a passage about “tales” and “tails.” Here are a few lines:  

‘Mine is a long and a sad tale!’ said the Mouse, turning to Alice, and sighing. ‘It is a long tail, certainly,’ said Alice, looking down with wonder at the Mouse’s tail; ‘but why do you call it sad?’ And she kept on puzzling about it while the Mouse was speaking.

In these lines, he uses “tale” and “tail” in different ways as the Mouse describes a story and its own “tail.”  

Read more works and poetry by Lewis Caroll .

A Pun or a Joke?

Sometimes it can be difficult to tell the difference between a pun and a joke. The latter are narrative in nature and have structures that are meant to make people laugh. Jokes have a setup and a punchline that relieves the tension created in the narrative. Puns the other hand depend on wordplay and are a figure of speech .

Despite their differences, puns and jokes are both forms of humor and require a quick mind and clever thinking to devise.

Why Do Writers Use Puns?  

Writers use puns in order to create clever, interesting, and entertaining turns of phrases. These passages, such as those mentioned above, should entertain the reader while challenging them to think about the words in a different way. The examples from Romeo and Juliet are more serious, while the example from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is more comedic. The confusion created by using puns such as in Alice is the most common way the literary device is used. Readers should expect most puns to be funny.  

What is a Double Entendre?

A double entendre is a literary device, phrase, and/or figure of speech that has multiple meanings or interpretations. they are statements that can be understood in different ways and are created for the explicit purpose of having two meanings. Often, the secondary meaning is sexual in nature.

A pun is an intentional rearrangement or selection of words in order to create humor . For example, saying “This vacuum sucks” “Some bunny loves you.”

People use puns in order to create humor and make one character, or the writer themselves, seem clever. Often, the puns are simple and can be defined as slapstick.

A pun example can be seen in Lewis Carrol’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland when he uses “tail” and “tale.” Other examples include the phrases “Make like a tree and leave” and “The population in Ireland is always Dublin.”

Related Literary Terms  

• Aphorism: short, serious, humorous, and philosophical truths about life.
• Black Humor : a literary device that’s used in all forms of literature in order to discuss taboo subjects in a less distressing way.
• Comedy: a humorous and entertaining genre of literature, film, and television.
• Satire/Satirical Comedy: used to analyze behaviors to make fun of, criticize, or chastise them in a humorous way.

Other Resources  

• Read: 101 Best Puns in the World
• Read: 65 Bad Puns
• Watch: How to Pun Like the Masters

Home » Literary Device » Pun

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Baldwin, Emma. "Pun". Poem Analysis , https://poemanalysis.com/literary-device/pun/ . Accessed 16 September 2024.

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Pun: Definition and Examples in English

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• An Introduction to Punctuation
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

A pun is a  play on words , either on different senses of the same word or on the similar sense or sound of different words. Known in rhetoric as paronomasia .

Puns are figures of speech based on the inherent ambiguities of language . Although puns are commonly regarded as a childish form of humor, they are often found in advertisements and newspaper headlines. Poet Louis Untermeyer said that punning is like poetry: "something every person belittles and every person attempts."

A person who is fond of making puns is called a punster . (The punster, it has been said, is a person who enjoys hearing his friends groan.)

Examples and Observations

• "To pun is to treat homonyms as synonyms ." (Walter Redfern, Puns: More Senses Than One . John Wiley & Sons, 1986)
• I would like to go to Holland someday. Wooden shoe?
• "There was a man who entered a pun contest. He sent in ten different puns, in the hope that at least one of the puns would win. Unfortunately, no pun in ten did." (Brian Becker et al., A Prairie Home Companion Pretty Good Joke Book , 3rd ed. HighBridge, 2003)
• "When it rains, it pours." (slogan of Morton Salt since 1911)
• "When it pours, it reigns." (slogan of Michelin tires)
• Kings worry about a receding heir line.
• "What food these morsels be!" (slogan of Heinz pickles, 1938)
• "American Home has an edifice complex." (slogan of American Home magazine)
• "Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight" (Dylan Thomas, "Do not go gentle into that good night")
• "Look deep into our ryes." (slogan of Wigler's Bakery)
• "Hanging is too good for a man who makes puns ; he should be drawn and quoted ." (Fred Allen)
• "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana." (Groucho Marx)
• "I saw a documentary on how ships are kept together. Riveting!" (Canadian comedian Stewart Francis, quoted by Mark Brown in "Edinburgh Fringe's 10 Funniest Jokes Revealed." The Guardian , August 20, 2012)
• A vulture boards a plane, carrying two dead possums. The attendant looks at him and says, "I'm sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger."
• Boo's (name of a liquor store)

Writers on Puns

• " Punning is an art of harmonious jingling upon words, which, passing in at the ears, and falling upon the diaphragm, excites a titillary motion in those parts; and this, being conveyed by the animal spirits into the muscles of the face, raises the cockles of the heart." (Jonathan Swift, "The Physical Definition of Punning According to Cardan")
• "A pun is not bound by the laws which limit nicer wit. It is a pistol let off at the ear; not a feather to tickle the intellect." (Charles Lamb, "That the Worst Puns are the Best")
• "'Sir, no man ever condemned a good pun who was able to make one.' I know not a more aggrieved and unjustly proscribed character in the present day than the poor painstaking punster. He is the Paria of the dining-table; it is the fashion to run him down: and as every dull ass thinks that he may have a kick at the prostrate witling, may I be condemned to pass a whole week without punning (a fearful adjuration!) if I do not show that the greatest sages, poets, and philosophers of all ages, have been enrolled upon this proscribed list!" (Horace Smith, "On Puns and Punsters." Gaieties and Gravities , 1826)
• "People who make puns are like wanton boys that put coppers on the railroad tracks. They amuse themselves and other children, but their little trick may upset a freight train of conversation for the sake of a battered witticism." (Oliver Wendell Holmes, The Autocrat the Breakfast-Table , 1858)
• Sookie Stackhouse: So I've been listening in on people's thoughts, hoping I might hear something to clear him and apparently there's this vampire bar where Maudette and Dawn used to hang out at in Shreveport. You know it? Bill Compton: Fangtasia. Sookie Stackhouse: Fang -tasia? Bill Compton: You have to remember that most vampires are very old. Puns used to be the highest form of humor. (Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer in "Escape from Dragon House." True Blood , 2008)

Obscene Puns

• "All obscene puns have the same underlying construction in that they consist of two elements. The first element sets the stage for the pun by offering seemingly harmless material, such as the title of a book, The Tiger's Revenge . But the second element either is obscene in itself or renders the first element obscene as in the name of the author of The Tiger's Revenge --Claude Bawls." (Peter Farb, Word Play , 1974)

The Instability of Language

• "Forgetting what we know can often be hard. Entirely apart from the intrinsic challenge of willfully forgetting or ignoring what we think we know, the insights we gain from that can also be unsettling or destabilizing. Puns , by revealing the inherent instability of language, work in much the same way. In one sense they are a tacit acknowledgment of rules because you have to know a rule if you're going to cleverly break it. But at the same time, by scrambling the relationship between sound, symbol , and meaning , puns reveal that the words we use to define the world around us are ultimately just arbitrary signs ." (John Pollack, The Pun Also Rises . Gotham Books, 2011)

The Equivoque—A Special Type of Pun

• "A special type of pun , known as the equivoque , is the use of a single word or phrase which has two disparate meanings, in a context which makes both meanings equally relevant. An example is the phrase 'come to dust' in a song from Shakespeare's Cymbeline : 'Golden lads and girls all must, / As chimney-sweepers, come to dust.'" (M.H. Abrams and Geoffrey Galt Harpham, A Glossary of Literary Terms , 8th ed. Wadsworth, 2005)

Punning and Paronomasia in Films

"Where the figurative meaning of a word is confronted by its literal image, the pun is rather more filmic. . . . As we see the police raising a car from the Thames, the voice of a radio commentator expresses the confident opinion that the thieves who stole the gold bricks 'would find their loot too hot to handle.' Two of them are now seen with tongs, lifting a glowing retort out of a furnace and pouring gold into molds of the Eiffel Tower. There are several such puns in The Lavender Hill Mob (Charles Crichton)." (N. Roy Clifton, The Figure in Film . Associated University Presses, 1983)

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Pun Figure of Speech (Examples & History)

Pun Figure of Speech

The Greek term is paronomasia; other names are calembour, clinch, quibble and carwitchet. One of the earliest types of wordplay, the pun is wide-spread in many literatures and give rise to a fairly universal form of humour.

Pun Examples in Literature

1 – “Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man”.

Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

Here ‘Son’ means both Christ and ‘the sun’, and the word ‘done’ is a pun on the poet’s name.

3-   A pun form known as asteismus involves a reply to earlier words used in a different sense. This example occurs in Cymbeline (II, i):

LORD :        To have smell’d like a fool.

4-   In Act III of “ Othello” by Shakespeare , the conversation between Desdemona and clown is best example of Pun:

DESDEMONA. Do you know, sirrah, where Lieutenant Cassio lies?

CLOWN. I dare not say he lies anywhere.

Here the Clown plays on the double meaning of the word lies. Desdemona means ‘where does Cassio sleep’ (as in ‘lie down’). The Clown knows this, but toys with Desdemona by deliberately mishearing her. When he says ‘to say a soldier lies, ’tis stabbing,’ he means that to say a soldier tells lies is insulting to his honor.

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Pun Figure of Speech: What is Pun with Several Examples

Do you want to add some humorous tone to your writings? Well, if yes then you can use puns in your writing. Different writers use puns to add a humorous tone to their work. Are you confused about what a pun actually is? Well, here in this article, you will find ‘Pun Figure of Speech’ meaning with some examples.

‘Pun’ Figure of Speech?

A pun is a figure of speech that plays with the words to have multiple meanings. The words are arranged in such a way to create a humorous or rhetorical effect. The pun is also known as paronomasia. That is derived from the Greek word ‘paronimazein’ that means a change in name.

Importance of Pun

The point of this is to add a humorous tone to the writing. Sometimes the plot may get heavy-handed and this is where pun can create a humorous tone in your writing.

We find them interesting as it activates the puzzle-solving ability of the brain and then general humour. The puns are a little confusing and require little attention from us. When we solve it, we laugh. Doing this is not the right tone for formal essays but surely to try in creative pieces.

Moreover, the use of pens is not recent but in ancient Sumerian and Egyptian literature, you can find the systems of punning.

Types of Puns: Figure of Speech:

There are three main types :

• Homographic

Homographic Puns : This type plays with words that have different meanings and pronunciations, but similar spellings.

Homophonic Puns : this type plays with words with a similar sound but different spellings.

Homonymic Puns : this type has the same sound and spellings but different meanings.

Also Read: Modern English Words Used in Conversation: Let’s Learn Effective English Speaking Ethics!

Other Types of Puns:

Compound Puns: This type has more than one pun in the same sentence.

Recursive Pun: This pun is a two-part pun. One has to understand the first part to understand the other one.

Visual Pun: This includes imagery, graphics and logos.

Also Read: What is the Personification Figure of Speech? Let’s Learn English Grammar to Communicate Better

Some Puns Examples:

• A boiled egg is hard to beat.
• The grammar book has a lot of comma sense.
• Leopards cannot hide in the jungle as they are always spotted.
• That was an emotional wedding, even the cake was in tiers.
• The opinion of elephants is important, why? Because his opinions are heavyweight.
• A bicycle can never run because it is two tired.
• Never write with a broken pencil because it is pointless.
• What would you call a sleeping bull? Bulldozer
• Never pamper your cow because it will give spoiled milk.
• It is raining cats and dogs out, don’t step on the poodle.
• Cats are a wonderful species because they are purr-sonalities.
• Fishes are the most educated animals because they live in schools.

Puns Figure of Speech Examples in Literature

1. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland:

“And how many hours a day did you do lessons?” asked Alice, in a hurry to change the subject. “Ten hours the first day,” said the Mock Turtle: “nine the next, and so on.” “What a curious plan!” exclaimed Alice. “That’s the reason they’re called lessons,” the gryphon remarked: “because they lessen from day to day.”

2. Shakespeare’s Hamlet:

CLAUDIUS How is it that the clouds still hang on you? HAMLET Not so, my lord. I am too much i’ the sun.

3. Romeo and Juliet:

No, ’tis not so deep as a well nor so wide as a church-door, but ’tis enough, ’twill serve. Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man.

4. Pragmatist by Edmund Conti:

” Apocalypse soon Coming our way Ground zero at noon Halve a nice day.”

5.  Design by Robert Frost:

“What had the flower to do with being white, The wayside blue and innocent heal-all? What brought the kindred spider to that height, Then steered the white moth thither in the night? What but design of darkness to appall? – If design governs in a thing so small.”

6. Othello by Shakespeare:

“DESDEMONA. Do you know, sirrah, where Lieutenant Cassio lies? CLOWN. I dare not say he lies anywhere. DESDEMONA. Why, man? CLOWN: He’s a soldier, and for one to say a soldier lies, ’tis stabbing.”

7. Hymn to God the Father:

“I have a sin of fear, that when I have spun My last thread, I shall perish on the shore; But swear by Thy self, that at my death Thy son And having done that, Thou hast done; I fear no more”

Puns in Quotes

“You can tune a guitar, but you can’t tuna fish. Unless, of course, you play bass.” – Douglas Adam “Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.” – Groucho Marx “Hanging is too good for a man who makes puns; he should be drawn and quoted.” – Fred Allen “Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt.” – Mark Twai “Atheism is a non-prophet institution.” – George Carlin “I saw a documentary on how ships are kept together. Riveting!” – Stewart Francis

Also Read: Also Read: Simile Figure of Speech: Examples of Simile Figure of Speech

I hope you got a brief insight into different types of pun figures of speech meaning and examples. For more such articles, visit T he Fluent Life website. This website offers you affordable and customized courses to help you improve your English skills. You can visit the website now and enrol yourself for the free demo classes now.

1. What is a pun in the context of figures of speech? A: A pun is a form of wordplay that exploits multiple meanings of a word or words that sound similar but have different meanings. It’s used for humorous or rhetorical effect.

2. Can you provide examples of puns in everyday language? A: Sure! Here are a couple of examples: “I’m reading a book on anti-gravity. It’s impossible to put down!” or “I told my wife she should embrace her mistakes. She gave me a hug.”

3. How do puns add humor or depth to language? A: Puns create humor by using the multiple meanings or sounds of words to evoke amusement or wit. They often play with language in a clever or unexpected way, making the listener or reader think about the word’s various meanings.

4. Are there different types of puns in figures of speech? A: Yes, there are various types of puns including homophonic puns (using words that sound alike), homographic puns (using words that are spelled the same), and homonymic puns (using words that are both spelled and sound alike).

5. How can one effectively create or use puns in conversation or writing? A: To create or use puns effectively, consider wordplay and the multiple meanings or sounds of words. Try finding words with double entendre or similar sounds but different meanings. Use them in a way that fits the context while adding humor or a clever twist to your conversation or writing. Practice and exposure to puns in literature or everyday language can aid in mastering their use.

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Pun Examples: Figures of Speech For Students

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Pun Examples: Figures of Speech

Kinds of puns.

A pun can be of two types: Typographic and Visual. Typographic is further divided into five:

• Homophonic – They use homophones (similar sounding word pairs) which are not synonymous. Example: Why is it so wet in England? Because many kings and queens have reigned there.
• Homographic – These kinds of puns are where words are spelled the same (homographs) but have different meanings and sounds. Example: You can tune a guitar, but you can’t tuna fish. Unless of course you play bass.
• Homonymic -These words are both homographs and homophones.Example: Bank (meaning embankment) and bank (where money is kept).
• Compound – That contains two or more puns in the same sentence. Example: Where do you find giant snails? On the ends of giants’ fingers (obviously reading giant snails as giant’s nails).
• Recursive – In this case, the second aspect of the pun relies on the understanding of the first Example: Infinity is not infinity.

Visual Puns – They are those which use non-phonetic writing.

Example: In ‘The Muppet Movie’, Kermit and Fozzie are driving. Then Kermit looks at the map and says they need to turn at the fork in the road. At this point, he lowers the map at which point and sees a giant fork in the middle of the road.

Other Pun Examples:

• A pyrotechnician should know how fireworks.
• The math teacher was an exponent of his own powers.
• I work as a baker because I knead the dough.
• A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.
• Our social studies teacher says that her globe means the world to her.
• The principle part of a horse is the mane, of course.
• Do hotel managers get board with their jobs?
• I met a man who loves eating couches. I think he has a suite tooth.
• Dieting is a matter of life and breadth.
• Without geometry, life is pointless.
• Since her kind gift of a lemon cake, I rate her as one of Madeirafriends.
• The best way to communicate with a fish is to drop them a line.
• I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.

Jokes: Pun Examples

• Did you hear about the Frenchman who jumped off the Eiffel Tower wearing a parachute and landed in the river? The police didn’t arrest him because he was clearly in Seine
• The star asked the sun why the moon was always up so late. Sun responded that it was just a phase.
• Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other, ‘You stay here; I’ll go on a-head’.
• Three brothers bought a ranch in Texas and planned to raise cattle. They couldn’t think of a name for their ranch so they asked their mother, who said, “You should name it ‘Focus.'” The brothers were puzzled. “Why?” they asked. “Because,” said their mother, “‘Focus’ is where the sun’s rays meet.”
• Do you know why it’s easy for a hunter to find a leopard? Because a leopard is always spotted.
• A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken to a hospital. When his grandmother telephoned to ask how he was, a nurse said, ‘No change yet.’

In Literature

• If you see kay Tell him he may See you in tea Tell him from me – James Joyce.
• Mercutio: Nay, gentle Romeo, we must have you dance. Romeo: Not I, believe me. You have dancing shoes. With nimble soles; I have a soul of lead. So stakes me to the ground I cannot move – Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare.
• When Thou hast done, Thou hast not done / For I have more. That at my death Thy Son / Shall shine as he shines now, and heretofore And having done that, Thou hast done; / I fear no more – A Hymn to God The Father.
• Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this son of York – Richard III, William Shakespeare.

Funny Newspaper Headlines

• New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group
• Safety Experts Say School Bus Passengers Should Be Belted
• Juvenile Court Tried Shooting Defendant
• Farmer Bill Dies in House
• Eye Drops Off Shelf
• Hospitals are Sued by Seven Foot Doctors

The examples of puns above give you a general idea about their usage in literature and daily communication in today’s language. The first puns were used in ancient Egypt while interpreting dreams. Hope this article has been a ‘pun’ reading! Oops, fun!

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Figurative Language: Simile and Other Types of Figures of Speech

• By Judhajit Sen
• September 12, 2024

Figure of speech definition is the use of words or phrases in a way that goes beyond their everyday, actual meanings. It creates a special effect or paints a mental picture to help the reader or listener better understand or feel something. Unlike literal language, which is straightforward, figurative speech adds color and depth to writing and speech.

Different figures of speech help make complex ideas clearer, descriptions more vivid, and messages more powerful. For example, saying “time is a thief” is a metaphor that helps convey the idea that time can take away moments from us, much like a thief would steal.

Figurative language types are used in many forms of communication, from literature and poetry to everyday conversations, advertising slogans, and even newspaper headlines. It can make writing more interesting and engaging by creating emotional, visual, or sensory connections, making it easier for the listeners to relate to the content.

Key Takeaways

• Figurative Language Enhances Communication: Common figures of speech make writing more vivid and engaging by going beyond actual meanings. They help paint pictures in the reader’s mind and convey complex ideas more clearly.
• Metaphors and Similes: Similes use “like” or “as” to compare two different things, while metaphors make direct comparisons without these terms. Both techniques help create vivid imagery and deeper understanding.
• Hyperbole and Personification: Hyperbole involves exaggerated statements to emphasize a point or add humor, while personification figure of speech gives human traits to non-human elements, making descriptions more relatable and dynamic.
• Diverse Uses: Figurative language is prevalent in literature, everyday conversations, and advertising. Understanding and using these techniques can make communication more impactful and memorable.

Figurative Language: Simile, Metaphor, and Other Types of Figures of Speech

A simile is a figurative type of speech that compares two different things using the words “like,” “as,” or “than.” The objective is to create a vivid image in the reader’s mind by highlighting a specific characteristic that two things share. For instance, saying, “The boy was as brave as a lion in the jungle,” helps the reader picture a boy showing courage just like a lion, known for its bravery in the wild. 

This type of figurative speech is common in everyday language and is used to make descriptions more colorful and engaging. For example, when you say, “The assistant was as busy as a bee,” you parallel the assistant’s activity to that of a bee, known for its hard work. Another example is, “Andrew was white as a sheet after he stepped out of the horror movie,” which vividly conveys how frightened he was.

Other such figure of speech examples include:

– “They fought like cats and dogs,” showing a fierce argument.

– “Her love for her children is as constant as the passing of time,” indicating unwavering affection.

By using comparisons, this type of figurative speech helps the audience connect with and better understand the subject being described.

A metaphor is a way of describing something by saying it is something else, without using “like” or “as.” This figure of speech makes a direct comparison between two different things to create a vivid picture or deeper understanding. For example, saying “Time is money” parallels time to money to show how valuable it is. The statement doesn’t mean that time literally equals money, but it emphasizes that time should be spent wisely, just like money.

This type of figurative speech can make writing more engaging and help readers connect with the meaning behind terms. For instance, saying “Love is a battlefield” suggests that love can be challenging and full of conflicts. Another example, “He was an onion,” shows that someone might have many layers to their personality that need to be peeled back to be understood.

Sometimes, this kind of figurative speech can stretch over several sentences or even a whole piece of writing. These are called extended metaphors. They help deepen the meaning by continuing the comparison for a longer time. For example, “The tall trees were curtains that surrounded us during our picnic” creates a picture of trees as if they were curtains, giving a sense of privacy and enclosure.

This type of expression of speech is a powerful tool in language because it enables writers and speakers to express complex ideas simply and creatively, helping the audience see things in a new light.

This figure of speech uses extreme exaggeration to emphasize a point, add emotion, or create humor. It’s so over-the-top that no one would actually believe the statement is true, but that’s what makes it effective. You likely use this type of figurative speech in everyday conversations without even realizing it.

For instance, when someone says, “I’ve told you a million times to wash the dishes,” they don’t mean a million times. They just want to stress how often they’ve made that request. This kind of figurative speech adds color and drama, making the message stand out.

Other common examples include:

– “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.”

– “This bag weighs a ton.”

– “You snore like a freight train.”

This type of figurative speech can also bring humor or urgency to a situation. For example, saying, “If I don’t eat soon, I’m going to die of hunger,” doesn’t mean you will actually die. It just emphasizes how extremely hungry you feel.

By using this kind of figurative speech, writers and speakers can make their language more lively, vivid, and memorable.

Personification

Personification is a form of figurative speech where human characteristics are given to non-human objects, animals, or abstract ideas. This technique makes descriptions more vivid and relatable, helping readers identify with the text on a deeper level. By using this figure of speech, writers can bring life to inanimate objects or ideas, making them feel as if they have emotions, intentions, or actions like a human being.

For instance, saying “The sun greeted me when I woke up” gives the sun the human ability to greet, sparking the imagination of readers. Other examples of this kind of figurative speech include: “The car brakes screamed all through the journey,” or “The computer argued with me and refused to work.” In each case, the non-human subjects are described as if they have human traits or actions.

This figurative speech type can add color and interest to writing, allowing readers to visualize and emotionally engage with the subject matter. It makes the description more dynamic and memorable, helping to create a more engaging reading experience.

Synecdoche is a type of figurative speech where a part of something is used to represent the whole, or the whole is used to represent a part. It’s a way to make language more vivid and engaging by using familiar parts to describe something larger or vice versa.

For example, when someone says “a set of wheels,” they often mean a car. Here, “wheels,” which are just a part of the car, represent the entire vehicle. Similarly, referring to a businessman as “a suit” uses a piece of clothing to represent the person wearing it.

Other examples of synecdoche include:

– “Bread” to mean food in general or money.

– “Head” to count people or cattle.

– “Hired hands” to refer to workers.

Synecdoche can also work in the opposite way, using a whole to refer to a part. For example, when people say “New England won the game,” they are referring to the New England football team, not the entire region. Another example is “The White House issued a statement,” where the whole building represents the President or their administration.

Synecdoche adds color to language by making it more concise and imaginative, helping listeners and readers visualize and understand the context more easily.

Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia refers to words that mimic or resemble the sounds they describe. These terms make writing more vivid and engaging by bringing the sound of the action to life for the reader. They help create a sense of reality, making it easier to imagine the scene.

Common examples of this type of figure of speech include words like “buzz,” “bang,” “splash,” and “roar.” When you read a sentence like, “The alarm clock buzzed,” you can almost hear the annoying sound it makes. Or consider, “The water splashed all over the car” — the term “splash” mimics the sound of water hitting a surface. 

Using onomatopoeia can add drama, humor, or intensity to a narrative. It brings emotions and situations to life, whether it’s the “hiss” of a fireplace, the “roar” of a truck engine, or the “grumble” of a hungry stomach. These words capture the essence of the sounds around us, enhancing the reader’s experience.

An oxymoron is a figurative language where two opposite or contradictory terms are placed together to create a new meaning or emphasize a point. It often uses an adjective followed by a noun. This combination of conflicting ideas can create a striking or memorable description.

For example, in the phrase “jumbo shrimp,” the words “jumbo” and “shrimp” seem to contradict each other. “Jumbo” suggests something large, while “shrimp” usually refers to something small. However, when paired, they create a unique meaning that catches the reader’s attention. Similarly, the expression “thoughtless idea” brings together two conflicting ideas to highlight a point in an unexpected way.

Oxymorons are commonly used in writing and speech to add depth or humor. Phrases like “loud silence,” “awfully good,” or “ever-flowing stillness” use contradiction to make a point more vividly or provoke thought. The use of oxymoron can make language more interesting and add a layer of complexity to simple statements.

Litotes is a figurative language that uses understatement to emphasize a point. It often involves using a double negative to express a positive meaning. Instead of directly stating something, this figure of speech affirms an idea by negating its opposite. This form of speech can often have a subtle, sometimes sarcastic tone.

For example, saying “I can’t say I disagree” is another way of saying “I agree.” Similarly, the phrase “She’s not unkind” means “She is kind.” Other examples include “A million dollars is no small chunk of change,” which emphasizes that a million dollars is a significant amount.

Litotes is an effective way to add emphasis or irony to a statement, making the language more interesting and engaging.

An idiom is a phrase or saying whose meaning is different from the actual meaning of the terms used. These phrases are common in everyday language and are often unique to specific cultures and languages. Idioms can be hard for language learners to understand because their true meaning isn’t obvious from the words themselves.

For example, if someone says, “I have a frog in my throat,” it doesn’t mean they actually have a frog in their throat. Instead, it means they are having trouble speaking, often due to a sore throat or hoarseness. 

Other idioms include “green thumb,” which means someone is good at gardening, or “raining cats and dogs,” which describes heavy rain. Another example is “throw in the towel,” which means to give up. These expressions make language colorful but can be confusing for those who don’t know their figurative meaning.

Alliteration

Alliteration is a literary tool where the same consonant sound is repeated at the beginning of several terms close to each other. This literary device often highlights an emotion or enhances a description. It creates a rhythmic or melodic effect that can make phrases more memorable.

For example, in “She sells seashells by the seashore,” the repetition of the “s” sound makes the line catchy and engaging. Another example is “The pitter-patter of paws echoed down the hallway,” where the repetition of the “p” sound emphasizes the soft noise of the paws.

Alliteration can also be seen in tongue twisters, where the repeated sounds challenge pronunciation, like “She sells seashells by the seashore.” This device not only adds emphasis but also adds a lyrical quality to the text.

Wrap-up: Figurative Speech

Different types of figures of speech enrich our language by using words and phrases in creative ways that go beyond their literal meanings. All figurative language paints vivid pictures, clarifies complex ideas, and evokes emotions. Similes compare different things using “like” or “as” to make descriptions more engaging, while metaphors create direct comparisons to offer deeper insights. Hyperboles use exaggeration to emphasize points or add humor, and personification gives human traits to non-human elements to make descriptions more relatable.

Figurative language appears across various forms of communication, from everyday conversations to literature and advertising. It transforms ordinary speech into something more memorable and impactful, helping the audience connect more deeply with the content. By understanding and using these figures of speech, we can make our communication more dynamic and expressive.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is a figure of speech?  

A figure of speech uses terms or phrases in ways that go beyond their actual meanings to create vivid images or emotional effects. It helps make writing and speech more engaging and expressive.

2. What is a simile?  

This figurative speech type compares two things using “like” or “as.” For example, “brave as a lion” helps create a strong image of bravery.

3. What is a metaphor?  

This type of figurative speech describes something by saying it is something else, without using “like” or “as.” For example, “Time is money” suggests time is valuable, like money.

4. What is hyperbole used for?  

This kind of figurative speech involves extreme embellishments to emphasize a point or add humor. For example, “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse” is not literal but highlights intense hunger.

Elevate Your Communication with Figurative Speech

At Prezentium, we know that making a memorable impact goes beyond straightforward language. Figurative speech can transform your presentations into powerful tools that captivate and engage your audience. Imagine describing your latest project as “a beacon in a sea of mediocrity” or using an idiom to convey the depth of your ideas—these techniques can make your message stand out.

With our Overnight Presentations , we ensure that your key points are highlighted with the right figures of speech, tailored to your audience. Our Accelerators help you craft visuals and templates that make your comparisons and descriptions shine. And through Zenith Learning , we provide workshops that teach you to harness these expressive tools effectively.

Let Prezentium help you turn your presentations into compelling stories that resonate and inspire. Reach out today to see how our expertise can elevate your communication.

Why wait? Avail a complimentary 1-on-1 session with our presentation expert. See how other enterprise leaders are creating impactful presentations with us.

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Pun Figure of Speech

Figures of speech are literary devices which are used to convey ideas that go beyond their literal meaning. In English, there are more than 200 different  types of figures of speech . 

The “Pun Figure of Speech” is one of them.

Pun Figure of Speech Meaning

A pun is a figure of speech where different meanings of the same word are exploited for poetic or comic effect. In a clever way, it gives the word a “double meaning.” It exploits both the literal and the figurative meaning of the word.

Daily Grammar Test - Attempt Now

• A pessimist‘s blood type is always  B-negative . (It is a play on the word negative because pessimists always have a negative outlook on life.)
• An elephant‘s opinion carries a lot of  weight . (The word ‘weight‘ stands for the elephant‘s weight in the literal sense and for its figurative sense.)

Pun Figure of Speech Examples

“winter of our discontent…made glorious summer by this  Son  of York.” — Shakespeare , Richard III (The word ‘Son‘ also puns on its homophone ‘Sun‘ since summer and winter are referenced in the sentence.)

“I always told you, Gwendolen, my name was  Ernest , didn‘t I? Well, it is  Ernest  after all. I mean it naturally is  Ernest .” (The speaker puns on the word ‘Earnest‘. Along with stating his name, he also wants to emphasise his earnestness.) Oscar Wilde , The Importance of Being Earnest

‘You see the earth takes twenty-four hours to turn round on its  axis –’ ‘Talking of  axes ,‘ said the Duchess, ‘chop off her head!‘ — Lewis Carroll , Alice in Wonderland

“Not I, believe me. You have dancing shoes with nimble  soles ; I have a  soul  of lead” (The words ‘sole‘ and ‘soul‘ are homophones.) —Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

You Asked, We Listened – List of All Grammar Chapters Updated 😍😍