• II. Figures of co-occurrence / combination (sd)

1. Combination of identical meanings

Simile - an expressive comparison of two objects which have common features

The ugly one, Laverne, wasn't too bad a dancer, but the other one, old Marty, was like dragging the Statue of Liberty around the floor. (J. Salinger )

the tenor - topic

the vehicle – the object of nomination

the foundation - the feature of similarity between two objects

Structural means of comparison

1. conjunctions: as / like/ as if / seem

2. Adverbial clauses of comparison: He looked at Sibil as a mouse might look at a cat.

3. Adjectives in the comparative degree: Roy behaved worse than a cut-throat.

4. Adverbial word-combinations containing prepositional attributes: With the quickness of a cat, Samuel climbed up the tree.

Implied simile - no formal markers

He reminded James of a hungry cat.

Types

I. Semantically

a/ trite

as vain as a peacock;

as cool as a cucumber

b/ genuine

His praises went tramping over like a heard of elephants. (A.Huxley)

II. Structurally

a/ simple

The sound of a faraway train was like a big beast shuffling in its sleep. (R.Chandler)

b/ extended

The village was a few dozen houses which seemed to hang by their teeth and eyebrows to a spur of mountain and which looked as if a good sneeze would drop them down on the beech. (R.Chandler)

Simile vs. Logical comparison

logical comparison

notions belonging to the same class / sphere: The boy is as clever as his dad.

simile

notions belonging to different classes (heterogeneous classes of objects)

… the handrail was as cold and wet as a toad’s belly. (R. Chandler)

Simile vs. Metaphor

Simile

1. formal markers - as, as ... as, like, as though, as if

2. aims at finding some points of resemblance by keeping the objects apart

She sings like a nightingale.

3. indicates the feature of comparison (semantically more definite)

You couldn’t stop him. He was hot as a fire-cracker.

Metaphor

1. no formal markers / connectives

2. aims at identifying the objects: She is a lonely bird in the sky.

3. implies the feature which serves as the ground for comparison

The leaves were falling sorrowfully

• Synonyms-substitutes / synonyms specifiers

He brought home numberless prizes. He told his mother countless stories.

Пропало, пройшло, пролетіло,

Минулося, щезло, спливло,

Лишень головешками тліло,

Лишень попелищем цвіло.

Одвіялось, сном одіснилось,

Одмарилось - ген набулось,

Вкотилось і ген одкотилось,

Солоним риданням зайшлось. (І.Драч)

• 2. Combination of opposite meanings

Antithesis - a confrontation of at least two phrases semantically opposite

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the era of incredulity. (Ch. Dickens)

Слова одні нам тішать слух і зір,

А інші нас відштовхують раптово.

Oxymoron (wittily foolish) - a combination of words which are semantically incompatible (exclude each other)

low skyscrapers, a poor millionaire, horribly beautiful.

Street damaged by improvements (O. Henry)

A man who was the Bully of humility. (Ch. Dickens )

Взимку сонце крізь плач сміється

• the joining of apparent contradictions