Rules for writers, Tenth edition - Diana Hacker, Nancy Sommers 2021

Use figures of speech with care
Find the exact words
Clarity

A figure of speech is an expression that uses words imaginatively (rather than literally) to make abstract ideas concrete. Most often, figures of speech compare two seemingly unlike things to reveal surprising similarities.

In a simile, the writer makes the comparison explicitly, usually by introducing it with like or as: By the time cotton had to be picked, Grandfather’s neck was as red as the clay he plowed.

In a metaphor, the like or as is omitted, and the comparison is implied. Historians, economists, and politicians, for example, use metaphors when they describe the future as a rocky path forward, compare the economy to a rigged game, describe a historical moment as a new chapter, or debate whether America is a melting pot.

Although figures of speech are useful devices, writers sometimes misuse them if they don’t think about the images they evoke. The result is often a mixed metaphor, the use of two or more images that don’t make sense together.

EXERCISE 18-3

Edit the following sentences to replace worn-out expressions and clarify mixed figures of speech. Possible revisions appear in the back of the book.

a. John stormed into the room like a bull in a china shop.

b. Some people insist that they’ll always be there for you, even when they haven’t been before.

c. The Cubs easily beat the Mets, who were in over their heads early in the game today at Wrigley Field.

d. We ironed out the sticky spots in our relationship.

e. My mother accused me of beating around the bush when in fact I was just talking off the top of my head.