Question

Identify the figure of speech in the following sentence :
What storms then shook the ocean of my sleep!
a) Apostrophe
b) Irony
c) Simile
d) Metaphor

Answer 1

Hint: A word or phrase used in a nonliteral sense for rhetorical or vivid effect is a figure of speech. It plays an important role in English grammar.

Complete answer:
 A figure of speech is a word or phrase that possesses a separate meaning from its literal meaning. It can be a metaphor or a simile, designed to make a comparison. It can be the repetition of alliteration or exaggeration of hyperbole to provide a dramatic effect. There are many kinds of figures of speeches, such as – personification, metaphor, pun, simile, etc. In the given question, we need to identify the figure of speech in the given sentence.
Now, let us examine all the given options to find out the correct answer:
Option ‘a’ is Apostrophe. It is an exclamatory figure of speech. It occurs when a speaker breaks off from addressing the audience and directs speech to a third party such as an opposing litigant or some other individual, sometimes absent from the scene. For example: oh!
Option ‘b’ is Irony. It is the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of what is actually said. For example: a character stepping out of a hurricane and saying “What nice weather we're having!”
Option ‘c’ is Simile. It is a figure of speech that directly compares two things. It differs from metaphors by highlighting the similarities between two things using words such as “like”, “as”, or “than”, unlike metaphors.
Option ‘d’ is Metaphor. A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide clarity or identify hidden similarities between two ideas.
As we have analysed all the given options, we can easily figure out the correct option. Here, the given sentence is – What storms then shook the ocean of my sleep! The figure of speech is – Metaphor. So, the correct answer is “Option d”.

Note:
You will have to understand the deep/inner meaning of the given sentence to find out its figure of speech. Like, in the given sentence, the speaker's sleep is compared to an ocean because of how calm and undisturbed it is. This cannot be literally true.