Question

Identify the figure of speech in the following sentence :
Her hair is silk.
a) Personification
b) Metaphor
c) Simile
d) Apostrophe

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 speech, 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 Personification. It is an attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman or a representation of an abstract quality in human form.
Option ‘b’ 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.
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 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!
As we have analyzed all the given options, we can easily figure out the correct answer. Here, the sentence is – Her hair is silk. And the figure of speech is – Metaphor.
So, the correct answer is “Option b”.

Note:
You will have to know the deeper meaning of the given sentence and not the literal one. Like, in the given sentence, the hair of the subject has been compared to silk, due to its softness and shine, which cannot be literally true.