Comments on: 18 Types of Metaphors

By: Chris Stoppiello

Chris Stoppiello — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 17:29:25 +0000

I don’t think you used Synecdoche properly. Your definition is accurate but I don’t see how your example is a synecdoche. Depending on what the ‘her’ is i think your exampled is a combination of mixed metaphor and simile but i could be wrong.

The simplest synecdoche i can think of is a guy commenting “look at that piece of ass at the bar.” Crude yes but the part (her ass) represents the whole (the intelligent young woman).

Also, not to nitpick something you wrote a while ago but in your pataphor i think you mean “brakes” not “breaks.”

By: Ziggy Kinsella

Ziggy Kinsella — Thu, 20 May 2010 09:43:07 +0000

18 kinds of metaphor…I think I need to go lie down

By: jukur

jukur — Sat, 15 May 2010 12:57:22 +0000

thanks very much i got a lot learn about metaphors but i am a skol student it would b easy for me if u expalin these metaphor on easy language so that students will not feel hard 2 unferstand

By: Tizi42

Tizi42 — Thu, 06 May 2010 08:53:15 +0000

What kind of metaphor is this ?

You’ll get it when the sea takes fire – not a minute earlier.

By: 27+ Free Resources to Help You Write Better | Happenchance

27+ Free Resources to Help You Write Better | Happenchance — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 01:53:49 +0000

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By: Heather Sedlock

Heather Sedlock — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 07:37:10 +0000

Hey!

This was great. I’m re-doing some courses for my psych degree and am taking an English 100 course (again). This is great! I so needed a refresher on the types of metaphor as it’s been so long. Great job!

I love nice people who take the time to do this so that I have a one-stop place to find it.

By: Paige

Paige — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:15:58 +0000

great website, but can you define these:
direct metaphor and indirect metaphor.

By: Paul O'Donovan

Paul O'Donovan — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 05:40:28 +0000

Hi Shruti, great article thanks! But aren’t there only 17 breeds above? I think No. 5, ‘implied’ is the same as No. 16, ‘implicit’ in this context.

>“he/she shrugged inwardly”
@Josh – I thought that was an absolute metaphor, cuz there’s no literal connection between physical and spirital action. But on the other hand, it’s a stretch to say there’s absolutely no connection.

To ’shrug’ can be a metaphor for to ‘dismiss’ (gonna figure this one out eventually!), in which case the phrase would be a…. argh! It’s an argh metaphor. No, if ’shrug’ is the metaphor, then ‘inwardly’ stretches it… maybe it’s a pataphor? According to Sara Bentley (top of comments) pataphors ‘create their own story’ and I think this does.

It’s not an active one cuz I disabled it somehow by quoting you

I’m new to all this so please correct me!

By: Josh

Josh — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 16:04:17 +0000

Good article but what kind of metaphor is this?

“he/she shrugged inwardly”

By: Tanja

Tanja — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:32:04 +0000

i found your destinction of 18 metaphor types very interesting. currently i have been doing a research on this theme, and i have been heard of only 15 of them. the question i would like to ask you is Do you consider metonomy as one of the types of the metaphor and whay? what criterions didyou use for this particular categorization. usually linguists define metonomy as a linguistic phenomenon that is similar to metaphor and at the same time has no relation to it. what is your opinion on this metter?