2. Synecdoche is the use of a part of something
to represent the whole.
Example: “The rancher boasted about how many
heads of cattle he owned.”
He certainly doesn’t own ONLY the cow’s heads,
but he owns the whole cow! The term “heads”
actually refers to the whole animal.
3. REMINDER: Synecdoche is the use of a part of
something to represent the whole.
Example #2: “The captain shouted, ‘All hands on
deck.’”
He certainly doesn’t want ONLY the sailor’s hands
engaged in work, but he wants the sailor’s entire
body on deck and working! The term “hands”
actually refers to the whole person.
4. REMINDER: Synecdoche is the use of a part of
something to represent the whole.
Example #3: “The teacher was famous for saying,
‘Listen to my face!’”
He certainly doesn’t want you to listen ONLY to his
face, but he wants the students to benefit from all
of his teaching and to enjoy the environment of
the classroom! The term “face” actually refers to
the influence of the whole person.
6. Metonymy is the use of a closely related
symbol or object as a representation of
something else.
Example: “The order for higher taxation came
directly from the Crown.”
Certainly in inanimate crown did not issue an
order, but the crown itself is a univeral symbol, for
power and authority– obviously the ruler who
wears the crown issued the order. The crown is a
symbol for that position.
7. REMEMBER: Metonymy is the use of a closely
related symbol or object as a representation
of something else.
Example #2: “The pen is mightier than the
sword.”
This is not a comparison of the literal “pen” and
“sword,” but instead it compares the ideas that
those items represent. The “pen” is a symbol for
the power of the written word and the “sword” is
a symbol of the power of violence.
8. REMEMBER: Metonymy is the use of a closely
related symbol or object as a representation
of something else.
Example #3: “The big guns showed up to do a
surprise inspection.”
Here the “big guns” obviously represent those in
authority– a supervisor, manager, or chief
executive.
9. These two devices can give you a wide range of
words to chose from and many ways to express
the same thing. The trick, of course, is to make
sure that there is no confusion about the exact
meaning of your usage.
“Terrance’s parents bought him new wheels,”
without any context, could mean that he received
a new car, or a new bicycle or it could mean that
he likes pottery and got a new spinning wheel.
The context must clearly bear out the meaning
that you intend!
10. Synecdoche:
-is the use of part of something to refer to the
whole.
Metonymy:
-is the use of a closely related symbol (that
might be just a “part” of the larger thing or
idea) to refer to the object itself.
