Choose the correct figure of speech used in the following sentence:
He has many mouths to feed.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Synecdoche
"Mouths" are a part of each person. Here they stand for the people he has to provide food for. So "He has many mouths to feed" means he has many dependants, such as family members, to support.
| Option | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Synecdoche (answer) | Synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a part stands for the whole (or, less often, the whole for a part). | The captain shouted, "All hands on deck!" |
| (2) Euphemism | a mild word used in place of a harsh or unpleasant one. Nothing unpleasant is softened here. | Her grandfather passed away last year. |
| (3) Oxymoron | An oxymoron puts two opposite words side by side. The sentence has no such pair. | There was a deafening silence in the hall. |
| (4) Apostrophe | addressing an absent person, an idea or a thing as if it could hear. The sentence addresses no one. | "O Death, where is thy sting?" |