Identify the figure of speech used in the following sentence:
Aman spent an anxious hour outside the principal’s office.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Transferred Epithet
An hour cannot feel anxious. Aman was the one who felt anxious while he waited. The word “anxious” has moved from Aman to the hour.
| Figure | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Metaphor | says one thing is another thing, without “like” or “as”. The sentence does not compare the hour with anything | Our class teacher is a walking dictionary. |
| (2) Transferred Epithet (answer) | an epithet is a describing word. Here a word that describes a person moves to a thing or a time linked with that person | Dadi spent a restless night after the late phone call. |
| (3) Oxymoron | puts two opposite words together. “Anxious” and “hour” are not opposites | That Rohan liked Priya was an open secret in the class. |
| (4) Hyperbole | a big exaggeration for effect. One hour of waiting is told as it was, with nothing made bigger | This bag weighs a ton. |