Select the correct figure of speech used in the following sentence:
The more haste, the less speed.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Antithesis
Antithesis:
- Antithesis places two opposite ideas side by side in a balanced structure, so that the contrast stands out.
- The two halves usually have the same grammatical pattern.
- In "The more haste, the less speed", "more" is set against "less" and "haste" against "speed" in two matching halves: hurrying too much makes one slower.
Example: Alexander Pope wrote, "To err is human; to forgive, divine."
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Simile — Incorrect. A simile compares two different things using "like" or "as"; there is no such comparison here.
Example: He fought like a lion.
Option 2: Transferred Epithet — Incorrect. A transferred epithet moves an adjective from the person it describes to a thing connected with that person; no adjective is moved here.
Example: He spent a sleepless night.
Option 4: Metonymy — Incorrect. Metonymy uses the name of something closely connected with a thing in place of the thing itself; there is no such substitution here.
Example: The pen is mightier than the sword.