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
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.
| Option | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Simile | A simile compares two different things using "like" or "as". There is no such comparison here. | He fought like a lion. |
| (2) Transferred Epithet | A transferred epithet moves an adjective from the person it describes to a thing connected with that person. No adjective is moved here. | He spent a sleepless night. |
| (3) Antithesis (answer) | 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. | Alexander Pope wrote, "To err is human; to forgive, divine." |
| (4) Metonymy | Metonymy uses the name of something closely connected with a thing in place of the thing itself. There is no such substitution here. | The pen is mightier than the sword. |