Select the Figure of Speech in the following sentence from options given below:
O death! Where is thy sting?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Apostrophe
“O death! Where is thy sting?” addresses death itself, as if it were present and could answer.
| Option | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Epigram | a short, witty saying that puts a truth in a surprising way, often through a contrast. | "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread" is a famous epigram by Alexander Pope. |
| (2) Hyperbole | exaggeration for effect. The line does not exaggerate anything. | I am so hungry I could eat a horse. |
| (3) Apostrophe (answer) | Apostrophe is speaking directly to an absent or dead person, or to a thing or idea, as if it could hear and reply. It often opens with “O”. | O Moon, why do you hide behind the clouds? |
| (4) Irony | saying the opposite of what one means, or a result that is the opposite of what was expected. The line is a direct address, not an opposite meaning. | "What lovely weather," he said, as the rain poured down. |