Identify the figure of speech in the underlined part of the sentence:
Our family dentist, Dr. Rao, is in a good mood these days because his new clinic is filling up fast.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Pun
A dentist puts a “filling” in a bad tooth, and a clinic that is “filling up” is getting full of patients. Both meanings fit the dentist.
| Figure | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Pun (answer) | a play on a word that has two meanings (or two words that sound alike) | The electrician said his job was full of shocks. |
| (2) Irony | the opposite of what we expect happens, or words say the opposite of what is meant | The swimming coach of our school cannot swim himself. |
| (3) Metaphor | a hidden comparison: it says one thing is another, without “like” or “as” | At lunch time, our school canteen is a busy beehive. |
| (4) Hyperbole | a big exaggeration made for effect | Didi’s phone bill was longer than our street. |