Choose the correct figure of speech used in the given sentence:
A bicycle can't stand on its own because it is two tyred.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Pun
Pun:
- A pun is a play on words: it uses a word that sounds like another word, or that has two meanings, to make a joke.
- This sentence: "two tyred" (having two tyres) sounds just like "too tired". A bicycle has two tyres, and the joke says it cannot stand on its own because it is too tired.
Example: I used to be a banker, but I lost interest.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: Irony — Incorrect. Irony is saying the opposite of what one means, or a result that is the opposite of what is expected; there is no such contrast here.
Option 3: Hyperbole — Incorrect. Hyperbole is deliberate exaggeration; nothing is exaggerated in the sentence.
Option 4: Metonymy — Incorrect. Metonymy names a thing by something closely linked with it ("the crown" for the king); there is no such substitution here.
Contrast: a pun plays on a sound or a double meaning (two tyred / too tired); irony plays on the gap between what is said and what is meant.