عام زبان میں الفاظ اپنے حقیقی معنوں میں استعمال ہوتے ہیں، مثلاً:
Help me turn the tables, please. میز گھمانے میں میری مدد کریں۔
اس میں turn the tables سے مراد ’’میز گھمانا‘‘ ہے۔ اسے literal language کہتے ہیں۔
اس کے برعکس بعض اوقات الفاظ اپنے لفظی معنوں سے ہٹ کر استعمال کیے جاتے ہیں، مثلاً:
I will turn the tables in the second half.
اس کا مطلب یہ نہیں کہ ’’کھیل کے دوسرے نصف حصے میں مَیں میزیں گھما دوں گا۔‘‘ بلکہ اس کا مطلب یہ ہے کہ ’’میں کھیل کے دوسرے نصف حصے میں صورت حال بدل کر مخالف کے لیے جیتنا مشکل کر دوں گا۔‘‘ یعنی یہاں turn the tables کا مطلب ہے ’’صورت حال بدل دینا۔‘‘ الفاظ کا ایسا استعمال جس میں الفاظ غیر حقیقی یا مجازی معنوں میں استعمال ہوں figurative language کہلاتا ہے۔
آئیے ایک اور مثال سے سمجھتے ہیں۔ ایک شخص کو بہت بھوک لگی ہے۔ اپنی بھوک کا ذکر کرتے ہوئے وہ کہتا ہے:
I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.
اس میں I could eat a horse کا مطلب یہ نہیں کہ وہ یہ بیان کرنا چاہ رہا ہے کہ اگر اسے گھوڑا کھانے کو دیا گیا تو وہ پورا گھوڑا ہی کھا جائے گا، بلکہ اس کا مطلب یہ ہے کہ چوں کہ اسے بہت بھوک لگی ہے، اس لئے وہ بہت زیادہ کھانا کھا سکتا ہے۔
figure of speech الفاظ کے ایسے استعمال کا ایک طریقہ ہوتا ہے۔ ذیل میں دو معروف figures of speech دیے گئے ہیں۔
Simile
اس figure of speech میں دو مختلف چیزوں کا ایک دوسرے سے موازنہ کیا جاتا ہے کیوں کہ ان میں کم از کم کوئی ایک بات مشترک ہوتی ہے۔ simile کو مندرجہ ذیل الفاظ کے ساتھ متعارف کروایا جاتا ہے: like, as یا so
| He ran like a hare down the street. | وہ خرگوش کی طرح گلی میں دوڑا۔ |
| Moon rose up in the east like a rose. | چاند گلاب کی طرح مشرق سے نکلا۔ |
ذیل میں مثالوں کے طور پر کچھ similes دی گئی ہیں:
as big as an elephant
as black as coal
as blind as a bat
as bold as brass
as boring as watching paint dry
as brave as a lion
as bright as a button
as busy as a bee
as cheap as dirt
as clean as a whistle
as clear as mud
as clear as crystal
as cold as ice
as cool as a cucumber
as crooked as a dog’s hind leg
as cunning as a fox
as cute as a bug’s ear
as dead as a doornail
as deaf as a post
as difficult as nailing jelly to a tree
as dry as a bone
as dull as dishwater
as easy as ABC
as fit as a fiddle
as flat as a pancake
as free as a bird
as fresh as a daisy
as gentle as a lamb
as good as gold
as happy as a dog with two tails
as hard as nails
as heavy as lead
as helpless as a baby
as honest as the day is long
as hot as blue blazes
as hungry as a bear
as innocent as a lamb
as large as life
as light as a feather
as long as a month of Sundays
as loose as a goose
as mad as a hatter
as mad as a hornet
as nutty as a fruitcake
as old as the hills
as pale as death
as plain as the nose on your face
as playful as a kitten
as pleased as punch
as proud as a peacock
as quick as lightning
as regular as clockwork
as scarce as a hen’s teeth
as sharp as a razor
as sick as a dog
as silent as the grave
as slippery as an eel
as slow as molasses in January
as sly as a fox
as snug as a bug in a rug
as solid as the ground we stand on
as sour as vinegar
as steady as a rock
as stiff as a board
as straight as an arrow
as strong as an ox
as stubborn as a mule
as sturdy as an oak
as sweet as pie
as tall as a giraffe
as thin as a rake
as tight as a drum
as timid as a rabbit
as tough as old boots
as useless as a chocolate teapot
as warm as toast
as white as snow
as wise as an owl
sing like an angel
act like an animal
eat like a bird
fight like cats and dogs
work like a dog / like a dream
soar like an eagle
racing like a frightened rabbit
have eyes like a hawk
eat like a horse
sleep like a log / like a moth to the flame
tender like a rose
beautiful like a rose
scream like a baby
shine like stars
Metaphor
metaphor میں like, as یا so کے الفاظ استعمال کیے بغیر معنی کے لحاظ سے موازنہ کیاجاتا ہے۔ اس میں دوبالکل مختلف چیزوں میں سے ایک کو دوسری چیز کا نام دے دیا جاتا ہے، اس موازنے کی وجہ بھی ان چیزوں میں کوئی مشترکہ خوبی یا خامی ہوتی ہے۔ مثلاً ایک آدمی اور ایک شیر دو مختلف چیزیں ہیں۔ شیر کی بہادری مشہور ہے۔ دونوں میں موازنے کے لیے آدمی کو شیر کہہ دیا جاتا ہے۔ اسی طرح مندرجہ ذیل مثالیں ملاحظہ فرمائیں۔
| The camel is the ship of the desert. | اونٹ ریگستان کا جہاز ہے۔ |
| My eldest son is the star of the family. | میرا بڑا بیٹا خاندان کا ستارہ ہے۔ |
ذیل میں مثالوں کے طور پر کچھ metaphors دی گئی ہیں:
The snow is a white blanket.
The hospital was a refrigerator.
The classroom was a zoo.
Her lovely voice was music to his ears.
Life is a rollercoaster.
The alligator’s teeth are white daggers.
Their home was a prison.
The slide on the playground was a hot stove.
His heart is a cold iron.
She is a peacock.
He is a shining star.
Time is money.
My friend is a dragon when angry.
Tom’s eyes were ice.
She feels that life is a fashion show.
The world is a stage.
My kid’s room is a disaster area.
The children were flowers grown in concrete gardens.
His words were cotton candy.
Mary’s eyes were fireflies.
The cast on his broken leg was a plaster shackle.
Jane’s ambitions are a house of cards.
Her long hair was a flowing golden river.
The computers at school are old dinosaurs.
Laughter is the music of the soul.
He is a night owl.
The falling snowflakes are dancers.
Books are keys to your imagination.
Her teddy bear was her best friend, never telling her secrets.
The peaceful lake was a mirror.
Terry was blue when his goldfish died.
The wind was an angry witch.
Her angry words were bullets to him.
Your brain is a computer.
The car was a furnace in the sun.
Thank you so much. You are an angel.
That coach is an ogre.
Ben’s temper was a volcano, ready to explode.
The kids were monkeys on the jungle gym.
The sun is a golden ball.
The clouds are balls of cotton.
Sue’s room is a zoo with fish, a gerbil and a parakeet.
The park was a lake after the rain.
The lightning was fireworks in the sky.
Gary is a mule.
That lawn is a green carpet.
The stars are sparkling diamonds.
Those two best friends are two peas in a pod.
He is a walking dictionary.
Donations for the popular charity were a tsunami.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
My big brother is a couch potato.
The road was a ribbon stretching across the desert.
The teenager’s stomach was a bottomless pit.
The thunder was a mighty lion.
I am so excited. My pulse is a race car.
The moon is a white balloon.
Toddlers are rug rats.
The stormy ocean was a raging bull.
Her tears were a river flowing down her cheeks.
Exercise 1
Pick up the correct choice to complete the simile.
1. Is there anything to eat? I’m as hungry as a __________.
a) dog b) cat c) mouse d) wolf
2. It hasn’t rained for months – the ground’s as dry as a __________.
a) bone b) desert c) brick d) stone
3. You’ll have to speak up when you’re with Tom; he’s as deaf as a __________.
a) brick b) post c) mummy d) dog
4. Mike was so embarrassed when we found out he was lying: his face was as red as a __________.
a) cherry b) beetroot c) strawberry d) raspberry
5. I can’t see a thing without my glasses. I’m as blind as a __________.
a) bee b) bat c) beetle d) badger
6. Your brother’s as thin as a __________. Is he eating enough?
a) rake b) pole c) stick d) paper
7. I promise I won’t wake you when I get home. I’ll be as quiet as a __________.
a) beetle b) baby c) tree d) mouse
8. This bag’s not heavy – it’s as light as a __________.
a) flee b) lamp c) lamb d) feather
Answers
1. d) wolf
2. a) bone
3. b) post
4. b) beetroot
5. b) bat
6. a) rake
7. d) mouse
8. d) feather
Exercise 2
Rewrite the sentences using a simile.
1. Shamsa was sleepy.
2. The homework was difficult.
3. Our kitchen was messy.
4. Naheed’s Internet connection was fast.
5. The baby giraffe’s neck was long.
6. The movie was exciting!
7. The umbrella is wet.
8. Sajjad and Baqir are brave.
Answers
Answers may vary. Sample answers are given.
1. Shamsa was as sleepy as a sloth.
2. The homework was as difficult as brain surgery.
3. Our kitchen was as messy as a toddler’s playroom.
4. Naheed’s Internet connection was as fast as a roadrunner.
5. The baby giraffe’s neck was as long as a boa constrictor.
6. The movie was as exciting as an earthquake!
7. The umbrella was as wet as a sponge.
8. Sajjad and Baqir are as brave as soldiers going into battle.
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