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Synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa.
Its name 'Syn' with 'ekdoche' - Succession, means 'The understanding of one thing by another'. In this figure of speech, there is a substitution
- of a part for the whole,
- of an abstract noun by a concrete noun or vice versa
- of an individual for a class or vice versa,
- or the name of a material of which a thing is made for the name of the thing itself.
Example:
- Offer your hand in marriage - Here, hand, a part represents the whole person who is getting married.
- There is a mixture of the tiger and ape in his character - Tiger and ape are concrete nouns to represent valour and mischief, which are abstract nouns.
- Kalidasa is the Shakespeare of India - Shakespeare is an individual but is used to represent the entire class of writers.
- He gave the beggar a few coppers - Copper is the material but is used to represent the coins that it is made of.
Synecdoche in the poem 'The House on Elm Street':
Inside it has a ton of Space - The ton of space represents the grandeur of the house and not just the inside of the house. The poet emphasises that the entire house seems big.
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