Question

Descriptive paragraph using figure of speech

Answer 1

A figure of speech is a comparison (like similes, metaphors, or personification). Overuse of such comparisons makes a descriptive paragraph cumbersome and the meaning of its sentences sometimes misleading. Here are some helpful hints in using figures of speech in description:

(1) Use figures of speech sparingly. 
(2) Avoid complex, complicated figures of speech; their meaning should always be immediately obvious in the context of the sentence. 
(3) Avoid using figures of speech in phrases at the end of an explanatory sentence. 
(4) Avoid conflicting figures of speech within a paragraph.

Mark Twain's description of the Mississippi Riverfrom Life on the Mississippi and Washington Irving's burlesque introduction of Icabod Crane in the "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" are American masterpieces of descriptive writing.