Search from various English teachers...
Tim 🇬🇧
Professional TeacherI was explaining the synecdoche “a friendly face” to a student today, and it got me thinking about how often we use this figure of speech in everyday English.
A synecdoche (pronounced si-NEK-duh-kee) is when we use a part of something to stand for the whole, or the whole to stand for a part.
Some common examples:
All hands on deck → “hands” means the sailors or workers.
Nice wheels → “wheels” means a car.
The crown will decide → “crown” means the king or queen.
England won the World Cup → “England” means the football team.
It’s one of those things we hear all the time without noticing!
I’d love to hear your examples (either in English or in your own language). What synecdoche do you use every day?
Sep 27, 2025 1:50 PM
Tim 🇬🇧
Language Skills
English, Russian
Learning Language
Russian
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