What are metaphors and similes?
JANINE: Big crowd in tonight, Jeff.
JEFF: Including Bob the superfan. Bob here has never actually seen Jess perform.
JANINE: Let’s help him picture her in his head - we can use metaphors and similes.
BOB: Huh?
JANINE: Ok so a metaphor is when we say something is something completely different, to help someone understand more about it.
JEFF: So for Jess, we could say…
JANINE: She is a star!
[WOAH]
JANINE: Not an actual star, Bob.
JEFF: Or we could say…
JANINE: She is dynamite.
JEFF: Oh he’s done it again.
JANINE: Bob, not real dynamite. For similes we use ‘as’ or ‘like’ to compare one thing to another.
JEFF: So for Jess we could say…
JANINE: She’s as fast as a cheetah.
JEFF: Or…
JANINE: As graceful as a gazelle.
JEFF: Well today it’s power lifting. Oh, that’s bound to hurt.
JANINE: Uh, maybe we should have mentioned she’s as feeble as a mouse.
What is a metaphor?
A metaphor is a word or a phrase used to describe something as if it were something else:
- For example, "A wave of terror washed over him."
- The terror isn't actually a wave, but a wave is a good way of describing the feeling.
- "Jess is dynamite."
- She's not made of dynamite, but it's a way to explain how exciting she is.
What is a simile?
A simile describes something by comparing it to something else, using like or as:
- The snake moved like a ripple on a pond.
- It was as slippery as an eel.
- Jess is as graceful as a gazelle.
Try using metaphors and similes to make your own poetry or other writing more descriptive and interesting.
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