Similes and Metaphors

Similes and metaphors are of great importance in writing process. A Simile is a figure of speech that compares two things that are basically alike. Mostly similes use words “Like’ and “As’.

Metaphors are more common in written English and they make effect of sounding quite poetic and romantic.

Exercise № 41. Write a poem for kids and underline as many similes as possible. Use them in sentences of your own.

Black as words on printed pages.

Sad like tigers locked in cages.

Long as thread unrolled from spools,

Straight like legs on wooden stools.

Quiet as a school at night.

Happy like a bird in flight.

Tight as fuzzy skin on peaches.

White like dunes of sand on beaches.

Cold as scoops of frozen peas.

Fun like writing similes.

Exercise № 52. Complete these similes in black and white. Use your creativity, but a Lingvo dictionary.

1. as Happy as …

2. as Dark as …

3. as Smart as …

Exercise № 53. Write definitions.

1. Write a simile about your friend. My friend is as …as …

2. Write a simile about your University lecturer. My university Lecturer is as …as …

3. Write a simile about any of wild animals. Moscow zoo homes a great deal of ….

4. Write a simile about any of domestic animals or home pets. I have a fancy of …

5. Write a simile about your favourite food.

A metaphor compares two seemingly unlike things without using; like, as, than, or resembles. A metaphor says that something is something else.

Original: My dress blew around in the wind.

Metaphor: My dress was a sail billowing in a wind, making me feel as if I were about to keel over.

Personification gives human qualities to something that is not human, such as an animal, an object, or an idea.

Original: The spring rain fell.

Personification: Spring wept its bitter tears of rain.

Exercise № 54. On a piece of paper, rewrite the following sentences using a metaphor, simile, or personification.

Example: The mountain range rose out of the valley. The mountain range, like a man’s craggy profile, rose out of the valley.

1. The trees made shadows.

2. The building looked sleek and new.

3. I felt sad.

4. There were some scary noises.

5. The carpet was soft.

6. The dog was very smart.

7. The boat moved through the water.

8. She hit the tennis ball.

9. I hurried down the sidewalk.

10. The stream flowed quickly.

Comparison Conjunctions

In the above paragraphs you will see various conjunctions that contribute to paragraph coherence. We can look at the above paragraphs again to see how the conjunctions are used:

     My hometown and my college town have several things in common. First, both are small rural communities. For example, my hometown, Gridlock, has a population of only about 10,000 people. Similarly, my college town, Subnormal, consists of about 11,000 local residents. This population swells to 15,000 people when the college students are attending classes. A second way in which these two towns are similar is that they are both located in rural areas. Gridlock is surrounded by many acres of farmland, which is devoted mainly to growing corn and soybeans. In the same way, Subnormal lies in the center of farmland which is used to raise hogs and cattle. Thirdly, these towns are similar in that they contain college campuses. Gridlock, for example, is home to Neutron College, which is famous for its Agricultural Economics program as well as for its annual Corn-Watching Festival. Likewise, the town of Subnormal boasts the beautiful campus of Quark College, which is well known for its Agricultural Engineering department and also for its yearly Hog-Calling Contest.

This paragraph, of course, is organized according to similarities.   Notice how the ORDER of the similarities is the same throughout the paragraph. That is, at each similar point, the paragraph first discusses Gridlock and then it discusses Subnormal. Keeping the same order throughout the paragraph prevents the reader from getting confused.