Exploring Similes and Metaphors

Similies and metaphors

March 25th 2022

​Today...

I hope you find today's session more relaxed. The following topic we are going to see is good for being better at your English game.

What are similes and metaphors? What is the difference?

Take a look at these

• Our wedding was like a fairytale.

• Our wedding was a fairytale.

​Both are...

Literary devices

• applies a word or a phrase where we would not normally use it.

• does not use connecting words.

• makes implicit comparisons.

​A metaphor

• makes a comparison

• uses ​connecting words such as: like, as

• makes explicit comparisons​

​A simile

But...

​Examples of similes

• She swims like a fish,

• He's as hairy as a gorilla.

• The world is like a stage.

• Mr, John is as wise as an owl.

​Examples of metaphors

• Mary's voice is music to my ears.

• Love is blind,

• You are my sunshine.

• My sister is the devil.

Mini quiz!

Multiple Choice

What is the best definition of a metaphor?

• It states that one thing is literally another thing

• It's a device used in poetry

• It's a lie

• It describes something in a way that isn't literally true for symbolic effect

While the simple definition of a metaphor​ is that it states that one thing is another thing, a metaphor does not mean that statement literally but figuratively or poetically.

Multiple Choice

Which one of these is a simile?

• Life is like a box of chocolates

• Let's go paint the town red

• Larry is like his twin Louie

• Love is a battlefield

"Life is like a box of chocolates"

is our winner because of that "like". Similes are figures of speech that make comparisons using the words "like" or "as".​

Multiple Choice

You ain't nothin' but a hound dog cryin' all the time...

What type of person is the subject of the phrase?

• A hound dog

• A loyal guardian

• Someone with droopy jowls like a hound

• A whiner

A WHINER​

The hound is a metaphor, because hounds tend to howl. This phrase is an extraction from a song in which "cryin'" is mentioned many times. So, it is safe to assume that the person he's singing to is a whiner.

Multiple Choice

Just like a prayer, your voice can take me there. Just like a muse to me, you are a mystery.

What comparative device is used here?

• Simile

• Metaphor

• None

Common similes​

​I run as fast as lightning

​I am feeling as fresh as a daisy

​My boyfriend is as stubborn as a mule

​I feel as fat as a pig!

​I am as blind as a bat

Common metaphors

That is music to my ears

​You are the apple of my eye

​I am feeling blue

​Her heart is cold iron

​That was a breeze