In reading literature, especially in your study of poetry, you encounter many figures of speech. Those most commonly found are metaphor, simile and personification. In each of these, the writer draws a comparison. Two things are compared which are not really alike but are similar in at least one respect. By making the comparison, the writer is able to express meaning more clearly, vividly, and convincingly than could be done by writing a literal description or explanation.

Simile Definition with Examples

A simile is a figure of speech in which two things are compared using the linking words ‘like’ or ‘as’.

Example 1: In battle, he was as brave as a lion.

Example 2: The ball streaked across the field like a meteor.

Metaphor Definition with Examples

A metaphor is a figure of speech in which one thing is actually said to be the other.

Example 1: This man is a lion in battle.

Example 2: Life is a curly slide, full of twists and turns.

Personification Definition with Examples

Personification can work at two levels: it can give an animal the characteristics of a human, and it can give an abstract thing the characteristics of a human or an animal.

Example 1: I was looking Death in the face.

Example 2: The tree invited us to come and play.

Use figures of speech to make writing interesting and vivid.

Simile, Metaphor, and Personification Exercises

A. Replace the figurative language in italics with expressions from the box.

1. Danielle was bursting with pride when she talked about the prize she had won. _______________________________________________________________________________

2. We got a heart-rending letter giving an account of my grandmother’s illness. _______________________________________________________________________________

3. My beliefs about life after death are not rooted in any particular philosophy. _______________________________________________________________________________

4. Her anger melted away when she saw how sorry the little boy was. _______________________________________________________________________________

5. There were echoes of her own childhood in the novel she wrote about a poor family who emigrated to the USA. _______________________________________________________________________________

6. He didn’t realise that telling the first lie would create a tangled web of deceit. _______________________________________________________________________________

7. Lovingly, she stroked the baby’s velvety skin. _______________________________________________________________________________

8. There was a howling wind all night. _______________________________________________________________________________

B. In each of the following sentences, one word is used figuratively. Underline the word and then write sentences of your own to illustrate the meaning.

1. I spent the day wrestling with our financial problems. _______________________________________________________________________________

2. My heart lifts when I come home. _______________________________________________________________________________

3. She was unhappy because her older sister always squashed her ideas. _______________________________________________________________________________

4. We’re fighting the authorities who want to close our village school. _______________________________________________________________________________

5. His face broke into a smile when he heard the news. _______________________________________________________________________________

6. I’m tired of battling with staff who refuse to accept different working conditions. _______________________________________________________________________________

7. After his wife’s death, he buried himself in his work. _______________________________________________________________________________

8. She’s crippled by shyness. _______________________________________________________________________________

D. Read each sentence and write the correct type of figurative language in the space provided.

1. I am as blind as a bat without my glasses. _____________

2. The camera loves him since he is so handsome. _____________

3. The moon hid behind the clouds. _____________

4. The new manager is as tall as a giraffe. _____________

5. Her anger was a storm. _____________

6. My hands are as cold as ice. _____________

7. The wind danced, whispering secrets; the moon watched. _____________

8. He was a prisoner in his own home. _____________

9. The new manager is as tall as a giraffe. _____________

10. His eyes were ice. _____________

11. That book is a rollercoaster. _____________

12. The wind whispered through the dark and gloomy forest. _____________