Simile & Personification

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

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

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

Metaphor

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

Example: This man is a lion in battle.

Personification

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: I was looking Death in the face.

Use figures of speech to make writing interesting and vivid.

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. _______________________________________________________________________________

C. Write each sentence. Underline each example of figurative language. Label it simile, metaphor, or personification.

1. The train roared through the station like an angry lion. _______________________________________________________________________________

2. The young tree crouched in fear during the hurricane. _______________________________________________________________________________

3. The sky was a blue sea. _______________________________________________________________________________

4. My cat jumped like a leaping frog. _______________________________________________________________________________

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