Simile & Metaphor Read & Respond

When we use literal language, we are using words in their usual, most basic sense. When we use figurative language, we use words and phrases to mean something other than their literal meaning.

Read the following passage.

The first time Angela visited the museum, her head was spinning from all the new sights around her. The museum was full of displays about different animals and plants. The rooms were packed with strange stuffed birds, glass cases full of feathers. She learned so much information about all the weird and wonderful creatures in the world.

Which detail from the passage is an example of figurative language?

• “It was full of displays about different animals and plants.”

• “...her head was spinning from all the new sights...”

• “The first time Angela visited the museum…”

• “The rooms were packed with strange stuffed birds...”

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CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

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CCSS.RI.8.5

Similes and metaphors are figures of speech. That means they don’t use words or phrases literally. Instead, similes and metaphors use language to create feelings and vivid images. Similes and metaphors both make comparisons but they do it in different ways. A simile uses the words "like" or "as" to specify how two things are alike. A metaphor doesn’t use "like" or "as." It states the comparison directly.

Read the following sentence.

The clouds were as gray and wrinkled as an elephant’s skin.

Which word in this sentence show us that it is a simile?

• like
• as
• than
• similar to

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CCSS.L.4.5A

CCSS.L.5.5A

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.W.11-12.2D

Metaphors make your writing vivid. In this song, the first draft of the story reads: "The night was dark." In the next draft, this sentence was revised: "The night was a cave of darkness." By calling the night "a cave of darkness," the writer makes us imagine a darkness so deep that it is like a cave. That adds a lot more to the story than the simple, literal sentence, "The night was dark."

Read the following sentence.

The parking lot was hot and empty.

Which of the following revisions uses a metaphor to make the sentence more vivid?

• 
  The parking lot was a desert.

• It was 100 degrees in the parking lot.

• There had never been a hotter place than the parking lot.

• 
  The parking lot was simply scorching.

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CCSS.L.4.5A

CCSS.L.5.5A

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.W.11-12.2D

Not every sentence with the word "like" is a simile. When looking for similes, be sure to find sentences that make comparisons between two different things.

Read the following passage.

My new teacher Ms. Grossman could have been a pirate captain in another life. She looks like she is adventurous--I like tall, rugged boots she wears. Sometimes when she stands at the front of the class, I imagine her on a deck or behind a ship’s wheel. To me, her voice is like a loud, rough sea. It’s harsh but also soothing to hear.

Which sentence from the passage contains a simile?

• 
  “My new teacher Ms. Grossman could have been a pirate captain in another life.”

• “And her voice is like a loud, rough sea.”

• “She looks like she is adventurous.”

• “I like the puffy, flowing blouses she wears.”

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CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

Be sure your similes and metaphors don’t make your reader confused. Don’t use similes or metaphors to compare to something that is strange or unknown to most readers.

Read the following sentence.

The sunset was like my brother’s favorite song.

This simile is unclear because

• it makes a comparison between a song and nature.

• 
  it makes a comparison to something that is unknown to most readers.

• 
  it makes a comparison that is familiar to most readers.

• 
  it uses the word "like".

Tags

CCSS.L.4.5A

CCSS.L.5.5A

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.W.11-12.2D

Tone is another important thing to keep in mind when using similes and metaphors. Tone is the attitude a writer has toward the subject. Tone can be revealed in word choice and imagery. You want your figurative language to match the tone of your writing.

If a story has a mysterious tone, which would be the best simile about the wind to include in it?

• 
  I felt the wind blow as gently as a child’s sigh

• 
  I heard the wind dance wildly, like an energetic kitten.

• 
  I felt the wind at my back, like a friendly pat.

• 
  I heard the wind whispering like a ghost through my curtains.

Tags

CCSS.L.4.5A

CCSS.L.5.5A

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.W.11-12.2D

What is being compared in the sentence " Carlton was as brave as a lion." ?

• "brave" and "lion"

• Carlton and "brave"

• Carlton and a lion

• Nothing is being compared.

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CCSS.L.4.5A

CCSS.L.5.5A

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.W.11-12.2D

Identify the SIMILE below.

• I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.

• She is a graceful swan in the water.

• The leaves danced in the wind.

• It's as cold as ice outside.

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CCSS.L.4.5A

CCSS.L.5.5A

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.W.11-12.2D

Explain the meaning of the simile below.

The road was as flat as a pancake.

• The road was the color of a pancake.

• The road had a lot of bumps.

• The road was very flat.

• The road was in Waco.

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CCSS.L.4.5A

CCSS.L.5.5A

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.W.11-12.2D

Which of the following is NOT a metaphor?

• The world is a stage.

• Her eyes were stars shining in the night.

• He has a heart of stone.

• She swims like a fish.

Tags

CCSS.L.4.5A

CCSS.L.5.5A

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.W.11-12.2D