simile
part of speech
noun (a simile, similes)
meaning for a pupil
1) A simile is a way of describing something by comparing it to something else using «like» or «as»: «as brave as a lion», «she ran like the wind». tree →
2) Similes help the reader picture something more clearly or feel it more strongly. tree →
sense in the lessons
In English lessons pupils find and write similes in descriptive writing and poetry, and compare them with metaphors. Common similes: «as cold as ice», «as busy as a bee», «as light as a feather», «like a fish out of water». In stories a good fresh simile is better than a tired one.
examples
- «As white as snow» is a simile. tree →
- «He ate like a horse» is a simile using «like». tree →
- Write a simile to describe the storm. tree →
- «Her eyes shone like stars» is a simile. tree →
- A simile uses «like» or «as»; a metaphor does not. tree →
- «The classroom was as quiet as a mouse» is a simile. tree →
- Try to invent new similes instead of using old ones. tree →
note
Plural «similes». Say «SIM-ih-lee» (three syllables). Trap: a simile says something is «like» something else; a metaphor says it «is» that thing: «He was a lion in battle» is a metaphor. Not every sentence with «like» is a simile: «I like cake» is not.
In the corpora
- A simile compares two things using «like» or «as»: lonely as a cloud.
- A simile compares two things using "like" or "as": "The lake was as flat as a plate."
- A cliché simile has been used so often that it no longer surprises, like "as quiet as a mouse".
- Poets paint pictures with words, and they have a few favourite tricks: the simile, the metaphor, personification and alliteration.
- More similes do not make a better poem: a few strong ones beat a crowd of weak ones.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «simile» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.