Bell Work 9/13/11
Find examples of words and phrases from the below poem that "show"
When I see birches bend to left and right
Across the lines of straighter darker trees,
I like to think some boy's been swinging them.
But swinging doesn't bend them down to stay.
As ice-storms do. Often you must have seen them
Loaded with ice a sunny winter morning
After a rain. They click upon themselves
As the breeze rises, and turn many-colored
As the stir cracks and crazes their enamel.
Soon the sun's warmth makes them shed crystal
shells
Shattering and avalanching on the snow-crust
Such heaps of broken glass to sweep away
You'd think the inner dome of heaven had fallen.
They are dragged to the withered bracken by the
load,
And they seem not to break; though once they are
bowed
- excerpt from "Birches" by Robert Frost
Identifying Similes
and Metaphors
Why use figures of speech?
hey make our writing more interesting
-T
-They help give a clearer picture of what is being
described
-They help us to show rather than tell
-They help us to say a lot in just a few words
Similes
*
compare two unlike things using the
words like or as
He swims like a fish.
What does that mean?
Metaphors
*
*
My brother's room is a pigpen.
Compare two unlike things
does not use like or as
What does that mean?
Writing Metaphors
These steps will help you create metaphors:
1. Choose a noun.
Example: umbrella
2. Ask yourself "What can I compare my noun to?"
Example: roof
3. Write your metaphor.
Example: The umbrella was a roof over my head.
Similes
Compare two unlike things using the words like or as
Your eyes sparkle like a ___________.
Her teeth were as white as a __________.
My love was like a __________.
School is as strict as a __________.
He swims like a ___________.
Mrs. Hughes runs as slow as a ________.
Metaphors
compares two unlike things
does not use like or as
My dad is a _________ in the mornings.
The _____________ is a green carpet.
My brother's room is a _______________.
Her shirt is a ____________ of colors.
The red apple was a shiny ____________.
Similes and metaphors are figures
of speech that paint a picture for
the reader by comparing one thing
to something else.
Decide whether each of the following sentences contains a simile or
a metaphor. Write your answers on the lines.
1. The news travelled as swiftly as the breeze in the birches.
__________
2. John was a streaking greyhound in the 100-yard
dash._____________
3. The smoke was a slithering snake rising into the still
air.___________
4. The baby's blond hair shone like a golden halo._____________
Use the highlighter pen to
underline the two things being
compared.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
My brother moves like a snail.
My dad sleeps like a log.
The car sparkled like a diamond.
The cookie was as hard as a rock.
My friend eats like a pig.
In each of the following sentences,
circle the things that are being
compared.
1.
The forsythia bush, a yellow geyser, bubbled over the lawn.
2.
Those exotic wineglasses, colorful tulips, stand upright on their
stems in the
fresh wind.
3.
The dead leaves of last year's roses are like hands clapping against
the fence.
4.
The sky is a billowing blue tablecloth suspended by the wind.
5.
The bassoon looks like a piece of plumbing and sounds like a
mournful goose.
6.
The plastic deck chairs glint like hard candy.
7.
After he lost his daughter in the accident, he was an empty shell.
Alfred Noyes, used many similes and
metaphors in his famous poem The
Highwayman. How many similes and how
many metaphors can you find in
the first stanza of his poem?
The wind was a torrent of darkness upon the gusty trees,
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
The road was a ribbon of moonlight looping the purple moor,
And the highwayman came riding—
Riding—riding—
The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn door.
0Move
similes;
box to see
3the
metaphors
answer.
Move around the ends of the
sentences to make the most suitable
comparisons.
A. Her hair floated above her head likepolished marble.
B. She ran as swiftly asa feather pillow.
C. The frightened boy sat as still asa circuit board.
D. The island juts likea sieve.
E. In the wind, his coat leaked likea deer.
a bone from the skin of the sea.
F. His skin was as smooth as
G. The fragrance smothered him likea gray cloud.
H. At night, the lit city looked like a stone.
Put your imagination to work and
make your own comparisons. In
the spaces below, complete this
sentence with two different metaphors:
The shadows moving along the wall were...
Work with a partner to create comparisons using
similes and metaphors. You write the beginning of a
sentence on the left side of the line. Then your
partner completes the comparison with a simile or
metaphor. Switch roles for the next sentence.
Write your own metaphors and similes.
Metaphors
1. The child was a ________________________.
2. The rain is ___________________________.
3. The eagle is __________________________.
4. This highway is _______________________.
5. The storm is __________________________.
Similes (remember to use like or as in your comparison)
1. The wet dog smelled _____________________________.
2. The ice was as smooth ___________________________.
3.Your coat is as soft ______________________________.
4. Anna's voice is _______________________________.
5. That student is as sharp ___________________________.
The following pages provide answers to
The following pages provide answers to
the tasks in the lesson activity.
the tasks in the lesson activity.
Similes and metaphors are figures
of speech that paint a picture for
the reader by comparing one thing
to something else.
Decide whether each of the following sentences contains a
simile or
a metaphor. Write your answers on the lines.
1. The news travelled as swiftly as the breeze in the birches.
simile
2. John was a streaking greyhound in the 100-yard dash.
metaphor
3. The smoke was a slithering snake rising into the still air.
metaphor
4. The baby's blond hair shone like a golden halo. simile
In each of the following sentences,
circle the things that are being
compared.
1.
The forsythia bush, a yellow geyser, bubbled over the lawn.
2.
Those exotic wineglasses, colorful tulips, stand upright on their stems
in the
fresh wind.
3.
The dead leaves of last year's roses are like hands clapping against
the fence.
4.
The sky is a billowing blue tablecloth suspended by the wind.
5.
The bassoon looks like a piece of plumbing and sounds like a
mournful goose.
6.
The plastic deck chairs glint like hard candy.
7.
After he lost his daughter in the accident, he was an empty shell.
Move around the ends of the
sentences to make the most suitable
comparisons.
A. Her hair floated above her head likea gray cloud.
B. She ran as swiftly asa deer.
C. The frightened boy sat as still asa stone.
D. The island juts likea bone from the skin of the sea.
E. In the wind, his coat leaked likea sieve.
F. His skin was as smooth aspolished marble.
G. The fragrance smothered him likea feather pillow.
H. At night, the lit city looked likea circuit board.
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