Created By
Colleen Maestas-Taylor
For Palmdale School District
Palmdale School District Language Arts Content Standard:
Reading - Vocabulary and Concept Development 1.1
Figurative Language in
Poetry and Prose
Similes
Metaphors
Analogies
A comparison of two seemingly unlike objects using “like” or
“as.”
…faces with smiles like a piano
keyboard.
Familiar similes
Peter eats like a pig
My father is as strong as an ox
Jane is neat as a pin
Jamal is sly as a fox
What simile are you reminded of
in this picture?
Does this expression
sound familiar?
When Jenny got all of
her spelling words
correct, she was as
“proud as a peacock.”
A comparison of two seemingly unlike objects
without a qualifying term such as “like” or “as.”
When Dad’s not
home, my brother
thinks he’s king of
the jungle at my
house.
An analogy is just like a
metaphor except it is longer.
Joey dreaded Sundays at
Grandma’s house. It was a jungle of
boa constrictors wanting hugs and
vultures sneaking kisses and
pinching his cheek.
Why would I want to use a
simile, metaphor, or
analogy?
Enliven your writing
Economize your use of language
Explore the use of powerful images
Metaphors enliven
language.
School is a roller
coaster ride.
A metaphor is
just more fun.
Think about the last metaphor:
School is a roller coaster
ride.
What is a roller coast ride like?
???????????????????????
How could a roller coaster
ride be like school.
?????????????????????
?
Can you think of a
better comparison?
What words could you
think of to explain
what school is like for
you?
•Economy of words
If you write, “School is like a roller
coaster,”
you use only a few words
to tell someone a lot of
feelings you have about school.
The boy was a
streak of
lightning on roller
blades
A well-written
metaphor is. . .
. . .A sign of genius
Or so
says
Aristotle
in
Poetics:
Are you ready to
give it try?
Create your own metaphor
Here are some creative ways to use
metaphors
as verbs
The news that ignited his face snuffed out her smile.
as adjectives and adverbs
Her carnivorous pencil carved up Susan's devotion.
as prepositional phrases
The doctor inspected the rash with a vulture's eye.
as appositives or modifiers
On the sidewalk was yesterday's paper, an ink-stained sponge.
.