Similes & Metaphors
This device compares unlike things using like or as.
Name the device.
What is a simile?
A simile uses like or as to make a comparison. The words must actually compare things.
This familiar expression means something different from the literal meanings of its words.
Name the device.
What is an idiom?
Readers use the expression's accepted meaning and the surrounding context to interpret it.
Buzz, hiss, and clang are examples of this sound device.
Name the device.
What is onomatopoeia?
These words imitate or suggest the sounds they name.
An object in a story represents an idea beyond the object itself.
What literary device is the author using?
What is symbolism?
A symbol has a literal role and can carry a deeper meaning supported by the text.
I am so hungry I could eat a horse!
Which device exaggerates the speaker's hunger?
What is hyperbole?
The impossible amount emphasizes how hungry the speaker feels.
The cafeteria was a beehive as students hurried between tables.
Name the device and the two things it compares.
A metaphor compares the cafeteria to a beehive.
The comparison emphasizes busy activity. The word as introduces an action here, not a simile.
Everyone at the new table was silent, so Nia told a joke to break the ice.
What does break the ice mean here?
Help people feel comfortable enough to interact.
The silent group needs a friendly opening. Nia's joke begins the conversation.
Crack! The branch snapped. Splash! It landed in the pond.
Identify two clear examples of onomatopoeia.
Crack and splash.
Crack echoes the breaking branch. Splash echoes the branch hitting water.
After their argument, Eli left his mother a rose with a note: "I love you. Can we start again?"
What is the rose literally? What might it symbolize here?
Literally, it is a flower. It can symbolize love or reconciliation.
The loving note and the request to start again connect the rose to repairing their relationship.
The sharp scent of cut grass filled the air. Cool mud squeezed between my toes.
Which two senses does the imagery appeal to? Cite the words.
Smell and touch.
Sharp scent appeals to smell. Cool mud and squeezed between my toes appeal to touch.
Maya knew her speech at home. In front of the class, her words scattered like startled birds.
What does the simile suggest about Maya? Use a detail from the passage.
Nervousness disrupts words she already knows.
She knows the speech at home, but the startled birds suggest a sudden loss of control in front of the class.
Keep the surprise party a secret. Please do not spill the beans!
What action does the speaker want to prevent?
Revealing the secret about the party.
Spill the beans means reveal secret information. The request to keep the party secret supports this meaning.
The alarm clock screamed impatiently as Omar searched for his shoes.
Which device gives the clock a human quality? What is its effect?
Personification makes the morning feel urgent.
Screamed impatiently gives the clock human behavior and emotion, as though it is pressuring Omar to hurry.
Although the old key no longer opened any door, Mara carried it after moving away. Holding it reminded her of evenings with her family.
What might the key symbolize? Support your interpretation.
Home, belonging, or connection to family.
The key no longer works, but Mara keeps it because it brings back family memories.
After the announcement, a deafening silence filled the room.
Identify the oxymoron. What does it emphasize?
Deafening silence emphasizes an intense, noticeable silence.
Deafening suggests extreme loudness, while silence means an absence of sound. Their contrast makes the quiet seem powerful.
A: The moon was a silver coin above the trees.
B: The moon shone like a silver coin above the trees.
Identify each device. What shared image do they create?
A is a metaphor. B is a simile.
Both compare the moon to a coin, emphasizing its round shape and silvery brightness.
A: I am on the fence about joining the play.
B: I agreed to perform, but now I am getting cold feet.
How do the speakers' situations differ?
A has not decided. B is nervous about an earlier decision.
On the fence means undecided. Getting cold feet means becoming afraid or hesitant about a planned action.
A: Buzz! A bee passed my ear.
B: The flowers begged the clouds for rain.
Identify the device in each sentence and explain your evidence.
A uses onomatopoeia. B uses personification.
Buzz imitates a sound. Begged gives the flowers the human action of pleading.
Three of Ben's seedlings died. He planted again. When the fourth sprouted, he kept its empty seed packet above his desk.
What could the seed packet symbolize? Which detail best supports this?
Perseverance or hope through repeated effort.
Ben plants again after three failures. Keeping the packet preserves a reminder of that effort and growth.
The bus pulled away just as Leo arrived. "Perfect timing," he muttered, staring at the empty stop.
Explain the verbal irony and describe Leo's tone.
He means the timing is bad. His tone is frustrated or sarcastic.
Perfect says the opposite of his intended meaning. Missing the bus and muttering support that interpretation.
At first, Jalen waited for directions. By Friday, he was the group's compass. When actors disagreed, they turned to him for help.
Explain how the metaphor shows Jalen's change. Support your answer.
Jalen grows from a follower into a trusted guide.
He first waits for directions. Later, others turn to him. A compass provides direction, as Jalen now does for the group.
"This project will be a piece of cake," Ava said. Two hours later, she had restarted it three times and asked for help.
Explain the idiom and how later events challenge Ava's expectation.
Ava expects an easy task, but it proves difficult for her.
Piece of cake means easy. Three restarts and a request for help show that she underestimated the work.
Drip. Drip. The hallway was empty. Lena held the cold doorknob and waited for the next sound.
How does the repeated onomatopoeia build the mood? Use another detail.
The repeated drips help create a tense, suspenseful mood.
The isolated sounds draw attention to the silence. The empty hallway and Lena's waiting suggest uncertainty.
After her loss, Ana hid the cracked trophy. Months later, she placed it on her desk: "It reminds me that I kept going."
Explain how the trophy's meaning changes. Use both parts of the passage.
It changes from a reminder of disappointment to a symbol of perseverance.
Ana first hides it after losing. Later, she displays it and connects it to continuing through difficulty.
The stairs groaned beneath Imani. At the landing, she stopped. A thin line of light vanished under the locked door.
Describe the mood. Explain how two details create it.
The mood is tense, eerie, or suspenseful.
The groaning stairs make the setting unsettling. The disappearing light behind a locked door suggests a hidden presence or uncertainty.
On her first day, June hid a paper crane in her pocket whenever she felt afraid. By Friday, it rested on her desk as she raised her hand. Her courage opened like an umbrella.
Explain what the crane can symbolize and how the simile develops June's change. Support each interpretation with words from the passage.
The crane can symbolize June's growing courage or confidence. The simile shows that her courage expands and helps her face a challenge.
She moves from hiding the crane while afraid to displaying it while raising her hand. Courage opened like an umbrella compares her growing confidence to an umbrella opening.