Similes and Metaphors: Painting Pictures With Words

Sometimes the best way to describe something is to compare it to something else. Writers have two special tools for this: similes and metaphors.

Similes use "like" or "as"

A simile says one thing is like another thing, or as something as another thing.

• The moon was like a big round cookie with a bite taken out.
• Her hands were as cold as ice cubes.
• He ran like a cheetah chasing its lunch.
• The baby's cheeks were as soft as marshmallows.

Metaphors say something IS something else

A metaphor is a bit bolder. Instead of saying something is like another thing, it says it is that thing.

• My bedroom is a jungle. (It's very messy!)
• Dad was a volcano, ready to explode. (He's very angry!)
• The classroom was a zoo. (It's loud and wild!)

Make them fresh

Some comparisons are used so often that they've gone stale, like "as busy as a bee". Try inventing your own! What else is busy? A squirrel in autumn? A mum at breakfast time?