Similes and metaphors · Year 3
Similes and metaphors compare one thing with another to help the reader picture it. A simile says something is like something else, using like or as … as: as brave as a lion. A metaphor says something is something else: The classroom was a zoo. Neither is meant literally.
Key facts
- Simile with like: She ran like the wind. With as … as: as cold as ice, as light as a feather.
- Metaphor: Time is a thief. The test was a breeze. (no like, no as).
- Ask: what two things are compared, and what do they have in common? The lake was as smooth as glass.: the lake and glass, both smooth and shiny.
- The effect: a strong picture in a few words. The playground was an oven makes us feel the heat more than it was very hot.
- Not every like is a simile: I like apples. is not a comparison.