Similes · Grade 5
In Grade 5 you learn: the effect of a comparison.
A simile compares one thing with another, using like or as … as, to help the reader picture it: as brave as a lion, She ran like the wind. Ask what two things are compared and what they have in common.
Key facts
- Simile with like: She ran like the wind. With as … as: as cold as ice, as light as a feather.
- 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.
- Not every like is a simile: I like apples. is not a comparison.
- The effect: a simile gives a clear picture in a few words: as light as a feather shows how light something is.
Worked examples
Example 1
Simile or metaphor? His hands were as cold as ice.
Answer: simile
Example 2
Complete the simile: as busy as a ___
Answer: bee
Example 3
Find the simile: The baby's skin was as soft as silk.
Answer: as soft as silk
Example 4
What two things are compared? Her eyes sparkled like diamonds.
Answer: her eyes and diamonds: both sparkle and shine
Example 5
Write a simile to describe a very fast runner.
Answer: He ran like a cheetah chasing its dinner.
Example 6
Explain the effect of the simile: The news spread like fire through dry grass.
Answer: It shows the news spread very fast and could not be stopped, as fire does in dry grass.