Metaphors and Similes

Writers need a way for them to connect with their readers so that the readers will be able to become invested in their work. They can use many styles or techniques so that they can achieve the kind of connection that they want to achieve with their readers. One technique that they could use is to make comparisons about certain subjects in a creative manner and one way that they would be able to achieve that is to utilize their arsenal of similes and metaphor examples where they can easily show off their English skills to their readers.

Similes

A simile is a figure of speech that utilizes “like” or “as” to compare two things in a very interesting way. The object of a simile has a unique way of sparking the interest of the readers. It may be a common form of figurative speech but it can also be one of the most effective. Similes are very abundant in the literary world and even in other industries like in the music industry. So here are some simple examples to help you get familiar with it:

• The shingles on the shack shook in the storm winds like scared children.
• When he reached the top of the hill, he felt as strong as a steel gate.

• When the tree branch broke, Millie fell from the limb like a robin’s egg.

• She swam through the waters like she was falling through a warm dream.

• They children ran like ripples through water.

• Mikhail scattered his pocket change in front of the beggars like crumbs of bread.

• Her hair was as soft as a spider web.

• Each dollar bill was a like a magic wand to cast away problems.

• The man held the blanket like a memory.

• The ice sculptor’s hands fluttered like hummingbird wings.

• I’m about as awesome as a flying giraffe.

• You are soft as the nesting dove.

• Andre charged down the football field like it was the War of 1812.

• The stars looked like stupid little fish.

• Her laughter was like a warm blanket or a familiar song.

• The river flows like a stream of glass

• Blood seeped out of the wound like red teardrops.

• Paul carried his science project to school like he was transporting explosive glass.

• She looked at me like I was speaking in some strange alien tongue.

• The town square was buzzing like a beehive.

• Kelsey followed her dreams like most kids would follow a big sister.
• Kyle looked at the test with a stare as blank as his notebook.
• The robins are as thick today as flakes of snow were yesterday,

You can also spot similes in songs quite often if you can pay enough attention to the lyrics to take notice of it. Here are a few examples.

• “My heart is like an open highway.” – “It’s My Life,” Bon Jovi
• “It’s been a hard days night, and I’ve been working like a dog.” – “A Hard Day’s Night,” The Beatles
• “And it seems to me you lived your life, Like a candle in the wind.” – “Candle in the Wind,” Elton John
• “You’re as cold as ice.” – “Cold As Ice,” Foreigner
• “Steady as a preacher, Free as a weed” – “American Honey,” Lady Antebellum

There are also some similes that you can find in ads and company logos such as:

• Chevrolet: “Built Like A Rock”
• Vault: “Drinks like a soda. Kicks like an energy drink.”
• Doritos: “Tastes Like Awesome Feels”
• Gatorade: “Float like a Butterfly, Sting like a Bee, 1/2 the calories, all the G”
• State Farm: “Like A Good Neighbor, State Farm is There”
• Rockstar: “Party like a rockstar”
• Almond Joy / Mounds: “Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t.”
• Honda: “The Honda’s ride is as smooth as a gazelle in the Sahara. Its comfort is like a hug from Nana.”
• Snickers: “You’re playing like Betty White out there!”

Similes can have a surprising effect on the reader especially if the readers have never encountered a certain combination of two dissimilar things before.

Metaphors

A simple metaphor is another figure of speech that is very much similar to a simile in which it is able to compare to different things and make them similar to each other except not in a literal sense. The main difference between a metaphor and a simile would have to be that a metaphor does not use “like” or “as” in order to compare the two objects with each other. So here are some examples of metaphors:

• He wanted to set sail on the ocean of love but he just wasted away in the desert.
• I was lost in a sea of nameless faces.
• John’s answer to the problem was just a Band-Aid, not a solution.
• The cast on Michael’s broken leg was a plaster shackle.
• Cameron always had a taste for the fruit of knowledge.
• The promise between us was a delicate flower.
• He’s a rolling stone, and it’s bred in the bone.
• He pleaded for her forgiveness but Janet’s heart was cold iron.
• She was just a trophy to Ricardo, another object to possess.
• The path of resentment is easier to travel than the road to forgiveness.
• Katie’s plan to get into college was a house of cards on a crooked table.
• The wheels of justice turn slowly.
• Hope shines–a pebble in the gloom.
• She cut him down with her words.
• The job interview was a rope ladder dropped from heaven.
• Her hair was a flowing golden river streaming down her shoulders.
• The computer in the classroom was an old dinosaur.

Here are a few that are in songs:

• “You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog” – “Hound Dog”, Elvis Presley
• “‘Cause, baby, you‘re a firework” – “Firework”, Katy Perry
• “Be a man, With all the strength of a raging fire” – “Be A Man”, Mulan

So there you have it, this should be able to show you the difference between a simile and a metaphor. Now you may be able to create your own and wow your friends with how you use them.