Writers often describe one thing by calling it something else. A simile says one thing is like another; a metaphor says it is the other. Personification goes a step further and gives human actions to things that aren’t human.
What your child will learn
- Tell a metaphor from a simile
- Explain what a metaphor really means
- Recognise personification
- Choose a fitting image for a description
Like, or is?
“The classroom was like a zoo” is a simile: it compares using like or as. “The classroom was a zoo” is a metaphor: it says one thing is another. Neither is literally true — both mean the room was noisy and wild.
When things act like people
“The wind whispered through the trees.” Wind can’t whisper; people can. Giving a human action or feeling to an object, an animal or the weather is called personification.
Example questions
Here are a few questions like the ones in the first quest. Can you solve them?
1. What does this mean? “My brother is a night owl.”
- He can fly
- He has feathers
- He sleeps in a tree
- He stays up late
Show answer
Answer: He stays up late. Owls are awake at night, so a night owl is someone who stays up late.
2. What does this mean? “Her words were music to my ears.”
- She was singing
- I was very pleased to hear them
- She played the piano
- My ears hurt
Show answer
Answer: I was very pleased to hear them. Hearing them felt as nice as listening to music.
3. A simile usually uses which words?
- and or but
- who or which
- like or as
- is or are
Show answer
Answer: like or as. Similes compare using like or as.
Tips for grown-ups
- Turn similes into metaphors: “as cold as ice” becomes “her hands were ice”.
- Describe the weather as if it were a person: grumpy clouds, a shy sun.
- Collect favourite metaphors from songs and poems.