Primary 4 · English · Literature
Similes and metaphors
Recognising comparisons in stories and poems, and explaining how they help readers picture characters and settings.
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These lessons were written around Australian Curriculum strands and matched to Singapore levels by age (Primary 1 is the first year of primary school). They are not aligned to MOE syllabuses or the PSLE, so check them against the syllabus your child is working towards.
Learning goals
Learners will
- Recognise similes and metaphors in stories and poems.
- Explain what is being compared and what the comparison shows.
- Write similes and metaphors to describe characters and settings.
Success looks like
- I can tell a simile from a metaphor.
- I can say what two things are being compared.
- I can explain how a comparison helps me picture a character or place.
The big idea
Writers often help readers picture something by comparing it with something else. These comparisons are a kind of figurative language: they are not meant to be taken literally.
A simile compares two things using the words like or as:
- Her smile was as bright as the sun.
- He ran like the wind.
- The old man's hands were as rough as sandpaper.
A metaphor compares two things by saying that one thing is the other, without 'like' or 'as':
- The classroom was a zoo.
- The snow was a white blanket over the town.
- Her voice was music to my ears.
To understand a comparison, ask: What two things are being compared? and What do they have in common? In 'The classroom was a zoo', the classroom is compared with a zoo. Zoos are noisy and full of wild animals, so the classroom must have been loud and chaotic. The children were not really animals. That is the difference between figurative and literal meaning. Comparisons pack a lot of meaning into a few words and help readers feel the mood of a story.
Worked examples
Simile or metaphor?
Is 'The lake was a mirror' a simile or a metaphor?
- Look for 'like' or 'as'. There are none.
- The sentence says the lake was a mirror.
- Saying one thing is another makes it a metaphor.
Answer: A metaphor.
Explaining a comparison
What does 'The old man's hands were as rough as sandpaper' tell us?
- Two things compared: the man's hands and sandpaper.
- What they share: sandpaper is very rough and scratchy.
- So his hands feel very rough, perhaps from years of hard work.
Answer: His hands are very rough and dry, perhaps from hard work.
Writing a simile
Write a simile to describe a very quiet house at night.
- Think of something that is extremely quiet: a library, a sleeping cat, a snowy field.
- Choose 'as… as' or 'like'.
- 'The house was as quiet as a sleeping cat.'
Answer: The house was as quiet as a sleeping cat.
Practice check
Have a go, then check your answers. Each answer comes with an explanation.
Answer guide for parents
Which sentence contains a simile?
Her smile was as bright as the sun. — It compares her smile with the sun using 'as… as'.
Which sentence is a metaphor?
The classroom was a zoo. — It says the classroom was a zoo, without 'like' or 'as'.
'The old man's hands were as rough as sandpaper.' What does this tell us?
His hands felt very rough. — The simile compares how his hands feel with the roughness of sandpaper.
'The snow was a white blanket over the town.' What is the snow compared to?
a blanket — The snow is compared to a blanket because it covers everything.
Why do writers use similes and metaphors?
to help readers picture things vividly — Comparisons create strong pictures in the reader's mind.
Which word makes this a simile? 'He ran like the wind.' Type the word.
like — Similes use 'like' or 'as'. Here the word is 'like'.
Fill the gap to make a simile: 'The kitten was ___ soft as a cloud.'
as — 'As soft as a cloud' uses the 'as… as' pattern.
Is 'Her voice was music to my ears' a simile or a metaphor? Type one word.
metaphor — It says her voice was music, with no 'like' or 'as', so it is a metaphor.
Watch out for
- Thinking any sentence with 'like' is a simile ('I like pizza'). A simile must compare two different things.
- Taking metaphors literally ('The classroom really was a zoo'). Ask what the two things have in common.
- Using tired, overused similes ('as cold as ice') in every piece. Encourage fresh comparisons that suit the story.
Tips for parents
- Point out similes and metaphors in everyday speech, such as 'It's raining cats and dogs' (an idiom) or 'You're a star'.
- Ask 'What two things are being compared, and why?' whenever you find one in a book.
- Praise original comparisons, even if they are a little unusual.
Go further
- Write a short description of a storm using two similes and one metaphor.
- Draw the literal meaning of a metaphor (for example, a classroom full of zoo animals) for a funny picture.
- Write an 'I am' metaphor poem about yourself: 'I am a rocket on sports day…'.
About 35 minutes
You'll need
- A picture book or chapter book with descriptive writing
- Two coloured highlighters (one for similes, one for metaphors)
- Paper and pencils
Key words
- comparison
- Showing how two things are alike.
- simile
- A comparison that uses 'like' or 'as', such as 'as brave as a lion'.
- metaphor
- A comparison that says one thing is another, such as 'The classroom was a zoo'.
- literal
- Meaning exactly what the words say.
- figurative language
- Words used in an imaginative way, not literally, to create a picture or feeling.
Still tricky?
For parents
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