Grade 5 · English Language Arts · 3 minutes
Similes and metaphors: what's the difference?
A simile says like or as. A metaphor says it is.
Key terms
- literal language
- Language that means exactly what the words say.
- figurative language
- Language that means something more and paints a picture in your mind.
- simile
- A comparison of two different things that uses the word like or as.
- metaphor
- A comparison that skips like and as and says one thing is another.
- comparison
- Showing how two things are alike; in a simile the two things are really not alike.
Transcript
My little brother is a tornado. No need to call the weather service. He's a regular kid, who just happens to wreck every room he walks into. So why did I call him a tornado?
Because writers don't always mean exactly what they say. Literal language means exactly what the words say. Figurative language means something more. It paints a picture in your mind. Two handy tools for that are similes and metaphors.
A simile compares two different things, usually using the word like, or the word as. Her smile was like sunshine. The crowd was as loud as thunder. Hear the word like? Hear the word as? Those little words are your clue.
A metaphor is bolder. It skips like and as, and says one thing is another. Her smile was sunshine. The crowd was thunder. Same comparison. No clue words.
But watch out. Like and as don't always mean simile. I like pizza. No comparison there. Just good taste. My sister is as tall as my mom. That's just a fact. A simile compares two things that are really not alike.
So how do you figure out what one means? Ask what the two things have in common. My brother and a tornado. Both are fast. Both are loud. And both leave a giant mess. So it means he's fast, loud, and messy. No actual wind involved.
Your turn. Simile, or metaphor? The classroom was a zoo. Metaphor! It says the classroom is a zoo. No like, no as. One more. My dog runs like the wind. Simile! The word like gave it away.
So remember. A simile compares using like or as. A metaphor says one thing is another. And to find the meaning, ask what the two things share. Now go write one of your own. Just, maybe not about your brother.
Sources
Every fact in the video, and where it comes from.
- 1thecorestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/L/5/5/a
- Common Core L.5.5.a (Grade 5 Language): "Interpret figurative language, including similes and metaphors, in context."
- 2britannica.com/art/simile;
- A simile is a figure of speech that compares two unlike things and signals the comparison, usually with the word 'like' or 'as'.
- The example sentences were chosen for this video and classified using the definitions above. 'The classroom was a zoo' and 'runs like the wind' are common classroom examples; the others (brother/tornado, smile/sunshine, crowd/thunder) were written for the video.
- 3merriam-webster.com/dictionary/simile;
- A simile is a figure of speech that compares two unlike things and signals the comparison, usually with the word 'like' or 'as'.
- 4dictionary.com/e/simile-vs-metaphor/;
- A simile is a figure of speech that compares two unlike things and signals the comparison, usually with the word 'like' or 'as'.
- Figurative language goes beyond the literal (exact dictionary) meaning of the words to make comparisons and descriptions; literal language means exactly what it says.
- 5poets.org/glossary/simile
- A simile is a figure of speech that compares two unlike things and signals the comparison, usually with the word 'like' or 'as'.
- 6britannica.com/art/metaphor;
- A metaphor makes the comparison without a signal word: it says one thing is another (for example 'Her voice is music' is a metaphor; 'Her voice is like music' is a simile).
- 7merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metaphor;
- A metaphor makes the comparison without a signal word: it says one thing is another (for example 'Her voice is music' is a metaphor; 'Her voice is like music' is a simile).
- 8dictionary.com/e/simile-vs-metaphor
- A metaphor makes the comparison without a signal word: it says one thing is another (for example 'Her voice is music' is a metaphor; 'Her voice is like music' is a simile).
- 9merriam-webster.com/dictionary/figurative
- Figurative language goes beyond the literal (exact dictionary) meaning of the words to make comparisons and descriptions; literal language means exactly what it says.
- 10liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/wlf/what-simile;
- A simile makes its comparison explicit so the reader knows it is being made. A metaphor is a comparison between two things that are otherwise unrelated: the qualities of one are carried over to the other (Britannica: it 'implies comparison between two unlike entities'). Finding the shared qualities gives the meaning.
- 11liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/wlf/what-metaphor;
- A simile makes its comparison explicit so the reader knows it is being made. A metaphor is a comparison between two things that are otherwise unrelated: the qualities of one are carried over to the other (Britannica: it 'implies comparison between two unlike entities'). Finding the shared qualities gives the meaning.
- 12britannica.com/art/metaphor
- A simile makes its comparison explicit so the reader knows it is being made. A metaphor is a comparison between two things that are otherwise unrelated: the qualities of one are carried over to the other (Britannica: it 'implies comparison between two unlike entities'). Finding the shared qualities gives the meaning.
- The example sentences were chosen for this video and classified using the definitions above. 'The classroom was a zoo' and 'runs like the wind' are common classroom examples; the others (brother/tornado, smile/sunshine, crowd/thunder) were written for the video.
- 13merriam-webster.com/dictionary/like;
- The words 'like' and 'as' have other jobs too: 'like' is also a verb meaning to enjoy ('I like pizza'), and 'as ... as' can make a plain, literal comparison between similar things ('My sister is as tall as my mom'). A simile needs a comparison of two unlike things.
- 14scribbr.com/rhetoric/simile/;
- The words 'like' and 'as' have other jobs too: 'like' is also a verb meaning to enjoy ('I like pizza'), and 'as ... as' can make a plain, literal comparison between similar things ('My sister is as tall as my mom'). A simile needs a comparison of two unlike things.
- 15britannica.com/art/simile
- The words 'like' and 'as' have other jobs too: 'like' is also a verb meaning to enjoy ('I like pizza'), and 'as ... as' can make a plain, literal comparison between similar things ('My sister is as tall as my mom'). A simile needs a comparison of two unlike things.
- 16thecorestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/L/5
- Full Grade 5 Language standards (parent standard L.5.5: 'Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.').
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