Remember Lenka’s Everything At Once – the 2012 single that only picked up when Microsoft played it in their commercial? It’s the biggest pool of similes in a pop song and an easy way lớn understand what similes are.

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Here’s a refresher:


Lyrics

As sly as a fox, as strong as an ox

As fast as a hare, as brave as a bear

As không tính phí as a bird, as neat as a word

As quiet as a mouse, as big as a house


Essentially, similes are worth commending – making descriptions fun, creative, và memorable by drawing comparisons between two seemingly unfamiliar concepts. What’s more, they err to the side of brevity, keeping your writing succinct.

Ready lớn dig into the definition of simile, examples, và how lớn write them? Let’s get on with it.

What is a simile?

A simile is a figure of speech that usogorsk.coms use to compare dissimilar concepts. It comes from a Latin word ‘similis,’ which means similar — making it a fitting etymology as you make comparisons between similar things. 

Belonging to the metaphor family, a simile relies on the words ‘like’ & ‘as’ to bridge the similarity between two different concepts.

Let’s look at a simile in a sentence:

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Here, ‘as’ indicates the presence of a simile. It makes comparisons of the siblings’ differences to the difference of night and day. Instantly, you, as a reader, can pull at the difference between day and night to tell that there’s nothing similar about the siblings.

Here are a few more common examples of similes: 

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So why use this literary device? The example above makes one point clear: similes tuck at the readers’ imagination – painting a vivid picture of understanding by comparing things.

You’ll see that relying on a simile also gives clarity to writing. Without it, you’re left lớn the devices of descriptive language. With a simile, you take the succinct road to lớn clarity.

Of course, drawing a good comparison also makes your writing exciting and memorable.

Look at this quote from E.L Doctorow:


" Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way."  -E.L Doctorow


 It’s why similes are widely used in poetry và prose. You’ll also find them aplenty in non-fiction books and blogs.

Let’s look at more simile examples next.

Famous examples of Simile

From literature: “Scaring the ladies lượt thích a crowkeeper,” by William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet

From the movies: From the movie, Forrest Gump: “life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”  

Simile vs. Metaphor

With the definition & simile examples out of the way, let’s address what you’re probably thinking: what’s the difference between simile & metaphor?

But, first, let’s tell you what a metaphor is. Much like a simile, a metaphor makes comparisons. However, it doesn’t rely on the words ‘like’ & ‘as’ to lớn bridge the similarities. Instead, it refers to lớn one thing as another so that readers have lớn work out the hidden similarities between the two ideas. 

 

For example:

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See that in this metaphor, it’s up to lớn you lớn pull out how a calm lake is like a mirror. Note that there’s no ‘like’ or ‘as’ used lớn make the comparison. The takeaway? We’ve two:


Similes Use ‘like’ và ‘as’ lớn compareMake explicit comparison – they tell you what’s similar between two ideas

 

Let’s tear down a real-example from Sabaa Tahir’s A Torch Against The Night:

By comparing the character’s eyes to lớn the hell fires, Tahir makes a vivid, easy lớn understand comparison. In fact, the figurative language is impactful – the intensity of his eyes’ brightness is not lost on the readers.

So khổng lồ write a simile, you need khổng lồ match-up the principle term with a relatable secondary term that you pick from your everyday speech.

One more thing: instead of introducing new concepts or ideas, use a secondary term that’s widely known for the characteristic you’re comparing with the primary term. For example, the intensity of the hell fire is already established. This way, the comparison is crystal clear right off the bat.

Best practice for writing similes

 

Use plain, everyday language to write a simile

Clear, easy khổng lồ understand similes come from plain English language. Any jargon or heavy vocabulary can make it tough (and sometimes, impossible) for the reader to lớn understand what you’re getting at.

 Tug at your readers’ emotions by exposing the truth of the comparison

The likeness you make with a simile can evoke emotion as they realize the truth behind the comparison.

For example, Albert Einstein writes:


 Didn’t you just imagine a rosy-cheeked lover?

Leave an impact

You can always resort lớn using plain language khổng lồ describe something, but that won’t leave a significant impact on your reader. Any usogorsk.com who wants to write good, knows that leaving an impact on the reader is an essential step to lớn it.

Again, let’s back this with an example:

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This is dull. Boring even.

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The impact và description is more pronounced here – it stokes the imagination & stirs emotions – anyone who has taken a punch khổng lồ the gut or even seen it played out in movies knows how it hurts. All this leaves an impression.