English stylistics. Simile

1.

ENGLISH STYLISTICS.
SIMILE.
By Alena Podolskaya

2.

WHAT IS A SIMILE?
A
simile is a figure of speech in which two
essentially dissimilar objects or concepts are
expressly compared with one another
through the use of “like” or “as.”
Like or as are language constructs that
establish equivalency.

3.

WHAT IS A SIMILE?
The
foundation of a simile is a feature when
the unimportant properties of the compared
objects are not taken into account, only the
quality which is essential for the speaker is
taken.

4.

WHAT IS A SIMILE?
A proper simile creates an explicit comparison
between two things that are different enough from
each other such that their comparability appears
unlikely.

5.

THE FUNCTIONS OF SIMILES
Making writing more interesting
Making writing more concise
Expression of comparison
Giving greater significance to the text
Similes add layered meaning and interest to
writing

6.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
SIMILE AND METAPHOR
Love
is a song that never ends
One simple theme repeating
Like the voice of a heavenly choir
Love’s sweet music flows on

7.

COMMON EXAMPLES OF SIMILE
as
light as a feather
as fit as a fiddle
as good as gold
as quick as a flash
as sober as a judge
as easy as ABC

8.

ATTENTION!
She
is clever as her
brother.
=> comparison
She
works as a
hairdresser.
=> fact

9.

MORE EXAMPLES
Love is like the wild rose-briar (Emily Bronte)
Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a
sunless garden when the flowers are dead. (Oscar
Wilde)
All those moments will be lost in time, like…
tears in rain. (Blade Runner)
The pain is like an axe that chops my heart.
(Yann Martel)
Being with her I feel a pain, like a frozen knife
stuck in my chest. (Haruki Murakami)

10.

EXERCISES
№1 Choose the best answer:
1. Is there anything to eat? I'm as hungry as a …
a. wolf
b. dog
c. cat
d. mouse
2. It hasn't rained for months – the ground's as dry as
a…
a. desert
b. brick
c. bone
d. stone

11.

3. You'll have to speak up when you're with Tom;
he's as deaf as a …
a. brick
b. post
c. dog
4. Mike was so embarrassed when we found out he
was lying: his face was as red as a …
a. cherry
b. strawberry
c. raspberry
d. beetroot

12.

5. I can't see a thing without my glasses. I'm as
blind as a …
a. bee
b. beetle
c. badger
d. bat
6. Your brother's as thin as a … . Is he eating
enough?
a. pole
b. rake
c. stick

13.

7. I promise I won't wake you up when I get home.
I'll be as quiet as a …
a. Mouse
b. Beetle
c. Baby
d. tree
8. This bag's not heavy – it's as light as a …
a. flea
b. feather
c. lamp
d. lamb

14.

№2 Complete the following sentences using suitable
words from the box.
[bee, bat, wolf, grass, feather, fox, cucumber,
honey, egg]
As light as a …
As sweet as …
As bald as an …
As cunning as a …
As blind as a …
As busy as a …
As hungry as a …
As cool as a …
As green as …

15.

№3 IDENTIFY WHETHER THE COMPARISON IS A
METAPHOR OR A SIMILE.
1.
Katie swims like a dolphin.
2.
The wind was a wolf howling in the
dark.
3.
The alarm clock is my siren, warning
me of a new day.
4.
The small boy jumped around and
played like a monkey at the doctor’s office.

16.

5.
The house was lit up like a
Christmas tree.
6.
The kicking baby was a little
kangaroo.
7.
The voice of director was as loud as
thunder and startled all of the
children.
8.
This blanket is a soft bag of feathers.

17.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION