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Simile
Simile Definition

A simile is a figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing similarities between two different
things. Unlike a metaphor, a simile draws resemblance with the help of the words “like” or “as.”
Therefore, it is a direct comparison.

We can find simile examples in our daily speech. We often hear comments like, “John is as slow as a
snail.” Snails are notorious for their slow pace, and here the slowness of John is compared to that of a
snail. The use of “as” in the example helps to draw the resemblance. Now we know the definition of
simile, let’s look at some examples of common similes.

Common Examples of Simile

 Our soldiers are as brave as lions.

 Her cheeks are red like a rose.
 He is as funny as a monkey.
 The water well was as dry as a bone.
 He is as cunning as a fox.

Simile introduces vividness into what we say. Authors and poets utilize simile to convey their
sentiments and thoughts through vivid word pictures.

Short Examples of Simile in a Sentence

1. The glow of the tube-light was as bright as the sunshine.

2. In winter, when it rained, he climbed into bed and felt as snug as a bug in a rug.
3. At exam time, the high school student was as busy as a bee.
4. The beggar on the road looked as blind as a bat.
5. When the examination finished, the candidate felt as light as a feather.
6. When the teacher entered the class, the 6th-grade students were fighting like cats and dogs.
7. The diplomat said the friendship of the two countries was as deep as an ocean.
8. The desert traveler’s hopes were dashed, as when at last he reached a well, it was as dry as a
bone.
9. His opponent was trying to infuriate him, but he remained as cool as cucumber.
10. The laborer remained busy at work all day long and slept like a log that night.
11. The audience listened to his spellbinding speech as quietly as mice.
12. The young athlete looked as strong as an ox.
13. The student moved as fast as lightning after getting permission from the teacher for an early
release.
14. The history paper was as tricky as a labyrinth.
15. The boys in the playing field were feeling as happy as dogs with two tails

Metaphor
Metaphor Definition

A Metaphor is a figure of speech that makes an implicit, implied, or hidden comparison between two
things that are unrelated, but which share some common characteristics. In other words, a
resemblance of two contradictory or different objects is made based on a single or some common
characteristics.

In simple English, when you portray a person, place, thing, or an action as being something else, even
though it is not actually that “something else,” you are speaking metaphorically. The
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following phrase is an example of metaphor, “My brother is the black sheep of the family,” because
he is neither a sheep nor is he black. However, we can use this comparison to describe an association
of a black sheep with that person. A black sheep is an unusual animal, which typically stays away
from the herd, and the person being described shares similar characteristics.

However, the metaphor figure of speech is different from a simile, because we do not use “like” or
“as” to develop a comparison in metaphor poems and metaphor sentences. It makes an implicit or
hidden comparison and not an explicit one.

Let’s now take a look at some common examples of meptahors.

Common Speech Examples of Metaphor

So, what is a Metaphor? Most of us think of a metaphor as a device used in songs or poems only, and
that it has nothing to do with our everyday life. In fact, all of us in our routine life speak, write, and
think in metaphors. We cannot avoid them. Metaphors are sometimes constructed through our
common language, and they are called “conventional metaphors.”

Let’s explore a few metaphor meaning and examples such as calling a person a “night owl,” or an
“early bird,” or saying “life is a journey,” are common metaphor examples which are heard and
understood by most of us. Below are some more conventional metaphors we often hear in our daily
lives:

 My brother was boiling mad. (This implies he was too angry.)

 The assignment was a breeze. (This implies that the assignment was not difficult.)
 It is going to be clear skies from now on. (This implies that clear skies are not a threat and
life is going to be without hardships)
 The skies of his future began to darken. (Darkness is a threat; therefore, this implies that the
coming times are going to be hard for him.)
 Her voice is music to his ears. (This implies that her voice makes him feel happy)
 He saw the soul of dust when passing through the dust storm.
 Chaos is the breeding ground of order.
 War is the mother of all battles.
 Her dance is a great poem.
 A new road to freedom passes through this valley of death.
 My conscience is my barometer.
 His white face shows his concern.

He married her to have a trophy wife.

Laughter is the best medicine.

 Words are daggers when spoken in anger.

 His words are pearls of wisdom.

Personification
Personification Definition

Personification is a figure of speech in which a thing – an idea or an animal – is given human

attributes.
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The non-human objects are portrayed in such a way that we feel they have the ability to act like
human beings. For example, when we say, “The sky weeps,” we are giving the sky the ability to cry,
which is a human quality. Thus, we can say that the sky has been personified in the given sentence.
With the above definition of personification, let us look at some personification examples.

Common Examples of Personification

1. Look at my car. She is a beauty, isn’t she?

2. The wind whispered through dry grass.
3. The flowers danced in the gentle breeze.
4. Time and tide wait for none.
5. The fire swallowed the entire forest.

We see from the above examples of personification that this literary device helps us relate actions of
inanimate objects to our own emotions.

Short Examples of Personification in Speech

1. The shadow of the moon danced on the lake.

2. There was a heavy thunderstorm, the wind snorted outside, rattling my windowpanes.
3. The flowers were blooming, and the bees kissed them every now and then.
4. The flood raged over the entire village.
5. The tread of time is so ruthless that it tramples even the kings under its feet.
6. It was early morning – I met a cat yawning and stretching in the street.
7. The skyscraper was so tall that it seemed to kiss the sky.
8. The tree was pulled down, and the birds lamented over its dead body.
9. The tall pines in the hilly area fondled the clouds.
10. The long road to his home was a twisting snake, with no visible end.
11. The full moon peeped through partial clouds.
12. His car suffered a severe stroke in the middle of the road, and refused to move forward.
13. The ship danced over the undulating waves of the ocean.
14. When he sat the test, the words and the ideas fled from his mind.
15. When he came out of the house of his deceased friend, everything looked to him to be
weeping.

Alliteration
Alliteration Definition

Alliteration is derived from Latin’s “Latira”. It means “letters of alphabet”. It is a stylistic device in
which a number of words, having the same first consonant sound, occur close together in a series.

Consider the following examples:

 But a better butter makes a batter better.

 A big bully beats a baby boy.

Both sentences are alliterative because the same first letter of words (B) occurs close together and
produces alliteration in the sentence. An important point to remember here is that alliteration does not
depend on letters but on sounds. So the phrase not knotty is alliterative, but cigarette chase is not.

Common Examples of Alliteration

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In our daily life, we notice alliteration in the names of different companies. It makes the name of a
company catchy and easy to memorize. Here are several common alliteration examples.

 Dunkin’ Donuts
 PayPal
 Best Buy
 Coca-Cola
 Life Lock
 Park Place
 American Apparel
 American Airlines
 Chuckee Cheese’s
 Bed Bath & Beyond
 Krispy Kreme
 The Scotch and Sirloin

We also find alliterations in names of people, making such names prominent and easy to be
remembered. For instance, both fictional characters and real people may stand out prominently in
your mind due to the alliterative effects of their names. Examples are:

 Ronald Reagan
 Sammy Sosa
 Jesse Jackson
 Michael Moore
 William Wordsworth
 Mickey Mouse
 Porky Pig
 Lois Lane
 Marilyn Monroe
 Fred Flintstone
 Donald Duck
 Spongebob Squarepants

Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia Definition

Onomatopoeia, pronounced on-uh-mat-uh–pee–uh, is defined as a word which imitates the natural

sounds of a thing. It creates a sound effect that mimics the thing described, making the description
more expressive and interesting.

For instance, saying, “The gushing stream flows in the forest” is a more meaningful description than
just saying, “The stream flows in the forest.” The reader is drawn to hear the sound of a “gushing
stream,” which makes the expression more effective.

In addition to the sounds they represent, many onomatopoeic words have developed meanings of their
own. For example, the word “whisper” not only represents the wispy or breathy sound of people
talking quietly, but also describes the action of people talking quietly.

Common Examples of Onomatopoeia

 The buzzing bee flew away.

 The sack fell into the river with a splash.
 The books fell on the table with a loud thump.
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 He looked at the roaring

 The rustling leaves kept me awake.

The different sounds of animals are also considered as examples of onomatopoeia. You will recognize
the following sounds easily:

 Meow
 Moo
 Neigh
 Tweet
 Oink
 Baa

Groups of Onomatopoeic Words

Onomatopoeic words come in combinations, as they reflect different sounds of a single object. For
example, a group of words reflecting different sounds of water are: plop, splash, gush, sprinkle,
drizzle, and drip.

Similarly, words like growl, giggle, grunt, murmur, blurt, and chatter denote different kinds of
human voice sounds.

Moreover, we can identify a group of words related to different sounds of wind, such as swish,
swoosh, whiff, whoosh, whizz, and whisper

Hyperbole
Definition of Hyperbole

Hyperbole, derived from a Greek word meaning “over-casting,” is a figure of speech that involves
an exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis.

It is a device that we employ in our day-to-day speech. For instance, when you meet a friend after a
long time, you say, “It’s been ages since I last saw you.” You may not have met him for three or four
hours, or a day, but the use of the word “ages” exaggerates this statement to add emphasis to your
wait. Therefore, a hyperbole is an unreal exaggeration to emphasize the real situation. Some other
common Hyperbole examples are given below.

Common Examples of Hyperbole

 My grandmother is as old as the hills.

 Your suitcase weighs a ton!
 She is as heavy as an elephant!
 I am dying of shame.
 I am trying to solve a million issues these days.

It is important not to confuse hyperbole with simile and metaphor. It does make a comparison, like
simile and metaphor. Rather, hyperbole has a humorous effect created by an overstatement. Let us see
some examples from Classical English literature in which hyperbole was used successfully.

Short Examples of Hyperbole

1. A ton of worry was lifted from the beggar’s back when he received the alms.
2. He saw a man as tall a power poll.
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3. He saw his childhood friend after ages.

4. The weather was so hot that literally everything was on fire.
5. The boy was dying to get a new school bag.
6. The teacher told his students not to repeat that mistake for the umpteenth time, but to no avail.
7. He was in such a hurry that he drove his car at a bazillion miles per hour.
8. The minister told the guests that the couple’s friendship was deeper than the sea, and sweeter
than honey.
9. The blacksmith’s hand was harder than the rock.
10. Their headmaster was omnipresent, as he seemed to be all around the school all the time.
11. The businessman was so busy that he was attending to a million calls simultaneously.
12. The old man was older than the Himalayas.
13. The mule is able to lift tons of weight uphill.
14. His classmates laughed at him, saying he had a pea-sized brain.
15. John was called the elephant of the class for his clumsiness.