An Introduction to Simile Learning Objective To understand

An Introduction to… Simile

Learning Objective To understand what a simile is and how to create appropriate, effective similes. Success Criteria

Describe It! Imagine a strange and mythical beast that no-one has ever seen before. What does it sound like? What does it look like? How does it move? Where does it live? What does it eat? Now, describe the beast to your partner. Be as detailed as you can!

Describe It! Chances are, you compared your beast to other animals to enable your partner to understand your description. You might have said: It’s as big as… Its claws are like… What do we call this technique?

Simile A simile is a descriptive device. We use it to describe something by comparing it to something else. An easy way to spot a simile is that it uses like or as. Like a lion waiting to pounce… As fast as lightning… Write your own definition of simile in your book!

Clichés Some similes are so common that they have become clichés – phrases we know so well that they are predictable and therefore lose their impact. For example: “As brave as a lion. ” Why should we avoid clichéd similes in our writing? Can you think of any other examples of clichéd similes?

Simile Upgrade We can avoid making similes clichéd by thinking of more unusual comparisons to make. However, it is important that we choose something appropriate to our theme. For example: You are writing a story about a girl hiding from soldiers during the Second World War. You want to explain that she was very quiet. The girl was as quiet as a mouse. x Too clichéd. The girl was as quiet as a person sleeping. x This implies that she The girl was as quiet as the shadows that surrounded her. is relaxed.

Simile Upgrade! Can you upgrade these well-known similes to make them less clichéd? Try to make your choice match the genre of writing. Genre of Writing Clichéd Simile Adventure His hunger was gnawing at his stomach like an animal. Sports The runner was as fast as lightning. Funny His eyes were as round as saucers. Thriller The chase was like a game of cat and mouse. Ghost The room was as silent as the grave. Upgraded Version

Pick a Task! Pick one of the tasks below: Bronze: Write an acrostic for SIMILE, explaining what similes are and how they are used. Silver: Go back to the mythical animal you imagined at the start of the lesson. Write a short description of your creation, using as many sophisticated similes as possible. Remember: avoid clichés! Gold: Write an explanation of how similes can improve writing. Include what should be avoided when writing them, and why.

3 -2 -1 Give me: 3 examples of effective similes. 2 reasons why we should avoid clichés when writing similes. 1 short definition of a simile. All without looking in your book!