ShmoopTube

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[Coop and Dino singing]

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Smart.

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Clever.

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Intelligent.

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Brilliant.

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Bright.

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Sharp.

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Wise.

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These are all synonyms, or different words that mean more or less the same thing. [Coop explaining synonyms]

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But you already knew that.

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Why?

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Because you’re smart.

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Or clever.

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Or bright.

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Or…well, you get the idea.

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Synonyms are great because they help make our writing more interesting and exciting. [Girls writing in class]

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But what if we're not in the mood to use a synonym?

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What if we’re just bored of them or tired, fed up, disinterested…

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Sorry.

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We kind of got on a synonym roll.

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Which is a lot less delicious than a cinnamon roll. [Plate of cinnamon rolls appear]

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Heh.

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Well, it's a-okay to be tired of 'em!

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Why?

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Because there are more things that can spice up our writing! [Man in kitchen with a paper and spice pots appear]

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We're talking similes and metaphors.

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Like synonyms, similes and metaphors are tools that help us write more descriptively.

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But how exactly do we go about using similes and metaphors? [Man holding a simile spice pot]

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Let's start with a simile.

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A simile is a type of figurative language that helps us compare two dissimilar things

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to each other, using the words “like” or “as.” [Coop explaining what a simile is]

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For example: you're a student, right?

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Or maybe just an over-the-top Shmoop enthusiast…

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Which is totally cool, too. [A man sitting on a bed with shmoop items]

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But are you a bee?

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Well, probably not, because then you wouldn’t understand a word we’re saying.

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But just because a student and a bee aren't exactly the same thing doesn't mean we can't [A bee with a boys face flying near flowers]

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compare them.

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So we might say something like, “The student was busy as a bee.”

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Why?

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Well, we know that bees are always buzzing around and look super duper busy.

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So if a student is as busy as a bee, that must mean that they're loaded down with work [Girl walking into school]

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and zooming from one thing to the next!

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It's just a way more fun way of saying, “The student is super busy.” [Girl walking in school hallway]

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Here are a few more examples…

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“He was as brave as a lion.”

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“She was as bright as the sun.”

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“She sang like an angel."

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"He slept like a dog" [Examples of similes]

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All of these are similes that make comparisons using like or as.

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Got it?

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Metaphors, on the other hand, are a little different.

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They don't use “like” or “as." [Dino teaching what metaphors are]

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Instead, they paint an image for the reader to picture in their head.

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So while a simile uses the word as to say...

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“He was as brave as a lion”

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A metaphor would simply say

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“He was a brave lion.”

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This metaphor makes us imagine the boy as an actual brave lion, instead of just being [A lion with a boys face in tall grass]

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like one.

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This paints an image in the reader's head…even if it is a kind of weird image…

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Other examples of metaphors that paint word pictures like this include...

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“Her tears were a flowing river.”

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“Her smile was a million shining stars.”

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“He was a speeding race-car.” [Metaphor example sentences]

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Each of these metaphors makes the reader paint an image in their head, instead of simply

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comparing two things, like they would in a simile. [Girl in a cafe walks away crying]

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So the next time you're trying to spice up your writing and don't feel like using a synonym,

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try a simile or metaphor instead.

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They're still not as delicious as a cinnamon roll, but they'll do in a pinch. [Girl eating plate of cinnamon rolls]

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