Metaphors

Identifying Metaphors

Similes and metaphors are very similar and can be easily mixed up. Below, are a mixture of similes and
metaphors. Circle or highlight the metaphors only.

a. Your eyes are sparkling diamonds. f. The snow was a blanket on the world.
b. Life is like a box of chocolates. g. He was as strong as Hercules.
c. He is a shining star. h. Their house was a castle.
d. Her voice was like an angel. i. Dad was as tall as a giraffe.
e. You are like sunshine.

Fill in the Blanks

Add a word to these sentences to create a metaphor.

a. He’s a for picking on those kids.

b. She was clothed in strength, grace, and .
c. I was swimming in a sea of .
d. My memory is a little .
e. It’s raining cats and .
f. I was boiling with .

It's Your Call

Use your judgment to decide which word is the best choice to complete these metaphors. Think about
which one creates the strongest image for a reader. Circle or highlight the word you chose.

a. The mind is a machine/computer.

b. We built a bridge/barrier to work together.
c. They had to conquer a mountain/hill of work to achieve their goals.

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 Metaphors
d. Jason is a real pig/cat when he eats.
e. Mum is a rock/safety-net, I can always rely on her.

Have a Go

Have a go writing your own metaphors below. Remember a metaphor compares two things that are
not alike, without using the words “like” or “as”.

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 Similes
Identifying Similes

Similes and metaphors are very similar and can be easily mixed up. There are similes and metaphors
below. You need to circle the similes only.

a. Your eyes are sparkling diamonds. f. The snow was a blanket on the world.
b. Life is like a box of chocolates. g. He was as strong as Hercules.
c. He is a shining star. h. Their house was a castle.
d. Her voice was like an angel. i. Dad was as tall as a giraffe.
e. You are like sunshine.

Fill in the Blanks

Add a word/s to these sentences to create a simile.

a. My mum is as as a .
b. The stars sparkled like .
c. The dinner was delicious like .
d. The cake was as as .
e. Our gran is as as .
f. The fireworks were as beautiful as .
g. It was as exciting as .

It's Your Call

Use your judgement to decide which word/s would be the best choice to complete these similes. Think
about which word/s create the strongest image for a reader. Circle or highlight the word you chose.

a. The horse was as big as a mountain/the world.

b. This book was as exciting as a rollercoaster/a birthday party.

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 Similes
c. The peacock was beautiful like a painting/a flower.
d. My sister is as brave as a hero/firefighter.
e. I’ve grown like a beanstalk/tree.

Have a Go

Have a go writing your own similes below. Remember a simile compares two things that are not
alike, by using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’.

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 Personification
Identifying Personification

Here are some sentences. Some of them have personification in them, but not all of them. Circle or
highlight the sentences that contain personification.

a. The train raced past the station. e. The clouds skipped across the sky.
b. The horse trotted in the paddock. f. The plant grew.
c. The tree danced in the breeze. g. The wind whispered to me.
d. The ocean wrestled with the ship.

Go back over the sentences above. For the sentences that have personification, write down what the
object is and what the word that personified it is. If a sentence didn’t have personification, leave it
blank. The first one has been done for you.

a. train raced e.
b. f.
c. g.
d.

Fill in the Blanks

Add a word to these sentences to create personification.

a. The light .
b. The tree .
c. The flame .
d. The car .
e. The stars .
f. The moon .

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 Personification

It's Your Call

Use your judgement to decide which word is the best choice to complete the personification in these
sentences. Think about which one creates the strongest image for the reader. Circle or highlight the
word you chose.

a. The pen danced/leapt across the page.

b. The fridge hummed/sang all night long and kept us awake.
c. The wind howled/sighed outside the tent.
d. The curtain played/jumped in the breeze.
e. The lights winked/blinked in the tree.

Have a Go

Have a go writing your own personification below. Remember personification gives human qualities to
non-human objects or things.

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 Alliteration
Identifying Alliteration

Alliteration repeats the first letter or sound of a word. Circle the examples of alliteration below:

a. Abigail absentmindedly altered the albatross artwork.

b. His heart was beating like a big brass band.
c. Children who treat their things badly will lose their toys.
d. When Wednesday comes, will you walk with me?
e. I absolutely cannot stand that.
f. Mushrooms grow membranes in mostly moist and dark places.
g. The goat was chewing on the leaves.
h. Jack jumped over a jaguar and Jill joined in.

Go back over the examples above and identify the letter or sound that was repeated in each sentence.
If the sentence did not have any alliteration, leave it blank.

a. e.
b. f.
c. g.
d. h.

Fill in the Blanks

Add a word to these sentences that works with the alliteration.

a. My mum makes me munch on a Monday morning.

b. The reigning royal was about the rain.
c. Fancy foxes fly over .

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 Alliteration
d. cooked in the crockpot are crazy good.
e. Elephants eat enormous every day.

It's Your Call

Use your judgement to decide which word is the best choice to complete these examples of alliteration.
Think about which one creates the strongest image for a reader. Circle or highlight the word you chose.

a. Alice actually ate an absolute/actual tonne of apples.

b. Billy brought blue/beautiful bananas to the birthday party.
c. Catching cats to give them a cuddle/cocoa can be catastrophic.
d. Dylan dialed double digits to get a delivery dropped/ditched at his door.
e. Exact/exciting examples exist of elephants eating elderberries.

Have a Go

Have a go writing your own alliteration below. Remember alliteration repeats the first letter or sound
within a sentence.

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 Onomatopoeia
Identifying Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia is a word that describes a sound, and also sounds like that sound. Highlight or circle the
sentences that contain onomatopoeia below. Not every example has onomatopoeia, it is your job to identify
which ones do.

a. “Achoo!!” Mum’s hay fever is really bad today, she keeps sneezing!
b. On my autumn walk, the leaves crunched under my feet.
c. The noise of the radio crackled when we went through the tunnel.
d. The tree swayed in the breeze.
e. The thunder rumbled as the rain splashed down.
f. Zoom! The race car went past so fast I almost didn’t see it!
g. I jumped off the diving board and... SPLASH!
h. You can hear the bells from the church on Sunday morning.

Go back over the examples above and write down what the onomatopoeic word was in the sentences.
If an example didn’t have any onomatopoeia, leave it blank.

a. e.
b. f.
c. g.
d. h.

Fill in the Blanks

In the examples below, add a word/s in the blank space that creates onomatopoeia in the sentence.

a. The sausages on the barbeque were .

b. - went the clock on the wall.

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 Onomatopoeia
c. The air was full of the from the bees and the gentle swish of the trees.
d. Someone was at the door. ! The doorbell chimed in the house.
e. The tap was leaking again, and the constant , was annoying everyone!

It's Your Call

Choose a word that you think best describes the sound for the next examples. The first one is done
for you.

a. A hedgehog in a bush: rustle

b. A sword fight:
c. A fire burning:
d. A soda bottle opening:
e. Something heavy being dropped:
f. A plate being broken:

Have a Go

Have a go at writing your own sentences with onomatopoeia in them.

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 Idioms
Idiom or Not?

Idioms are phrases that mean something different to their literal meaning. Highlight or circle the idioms
below. Not every example is an idiom, it is your job to identify them.

a. It was a piece of cake.

b. Anything can happen if you let it.
c. They’re a dime a dozen.
d. We’d better call it a day.
e. We’re going to get on with it.
f. It’s time to hit the hay.
g. There is no fire without smoke.
h. Maybe you should go back to the drawing board.

Go back over the examples above and write what you think the idioms mean. If an example wasn’t an
idiom, leave it blank.

a. e.
b. f.
c. g.
d. h.

Fill in the Blanks

Add a word to these sentences to complete the idioms.

a. If you do something properly, you don’t cut .

b. When my sister did a show, we told her to break a .

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 Idioms
c. This is too crazy, it’s getting out of .
d. My teacher really let me off the there, I thought I’d be in trouble!
e. Why don’t you get it? It’s not rocket .
f. I’m feeling a bit under the , so I should go to the doctor.

It’s Your Call

For each of these examples can you think of an idiom that means the same thing? Write an idiom
for each example.

a. Time goes fast when you’re doing something you d. Calm down when you’re feeling upset.
enjoy.

e. Trying to avoid saying what you mean.

b. Try to understand something complicated.

c. This is the very last thing I can handle.

Have a Go

Have a go at writing a sentence or two that include idioms.

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 Repetition
Identifying Repetition

Repetition is when a word or phrase is repeated within a sentence or text. Highlight or circle the
sentences that contain repetition below. Not every example has repetition, it is your job to identify which
ones do.
a. What about breakfast? What about lunch? What about dinner? What about pudding?
b. A horse is a horse, of course, he’s a horse.
c. Arthur absolutely adored apples.
d. O Captain, my Captain!
e. I saw the sun one sweet summer day.
f. Hark how the bells, sweet silver bells, all seem to say throw cares away.
g. Once upon a time, a king lived in a castle.
h. Never give in - never, never, never.

Go back over the examples above and write down what the repetition was. If an example didn’t have
repetition, leave it blank.

a. e.
b. f.
c. g.
d. h.

Word Repetition

Circle the word that is repeated in the examples below.

a. It’s chocolate I love, chocolate I like, and chocolate I want!

b. Oh woeful, oh woeful, woeful, woeful day!

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 Repetition
c. I saw nobody. No neighbours, no cars, no delivery drivers.
d. This was where I felt at home - where the sun warmed my face, where the sand crunched under
my toes, where the sea lapped the shore.
e. Keeping time, time, time, in a sort of rhyme.

Phrase Repetition

Circle or underline the phrase that is repeated in these examples.

a. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

b. To be or not to be?
c. If you can dream - and not make dreams your master, if you can think - and not make thoughts
your aim...
d. Yes, I will swim across the ocean. Yes, I will walk across the desert. Yes, I will see you again.
e. I will try again when I fall down, I will try again when things are hard, I will try again when I
fail.

Have a Go

Have a go at writing your own repetitions. Try some that repeat words, and some that repeat
phrases.

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