Understanding Metaphors

Understanding Metaphors — page 1 — WHAT IS A METAPHORPE Have you ever been called a chicken You don't have feathers or make clucking sounds do you But maybe you get scared sometimes A chicken gets scared sometimes too It is afraid it will be made into stew You and a chicken can both get scared so you have something in common If someone calls you a chicken he or she is using a netaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two unlike things It describes something by showing how it is the same as some thing else The two things are different in most ways but they share an important characteristic A characteristic is a feature or quality that identifies a person or thing

Understanding Metaphors — page 2 — FIGURATIVE OR LITERALP We use two types of language when we speak and write We use literal language to describe things as they really are We say Our teacher is strict He gives us extra homework if we misbehave These sentences state facts which are true The teacher really is strict He really does give extra homework for bad behavior We also use figurative language This type of language takes words beyond their normal literal meanings We say Our teacher is a tyrant He gives us a mountain of extra homework if we misbehave The teacher is not acutally a tyrant A tyrant is a harsh or cruel ruler But tyrants and teachers both make people follow rules And the teacher does assign extra homework for bad behavior but it isn t actually piled as high as a mountain We use both literal and figurative language to tell our stories FTCURATIVE LTERAL T ve got more homework now than I've ever had beforer The first sentence is literal and does not compare unlike things The second sentence is figurative It uses a sea metaphor to describe the amount of homework Do you sea the difference'm drowning in a sea of

Understanding Metaphors — page 3 — TS IT REALLY A Me METAPHOR We use metaphors to paint pictures with words Metaphors let writers describe things in creative ways They help readers imagine characters and settings Characters are the people in a story The setting is where a story takes place We also use other types of figurative language to tell our stories Similes are almost the same as metaphors Like metaphors similes are figures of speech that compare two unlike things But unlike metaphors similes use the words as or like to make their comparisons Look at the sentences be low Some have metaphors Some have similes Others have no figures of speech at all Compare the sentences Notice how they bring the characters to life in different ways O MA I William always had a smile on his face Zoe's braids were too skinny black snakes slithering away from her head William s happy smile was like sunshine on a cloudy day Zoe had thin black braids in her hair Zoe s braids were as wild and wiggly as little black snakes William s smile was a streak of red paint on his face The first sentence has a metaphor because it says something is something else The second sentence does not have a figure of speech The third sentence has a simile because it uses the word as to compare unlike things The first sentence is literal because it does not have a figure of speech The second sentence has a simile because it uses the word like to compare unlike things The third sentence has a metaphor because it compares unlike things without using the words like or

Understanding Metaphors — page 4 — ABOUT THIS BOOK This book is divided into sections to make learning about metaphors a breeze FIGURE Studies metaphors in different types of writing IT OUT TALK Uses discussion questions and graphic organizers to get you thinking and talking about metaphors ABOUT IT WRITE Includes samples and tips to help you create original work ABOUT IT NOW IT's YoUR Gets you to make your own marvelous metaphors in poems and stories TURN FIVE STEPS TO WRITING PRE WRITING Brainstorm new EDITING Be a walking ideas Get creative and shower a dictionary and check your your paper with words work for spelling mistakes DRAFTING Your first draft PUBLISHING Share your sweet might be a disaster You can work with family and friends clean it up later It s a piece of cake REVISING Cover your bases and take advice from other writers It will make your work a big

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