imiles in the ESL Classroom

Larry Pudwill
pudwill[at]hotmail.com
Nagoya, Japan

Similes Defined
Time flies like an arrow.

A legend as old as the hills.

These are examples of a figure of speech called a simile.

Similes are used to illustrate a point or elicit an emotion by
comparing two objects or actions equally. The word simile
comes from the Latin root similes, meaning sameness or
likeness. The words similar and facsimile also use the same
root. Similes are commonly used in literature but are also
regularly used in conversation.

Similes can be recognized by the grammar patterns ".... as

(adjective/adverb) as ..." or "(verb) like ...". The original
word or phrase of a simile is called the tenor, and the word
or phrase used to illustrate the tenor is called the vehicle. In
the two examples above time and legend are the tenors,
and arrow and hills are the vehicles. The tenor and vehicle
of a simile share some characteristic associated with the
adjective, adverb, or verb, but otherwise would not literally
be compared with each other.

Sometimes the adjective, adverb, or verb use a different

meaning of the same word to compare the tenor and
vehicle. In the simile, The boy lies like a rug, both a boy and
a rug can lie, but the boy doesn't tell the truth, and the rug is
spread out on the floor. The man smokes like a chimney is
another such example.
Classroom Activities
Similes can be easily introduced into ESL lessons to
stimulate the students' creativity, interest, and humor while
teaching parts of speech (adjectives, nouns, and verbs) or
the comparative grammar forms.

Parts of Speech
The activities here will work as the building blocks to
creating similes for practicing the comparative patterns
below.

Write several adjectives (hard, busy, flat, white, etc.) on the

blackboard. Have your students write three or four nouns or
noun phrases that can be associated with the adjectives.
Encourage noun phrases and secondary meanings of the
adjectives. As an example, under the word hard you can
write the words rock, their last English examination, week-
old bread, and walking up Mt. Fuji with a twenty kilogram
backpack. Have the students share their lists of words and
phrases in groups or with the class.

Next, write types of animals (fish, dogs, cows, eagles, etc.)

on the blackboard. Animals are commonly used in similes
because of their familiarity. Have the students come up with
a list of three or four verbs associated with those animals.
As an example, under the wordfish, you could write swim,
drink, and flop around when out of the water. Likewise, write
some inanimate objects (ice, homework, silk, their textbook,
etc.) on the blackboard and have the students come up with
three or four adjectives for each. Again, have students
share their lists.

Comparative Pattern Practice

Similes are useful for learning and practicing the "... as
(adjective/adverb) as ..." and "...(verb) like ..." comparative
grammar patterns. After introducing these patterns, use the
list of adjectives, nouns, and verbs that the students
generated above to create a complete simile by combining
the tenor, adjective or verb, with the vehicle. As an example,
write the sentence, My last English examination was as
hard as climbing Mt. Fuji with a twenty kilogram
backpack. For further practice, students could change the
vehicle to use the words they came up with and add a new
tenor; for example, The bread was as hard as my last
English examination. Use this same activity for creating
similes with the animals and objects using both the "...
as ..." and "... like ..." grammar patterns.

Conclusion
Have fun with similes and encourage imagination. You can
use similes to enhance your students' creative English
language abilities.

Similes are not limited to the English language. If you are

teaching English to people of a culture different than yours,
encourage your students to share their language's similes.
You and your students will gain much insight into each
other's cultures.

Matching Similes
The similes below are so common that most have become
clich in their usage. However, they will give students a
good idea of simile formation and usage.

Match the sentence on the left with the simile on the right.
Write the letter on the line next to the number.
1. ___ The girl never tells the truth. A. It's as smoo

2. ___ Please water that plant. B. I'm as busy

3. ___ Those two children don't like each other. C. She has bee

4. ___ That girl won't harm anyone. D. Then I can f

5. ___ I have many things to do today. E. It's as flat as

6. ___ Be careful of the the broken glass. F. He's as stron

7. ___ The water has frozen. G. She's as slo

8. ___ This material is very soft. H. It's as fresh

9. ___ Did you scrub the floor? I. He eats like a

10. ___ Put on some warm gloves. J. He eats like

11. ___ This cake is soft and fluffy. K. She can sing

12. ___ I want to do well on my tests. L. She lies like

13. ___ This bed sheet is very clean and smells good. M. It's as hard

14. ___ I can't understand this question. N. They're as b

15. ___ He will get lung cancer if he's not careful. O. She looks a

16. ___ My father taught me many things. P. It's as light a

17. ___ Why is she taking so much time? Q. It's as swee

18. ___ I have heard that story many times before. R. Time flies lik

19. ___ He's such a sloppy eater. S. It's as clear

20. ___ He doesn't listen to anyone. T. She is flying

21. ___ The patient looks very ill. U. She's as blin

22. ___ He doesn't eat very much. V. Your hands a

23. ___ She sings with much feeling. W. He's as stub

24. ___ The man can lift this heavy box. X. He sits there

25. ___ We shouldn't waste time worrying. Y. It's as dry as

26. ___ Go to the bathroom to clean your hands. Z. He smokes l

27. ___ The boy is very lazy. a. It's as clean

28. ___ The pudding tastes delicious. b. It's as sharp

29. ___ She has very poor eyesight. c. She's as gen

30. ___ Did you step on this? d. He's as wise

31. ___ She is very excited about getting her driver's license. e. They always

32. ___ I will go check on the baby. f. It's as old as

Matching Similes - (answer sheet)

Match the beginning part of the conversation on the left with
the simile on the right. Write the letter on the line next to the
number.

1. L The girl never tells the truth. A. It's as smooth as silk.

2. Y Please water that plant. B. I'm as busy as a beaver.

3. e Those two children don't like each C. She has been as quiet as a
other. church mouse.

4. c That girl won't harm anyone. D. Then I can fly like an eagle.

5. B I have many things to do today. E. It's as flat as a pancake.

6. b Be careful of the the broken glass. F. He's as strong as a bull.

G. She's as slow as molasses in

7. M The water has frozen.
January.

8. A This material is very soft. H. It's as fresh as a daisy.

9. a Did you scrub the floor? I. He eats like a pig.

10. V Put on some warm gloves. J. He eats like a bird.

11. P This cake is soft and fluffy. K. She can sing like an angel.

12. D I want to do well on my tests. L. She lies like a rug.

13. H This bed sheet is very clean and

M. It's as hard as a rock.
smells good.

14. S I can't understand this question. N. They're as black as coal.

15. Z He will get lung cancer if he's not

O. She looks as white as a ghost.
careful.
16. d My father taught me many things. P. It's as light as a feather.

17. G Why is she taking so much time? Q. It's as sweet as honey.

18. f I have heard that story many times

R. Time flies like an arrow.
before.

19. I He's such a sloppy eater. S. It's as clear as mud.

20. W He doesn't listen to anyone. T. She is flying as high as a kite.

21. O The patient looks very ill. U. She's as blind as a bat.

22. J He doesn't eat very much. V. Your hands are as cold as ice.

23. K She sings with much feeling. W. He's as stubborn as a mule.

X. He sits there like a bump on a

24. F The man can lift this heavy box.
log.

25. R We shouldn't waste time worrying. Y. It's as dry as a bone.

26. N Go to the bathroom to clean your

Z. He smokes like a chimney.
hands.

27. X The boy is very lazy. a. It's as clean as a whistle.

28. Q The pudding tastes delicious. b. It's as sharp as a knife.

29. U She has very poor eyesight. c. She's as gentle as a lamb.

30. E Did you step on this? d. He's as wise as an owl.

31. T She is very excited about getting her e. They always fight like cats and
driver's license. dogs.

32. C I will go check on the baby. f. It's as old as the hills.