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Name: ______Date: ______Period: ______

English 7 – Enhancing our Writing

Essential Question: How can we use figurative language to enhance our writing?

ANSWER: Using figurative language can help enhance our writing and take it from ordinary to EXTRAORDINARY.

Similes and Metaphors

Review

Simile: Comparison of two unlike objects using the words “like” or “as”.

  • Her eyes were as wide as the sky. - Weare comparing how wide her eyes were to how wide the sky is.
  • Those girls are like two peas in a pod. - We are comparing how close the girls to how close two peas are packed in a pod.

Metaphor: Comparison of two unlike objects without using the words “like” or “as”.

  • Her hair was silk. We are comparing how soft and light her hair is to how soft and light silk is.
  • Cindy was such a mule. We couldn’t get her to change her mind.– We are comparing how stubborn Cindy is to how stubborn a mule is. It takes a lot of effort to push a mule and to push Cindy to change her mind.

Directions: Identify whether the statement is a simile or a metaphor. Circle one answer.

  1. Henry is as happy as a bird in spring time.SIMILEMETAPHOR:
  1. The baby was like an octopus, grabbing at all the cans on the grocery store shelves.

SIMILEMETAPHOR

  1. The bar of soap was a slippery eel during the dog’s bath.

SIMILEMETAPHOR

From Ordinary to Extraordinary:

Directions:

•Take the ordinary description and change it into something extraordinary by making it into a metaphor.

SAMPLE:

  • The computer broke down.
  • Rewritten as Metaphor: The computer is a fallen soldier, never to be heard or seen again.

1.It took Jenny all day to do the laundry

Rewritten as Metaphor:

SAMPLE: It took Jenny a trip to the desert and back before the laundry was finished.

2. It took Cindy all day longto do the dishes.

Rewritten as Metaphor:

______

  1. The Bronx Zoo is a fun place to visit.

Sample: Visiting the Bronx Zoo gives me the same excitement as climbing the top of a roller coaster and freefalling down in a quick descent. In the same way, I become so excited to see the numerous exhibits and animals.

Rewritten as a METAPHOR or SIMILE:

______

  1. His personality is boring.

Sample: He has the personality of a blank white wall with no life, color, or uniqueness.

Rewritten as a METAPHOR or SIMILE:

______

Classwork:Friday, November 16, 2012:

  1. The pillow was a cloud when I put my head upon it after a long day.

SIMILEMETAPHOR

What is being compared: ______

  1. I feel like a limp dishrag.

SIMILEMETAPHOR

What is being compared: ______

  1. No one invites Harold to parties because he’s a wet blanket.

SIMILEMETAPHOR

What is being compared: ______

From Ordinary to Extraordinary:

Directions:

•Take the ordinary description and change it into something extraordinary by making it into a metaphor.

SAMPLE:

  • He has a bad temper.
  • Rewritten: His temper reminds me of a volcano; his heart, of a rock; his personality, of sandpaper.
  1. The puppy ran around the living room.

Rewritten as a METAPHOR or SIMILE:

______

  1. Students should have a voice in their schools.

Rewritten as a METAPHOR or SIMILE:

______

  1. Cell phones can be a distraction in class.

Rewritten as a METAPHOR or SIMILE:

______

Assignment: We will apply the skills we have taken from this lesson and incorporate them in our written paragraphs with our partner for our Persuasive Speech Field Trip presentation.