Writing is like injecting your thoughts into the brain of our reader.
OK, that was an over-the-top cheesy simile. But you get the idea.
The simile is a comparison between two different things that are similar in some way. This device is used to compare something unknown with something familiar (an object, event, process, etc.) known to the reader. You can use the simile as a tool to clarify an idea or concept, but it is often used to make an impression, as an example of artistic or poetic style in one’s writing.
In general, and especially when comparing a noun with another noun, the simile is usually introduced by the word as:
After a long time in the direct sun my mother in law looked like an overcooked piece of bacon.
A person in jail is like a bird in a cage.
Some grammarians say that when a verb or phrase is compared to a verb or phrase, the word ace must be used.
They stayed focused on their goal, like a sunflower always turns towards the sun.
Here is your big opportunity. You have to run like a person running for his life.
However, this may sound a bit forced. usually the word as It is acceptable. This was once a big problem with a commercial for a cigarette brand: “Winston tastes as good as a cigarette should.” Despite academic complaints, no one thought it was normal speech to say, “Winston tastes as good as a cigarette.”
Today most people would say that the above two sentences could be:
They stayed focused on their goal, like a sunflower always turns towards the sun.
Here is your big opportunity. You have to run like a person running for his life.
Many times the simile, the object with which it is compared, precedes the thing with which it is compared. In these cases, the word so is used to show the comparison:
The grass bends in the wind; so does the typical politician.
A calm stream runs deep, so does the thoughtful person.
But sometimes the word so is understood rather than expressed:
As wax melts before the fire, / let the wicked perish before God. –Psalm 68:2b
Whenever it is not immediately clear to the reader what the point of similarity is between dissimilar objects, a good writer has to specify the comparison to avoid confusion and vagueness. For example, it is not enough to say,
“In my job, I’m like a mushroom.” To be clear, the writer could say“In my job, I’m like a mushroom. They keep me in the dark and feed me shit.”
A good name is like glass: the brighter the glitter, the more easily it can break.
He was like a skunk, although it wasn’t his fault, he had a bad reputation.
He felt like an avocado in the grocery store; she had been prodded and squeezed so hard that no one lifted her up.
Often the point of similarity can be expressed in just a word or two, without explanation.
It’s as useless as a bull’s teats.
Yes, he is a cute pup, but he will be as big as a house.
Sometimes the word simile can be used as an adjective:
Use weasel words and slippery arguments.
His speech had a monotony similar to that of a drum.
Similar can also be negative, signaling that two things are different in one or more ways:
Seeing his artwork doesn’t move you to say “wow!” But it has its charm.
I wouldn’t say he fought like a tiger, but he did possess a calm tenacity as he worked to achieve his goals.
Other ways to use similes include the use of comparison:
Ramiro ran looking for a flat more than a squirrel looking for acorns in autumn.
But this truth is clearer than spring water.
So there are a variety of ways to invoke the similar. These are some of the possibilities:
butter is like margarine
butter is not like margarine
butter is the same as margarine
butter is more valuable than margarine
butter is less valuable than margarine
butter is better than margarine, so is lard
butter is similar to margarine
butter looks like margarine
butter is as similar to margarine as it is to lard
butter is like margarine like lard
butter is more margarine than lard
butter is less margarine than lard
But sometimes something similar can be implied. In such cases a comparative word is not needed:
The English teacher was almost like a person with boxes and boxes of socks, but no feet. He had thousands of quotes memorized, but he could never fit them into a conversation.
When I think of the ACT, I think of slavery, torture, and evil teachers.
Leslie has silky hair and the skin of an angel.
Find more great writing tips at: http://www.BooksLibros.com/escrituraESLpdf&printed.htm