Similes

Have you ever heard your teacher talk about similes and thought, “Ugh, not this again!”?

You're not alone—it can sound boring after a while. But there’s actually a really good reason they keep bringing it up.

Similes are a fun and powerful way to make your writing more exciting. They help your reader imagine things better by comparing one thing to another using the words “like” or “as.”

For example, instead of saying “She ran quickly,” you could say “She took off like popcorn from a pan!”

Doesn’t that sound better?

That’s the magic of similes—they turn plain writing into something full of colour and energy.

Looking for a task to help with similes?

Try this task

Grab a pencil and piece of paper and list the 5 subheadings. Then, match up the similes from the list under the correct subheading. There may be more similes for one heading than another (to make it trickier!). Answers at the end of this post.

Good luck!
Anna


Subheadings
1. Rain
2. Change
3. Freedom
4. Journey
5. Happiness
6. Anxiety

List of similes
Sort under the correct subheading (note: a couple could go under two or more subheadings depending on the context):

• I felt like a volcano ready to burst.
• It was like a walk down memory lane.
• It felt like sunshine touched my body.
• It was like an impenetrable wall of glass.
• It attacked me like daggers from the sky.
• It sounded like popcorn on the roof.
• It felt like a breath of fresh air.
• I felt like a bird.
• It felt like it was electric!
• It was like climbing a mountain.
• It was like a walk in the park.
• It felt like a constant battle.
• It felt like it was electric!
• It felt like it was contagious.
• It was like a shroud of misery.
• It was like daggers from the sky.
• It felt like a cloud above my head.
• It felt as if there was a bubble in my chest
• It felt like a constant battle.

Answers!
Rain (positive and negative)
• It was like an impenetrable wall of glass.
• It was like daggers from the sky.
• It was like a shroud of misery.
• It sounded like popcorn on the roof.

Change (positive)
• It felt like a breath of fresh air.

Freedom (positive)
• I felt like a bird.
• It felt like it was electric!

Journey (positive and negative)
• It was like climbing a mountain.
• It was like a walk in the park.
• It was like a walk down memory lane.
• It felt like a constant battle.

Happiness (positive)
• It felt like sunshine touched my body.
• It felt like it was electric!
• It felt like it was contagious.

Anxiety (negative)
• It felt like a cloud above my head.
• I felt like a volcano ready to burst.
• It felt as if there was a bubble in my chest
• It felt like a constant battle.