Metaphor vs Simile: Can You Tell the Difference?
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The train wound down the mountain like a snake creeping up on an unsuspecting dog.
- Metaphor
- Simile
- Neither
After the snowstorm, I walked over the white blanket that was covering the ground.
- Metaphor
- Simile
- Neither
I wanted to like my sister's crazy new boyfriend, but the snakeskin unitard was a little much.
- Metaphor
- Simile
- Neither
Her eyes were sparkling stars on her face.
- Metaphor
- Simile
- Neither
I could no longer avoid the subject: his breath was as rancid as onions left to rot in a hot car. I had to say something.
- Metaphor
- Simile
- Neither
He felt free as a bird, as if he might sprout wings and fly away.
- Metaphor
- Simile
- Neither
I've never used a citation style other than ALA. Its guide is my bible.
- Metaphor
- Simile
- Neither
He decided he would write the most beautiful love letter she had ever read, using a type of metaphor called an extended metaphor.
- Metaphor
- Simile
- Neither
Love and disrespect are two things that don't go together. They are like a fork and a power outlet.
- Metaphor
- Simile
- Neither
Metaphors are the most essential building blocks of poetry.
- Metaphor
- Simile
- Neither
About This Quiz
Reading poetry can be a great delight! Many of our favorite poems are full of beautiful figurative language that leaves room for interpretation. Readers can take a piece of work, apply it to their lives, and find meaning that’s completely different for the next reader. That’s the joy of poetry and literature!
However, for some readers, the act of deciphering figurative language can be a challenge. That’s because metaphors and similes can be slippery, hard to detect, and even to tell apart. How talented are you when it comes to picking apart the meaning of figurative language?
For each example in this quiz, pick the right figure of speech: metaphor, simile, or neither. How does the writing compare things? Are you going to be a comparison conqueror or a figurative-language flop?
Metaphor vs. Simile
Similes and metaphors are both figures of speech that make a comparison between two different things. Similes use the words "like" or "as," while metaphors do not. Authors can use both literary devices to add flair to their writing, but can you tell one from the other in the following examples? Is each sentence a metaphor, simile, or neither? Life is like a box of chocolates--and so is this quiz--you never know what you're going to get. (That was a simile.)