Simile, Metaphor and Personification
The question in plain words: Poets and writers often describe one thing by comparing it with something else, or by giving it human actions. REET asks you to read a line and name the figure of speech in it. How do we tell a simile, a metaphor and personification apart?
After this lesson you can:
- explain simile, metaphor and personification in simple words
- spot the signal words that show each one
- name the figure of speech in a sentence or a line of poetry
- avoid the common traps, such as "like" used as a verb
1. A story: Grandma's words
Sonu lives in Jodhpur. One summer evening his grandmother sits with him on the roof.
"Look," she says, "the moon is like a silver plate tonight."
A little later the wind starts blowing hard. Grandma says, "Hear how the wind is knocking at our door."
When Sonu runs around the roof non-stop, she laughs: "This boy is a whirlwind!"
Sonu thinks. The moon is not a plate. The wind has no hands to knock. And he is not really a whirlwind. So why does Grandma talk like this?
Because these words paint a picture in the mind. They are figures of speech: a simile, personification and a metaphor.
2. Step 1: what is a figure of speech?
- A figure of speech (अलंकार) is a way of using words that is not literal, to make the meaning stronger or more beautiful.
- Many figures of speech compare two different things that are alike in one way.
- In "The moon is like a silver plate", the moon and the plate are different things, but both are round and shining.
3. Step 2: Simile (उपमा)
- A simile compares two different things using "like" or "as".
- Examples:
- The moon is like a silver plate.
- She is as brave as a lioness.
- The child slept like a log.
- Signal words: like, as … as.
- Hindi has the same idea: in उपमा अलंकार, words like सा, सी, से, जैसा show the comparison. "चाँद-सा मुखड़ा" is like a simile.
4. Step 3: Metaphor (रूपक)
- A metaphor also compares two different things, but without "like" or "as".
- It says one thing is the other.
- Examples:
- This boy is a whirlwind.
- The classroom was a zoo.
- Time is money.
- Signal: is / are / was, and no "like" or "as".
- The Hindi idea is close to रूपक अलंकार, as in "चरण-कमल" (lotus feet).
5. Step 4: Personification (मानवीकरण)
- Personification gives human actions or feelings to something that is not human: an animal, a thing, or an idea.
- Examples:
- The wind whispered through the trees.
- The sun smiled on the fields.
- The old house sighed in the storm.
- Signal: a non-human thing does what only people do (smile, cry, whisper, dance, sigh).
- In Hindi this is called मानवीकरण अलंकार.
6. The picture to remember
7. Shortcuts (after you understand)
Simile = Similar: both start with "simi". A simile says two things are similar, with like or as. Metaphor = "is": it says one thing is another. No "like", no "as". Personification = Person: a thing behaves like a person. Two things of the same kind are not a simile: "Ravi is as tall as Mohan" is a plain comparison, because both are boys.
8. How to teach this in class
Start from the child's own language: ask, "How do you say this in Hindi or Marwari?" Children already use comparisons such as "चाँद-सा". Use the world around them: show the moon, a camel, a cloud. Ask children to finish "The cloud is like …". Let them make their own: children write one simile, one metaphor and one personification about their village or school. Sort the cards: give sentence cards and three boxes: simile, metaphor, personification. Children sort and explain why. Read poems aloud: enjoy the poem first, then look for the figures. Do not start with definitions.
A Class 5 English teacher wants children to understand similes. Which activity is the most suitable?
Show answer
Correct answer: B
Children learn language best when they use it for real meaning. Starting from familiar things and the home language, and then making their own similes, builds understanding.
Option A: Copying a definition does not help children use or spot a simile.
Option C: A test on definitions checks memory, not understanding.
Option D: This is wrong; we use similes in daily speech too ("as cold as ice").
Hint: Use, not copy.
9. Quick check
"The child slept like a log." Which figure of speech is this?
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Correct answer: A
The child and a log are two different things, compared using "like". So it is a simile.
Option B: A metaphor does not use "like" or "as".
Option C: The log does not do anything human here.
Option D: Alliteration is the same first sound repeated in nearby words, as in "big brown bear".
Hint: Look for "like" or "as".
"The stars danced in the sky." Which figure of speech is this?
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Correct answer: C
Dancing is a human action. Here the stars are shown doing it, so it is personification.
Option A: There is no "like" or "as".
Option B: The line does not say the stars are something else.
Option D: Rhyme is the same ending sound in words, as in "cat" and "hat".
Hint: Can stars really dance?
"Life is a journey." Which figure of speech is this?
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Correct answer: B
Life and a journey are different things. The sentence says life is a journey, without "like" or "as". So it is a metaphor.
Option A: A simile would say "Life is like a journey".
Option C: Life is not shown doing a human action.
Option D: No first sound is repeated here.
Hint: "is", with no "like".
Which sentence has a simile?
Show answer
Correct answer: B
Meera and a koel are different, and they are compared with "like". So it is a simile.
Option A: Ravi and his brother are of the same kind, so this is a plain comparison, not a simile.
Option C: Here "like" is a verb meaning "enjoy"; nothing is compared.
Option D: This is personification: the wind is given a human action, whispering.
Hint: Two different things, joined by "like" or "as".
"Every sentence with 'like' is a simile." No. In "I like mangoes", like is a verb. A simile needs a comparison of two different things. "'Ravi is as tall as Mohan' is a simile." No. Both are boys, so it is a plain comparison. "Any sentence about an animal is personification." No. "The dog barked" is not personification, because dogs really bark. The thing must do something only people do.
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