Name:_______________________________ Date: __________________________

Poetry Devices Worksheet

(Similes, Metaphors, Personification)

Simile:
A comparison of two things that are not alike in most ways using ‘like’ or ‘as’.

For example:

"Good coffee is like friendship: rich and warm and strong."

"Playing chess with him is like trying to outsmart a computer."

"Life is like an onion: You peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep."

"His temper was as explosive as a volcano."

IMPORTANT: Using ‘like’ or ‘as’ does not always make a sentence a simile. A comparison
between two different things must be made!

"I like you. You are a good friend." – NOT A SIMILE

“You are like your brother.” - NOT A SIMILE.

"You are like a solid rock. I know I can always count on you." - SIMILE

Metaphor:
A metaphor also compares two things, but it does not use the word ‘like’ or ‘as’. Unlike
similes, metaphors state that something is something else.

For example:

"You are the apple of my eye."

"Life is a battlefield. You have to fight for what you believe in."

"The exam was a breeze. I finished it in less than an hour."

"The world is a stage and all the men and women its actors."

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Simile vs. Metaphor: What’s the difference?

1. Brian was a wall, bouncing every tennis ball back over the net.

Simile or Metaphor? Ans:_________________

Intended meaning:

a. Brian is so stiff, the balls just bounce off him

b. Brian is so good, he can return every ball.
c. Brian is very strong.
d. Brian is very tall.

2. We would have had more pizza to go around if Tammy hadn’t been such a hog.

Simile or Metaphor? Ans:________________________________________

Intended meaning:

a. Tammy looks like a hog

b. Tammy smells like a hog
c. Tammy eats like a hog
d. Tammy is as smart as a hog

3. Don’t bother going in. We call his room the disaster zone of our house.

Simile or Metaphor? Ans:____________________________________

Intended meaning:

a. His room is where the emergency supplies are stored.

b. His room incredibly neat and well organized.
c. His room is poorly decorated.
d. His room is horribly messy.

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4. The poor rat didn’t have a chance. Our old lightning bolt of a cat pounced on it the
moment it ran out of its hole.

Simile or Metaphor? Ans:____________________________________

Intended meaning:

a. The cat was electrocuted and brimming with energy

b. The cat was very slow and dim-witted
c. The cat was very evil and cruel
d. The cat was very fast and vigilant

5. Toby manipulated the people in his life as though they were chess pieces.

Simile or Metaphor? Ans:_________________

Intended meaning:

a. Toby was very sensitive to people’s emotions

b. Toby liked to use people for his own benefit.
c. Toby liked to make sure that people were well taken care of
d. Toby often played chess with people

6. Her boyfriend appreciated her as an ape might appreciate an algebra book.

Simile or Metaphor? Ans:_________________

Intended meaning:

a. Her boyfriend loved her very much

b. Her boyfriend liked to make use of her
c. Her boyfriend could not be bothered with her
d. Her boyfriend was very understanding

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Figure out the intended meaning without a guide:

7. They say that scars are the roadmap to the soul.

Simile or Metaphor? Ans:_________________

Intended meaning:

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

8. The teacher listened to the student’s tale with a wooden face.

Simile or Metaphor? Ans:_________________

Intended meaning:

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

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 Personification:
Personification is a figurative language technique where an object or idea is given human
characteristics or qualities. In other words, using language, we make an object or an idea do
something that usually is only done by humans. With personification, writers make the
object or idea like a person, hence, personifying it.

Personifying something gives it meaning on a more human level and makes it more
relatable. In poetry, it is used to explain or give vivid examples and images, thereby bringing
the text to life for the reader.

For example:

1. Terror crept up the stairs and knocked on her door.

 It is quite impossible for terror to ‘knock’ or ‘creep’ because terror is an
emotion! However, by making it seem human, the sense of terror now
becomes more real to us, thereby increasing the tension and making the story
it all the more frightening to read.
2. The brown grass was begging for water.
 Grass obviously cannot ‘beg’ because grass cannot speak! Rather, what the
author is trying to do here is highlight the state of the grass’ condition and in
this case, the grass has dried out and is in desperate need of water.
3. The party died as soon as Jessica left.
 Relax. No one got killed here. Rather, what the speaker is trying to say here is
that the party became really boring and dull after Jessica left.

Try it! Explain the intended meaning of the following sentences.

 As autumn turned to winter, the trees found themselves wearing white.

 New York – a city that never sleeps.

 Her advice was lost on his ears.