Metaphors!

This week, Miss McLeod's (teacher) reading class all did a metaphors sheet. We learnt what there are and they are saying that something is something. Eg. 'your room is a pigsty' or 'she is a lightning bolt.'

This is my finished work-

Metaphors

A metaphor is one kind of figurative language. It makes a direct comparison of two unlike things. You can tell the difference between a metaphor and a simile because a simile uses the words “like” or “as”, and a metaphor does not. Metaphors often use a form of the verb “to be”. The verb can be in the past tense (was, were), the present tense (am, is, are), or future tense (will be).

Read the story below. Highlight all the metaphors you find.

The first one has been done for you.

The Haircut       When I woke up on Saturday, mom said I was a sheepdog with my long, shaggy hair, and it was time for me to get my hair cut. When I looked at her, she was a zebra, half hidden behind the drapes of my overgrown bangs. I couldn’t help it. I laughed. She was right, my hair had to be cut. The barber’s chair was a tower, and he pumped it higher and higher. I didn’t really mind. I was an explorer, looking at the world in a whole new way. The pieces of hair on the floor were an exotic carpet of strange brown fibers that criss-crossed in a crazy pattern. The floor was an odd new planet, and I was an astronaut looking down from above. The barber pumped the chair again, and I was a rocket coming in for a landing. I couldn’t believe the adventure was over so soon. On the way home, we stopped at the store to buy some milk. Unfortunately, there was some amazing sale going on at the time. We were tiny fish swimming in a sea of people. I couldn’t wait to get out of there and go home. The drive home was a frustrating experience, because the holiday traffic had turned the street into a parking lot. I hope it’s a long time before I’m a sheepdog again!

Read each sentence below. Underline the metaphor. Highlight the people or objects that the metaphor is being used to compare.

The first one has been done for you.

1) The calm lake was a mirror, reflecting the mountains in the distance.

2) When my dad makes up his mind he is a rock, not budging an inch.

3) The lava was a blanket of fire that scorched all the plants in its path.

4) Spinning contentedly, the spider was an artist preparing a masterpiece.

5) During the holiday traffic the highway was one long parking lot.

6) The ice cream bar was a snowstorm in her mouth in the heat of the day.

7) His job hunt was a puzzle that was missing the final piece.

8) The lawyers were sharks in the ocean of the courtroom.

9) On Christmas Eve, the shopping mall was a jungle of people.

10) The spaghetti was a tangled ball of yarn on his plate.

All of the sentences below use metaphors. Explain what each one means.

The first one has been done for you.

Sentence	The teeth of the crocodile are little white knives.
What does the metaphor mean?	The crocodile’s teeth are very sharp.

Sentence	My life is a dream come true!
What does the metaphor mean?	The thing that you have always wanted has come true

Sentence	The bird fired a white missile, which exploded on my windshield.
What does the metaphor mean?	The bird pooped on the window.

Sentence	The crab was a dancing pair of scissors, clicking across the sand.
What does the metaphor mean?	The crab snapped it's claws and scuttled across the sand.

Sentence	Her long hair is an ocean of waves.
What does the metaphor mean?	Her long hair was wavy

Sentence	The music of her laughter filled the room.
What does the metaphor mean?	She laughed so loud that it fill the room.

Sentence	A book is a key that unlocks imagination in your mind.
What does the metaphor mean?	The more you read, the more you will know and think.

Sentence	Her diary was her best friend, guarding her secrets quietly.
What does the metaphor mean?	She really likes to write in her diary.