Identify idioms, metaphors, and similes
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Learning Objectives
- 1Define idioms, metaphors, and similes in your own words
- 2Distinguish a simile from a metaphor by spotting the words like or as
- 3Sort figurative phrases into idiom, metaphor, or simile categories
- 4Match common figurative expressions to their literal meanings
Mini Lesson
Authors rarely use only literal words. They paint pictures with figurative language — phrases that mean more than the words themselves. Three of the most common types are idioms, metaphors, and similes. Knowing which is which helps you understand what writers really mean.
The Three Figures of Speech
- Idiom — a fixed phrase whose meaning cannot be guessed from the individual words. "Spill the beans" does not mean drop a can of beans; it means reveal a secret.
- Metaphor — a direct comparison that says one thing IS another. "Time is a thief" — time does not literally steal, but it takes things from us.
- Simile — a comparison that uses the words like or as. "She runs like the wind" or "as brave as a lion."
How to Tell Them Apart
- Read the phrase. If the meaning is completely different from the literal words, it is probably an IDIOM.
- Look for the signal words like or as. If you see them comparing two things, it is a SIMILE.
- If the phrase says one thing IS another (without like or as), it is a METAPHOR.
- Check the meaning by replacing the figurative phrase with a plain literal one — does the sentence still make sense?
Idioms are culture-specific. "It is raining cats and dogs" makes no sense translated word-for-word into another language — you must learn the meaning as a whole phrase.
Every simile is a kind of comparison, but not every comparison is a simile. The word like or as must be present and must compare two unlike things — "He is like his brother" is just a literal comparison, not a simile.
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