subject: What Is A Metaphor [print this page] What Is A Metaphor What Is A Metaphor
Metaphors
A metaphor is an implied comparison to a word or phrase which are unlike in most aspects but literally referring to one kind of object or idea, in exchange of another by way of suggesting a similarity or correlation between them.
Metaphors are used to:
1. Make speaking and writing more energetic and appealing.
2. Convey a greater message with just a word or a phrase.
3. Imply rather than directly declare interaction.
4. Get listeners and readers to reflect regarding what they are hearing or reading.
Strategy in Using Metaphors
1. Determine the idea that is the subject of what you are writing or saying.
2. Choose what it is you want to communicate about that object or idea.
3. Determine another object or idea that strongly implies what you want to convey
4. Construct a sentence in which you link the idea
Examples of commonly used metaphors
A light in a sea of darkness.
Authority is a chair; it needs legs to stand up.
Dad is a bear.
Friends are a shadow.
He has a heart of gold.
He is a gorilla.
He is a pumpkin.
He is a turtle.
He is my East and my West, my compass.
Her hair was coal.
Her voice was music to his ears.
It is raining cats and dogs.
Legends are stars.
Life is a competition.
Life is a highway.
Life is a mouse.
Life is a race.
Life is a rainbow.
Life is a roller coaster.
She is drowning in the sea of love.
She is the apple of my eye.
The cat was a mouse.
The noise is music to her ears.
The sky is green.
When it comes to tennis, I am a wall.
You are the light in my life.
You had better pull your socks up.
The phrases following the sentence denotes the metaphors that appear in bold form
1. The teacher was boiling mad when she caught them cheating. the teacher was very, very angry
2. The police got to the bottom of the problem. the police got to the source of the problem
3. The dreaded examination was a breeze. the feared examination was very easy
4. The antagonist stole the spotlight the moment she came out. the antagonist's performance made her the center of attention
5. She steered clear of that topic. she avoided that topic
6. It was too late for her to see that her plans finally bear fruit. her idea produced results but it was too late for her to see
7. Her suggestion was difficult to swallow. her suggestion was hard to accept
8. Her newborn baby is the sunshine of her life. her newborn baby brightens up her life
9. Her memory of her childhood was foggy after the accident. her memory of what happened to her when she was a child was unclear after the accident
10. He showered my Valentine's Day with gifts. he gave many gifts on Valentine's Day
