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“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” Poetry would be nowhere without similes. Similes are a way of describing an object by comparing it to another, and they show up a lot in creative writing. Learn how to write a perfect simile, and how they bring life to writing, with our hands-on worksheets and activities. You can brainstorm words to use in them, then try writing some yourself!

Soon after students begin writing, they will want their pieces to be more descriptive and conversational. Similes are a literary tool used to add depth and meaning to any type of writing, including informational and functional. While many students already use them when talking to their friends, they may not know what a simile is or how to identify one.
Similes are used to draw a comparison between two objects. Most of the time, the comparison is not actually accurate, but used as a literary tool to make a point. The purpose of a simile is to paint a picture and give an example.
While they are often confused with metaphors, similes can be identified by the use of the words like or as when drawing the comparison. A metaphor is not a comparison but a statement not to be taken literally. An example of a metaphor would be to say, “That man is a fox.” The man is not literally a fox, but the metaphor states this as fact to convey that he is sneaky. A simile, however, would be to say, “That man is sneaky like a fox.” Again, the man and the fox are really nothing alike, but we use like or as to compare them.
Once they understand what a simile is, students will realize that they hear and read them everyday. Practicing with the above resources from Education.com could help them to understand proper usage of similes in writing as well as every day speaking.