What is a metaphor?
A metaphor uses the ideas and characteristics of one object to describe another object.
Examples
| Metaphor | Explanation |
|---|---|
| He has a heart of stone | stone = cold and no emotion his heart = cold and no emotion |
| Love is war | war = filled with pain and death love = filled with pain and death |
Common metaphors
These metaphors are common and have become ‘figures of speech’ in English
| he has a heart of stone | love is war |
| he has the heart of a lion | love is a battlefield |
| time is money | life is a rollercoaster |
| her voice was like music to his ears | life is a journey |
| a blanket of snow covered the streets | you reek of failure |
| you light up my life | she froze on stage |
Action metaphors
You can use metaphors to describe actions. To do this think of an interesting idea of something to compare it with.
| Metaphor | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Yesterday she killed me at cards. | The game was like a murder |
| When she heard he was single, she pounced on him, trapping him under her paws, refusing to let him go. | She acted like a cat jumping on a mouse |
| Arriving in Shanghai he opened a new chapter in his life. He waited to find out how the story would turn out. | His life was like a book |
Exercises
1. Use your imagination to create simple metaphors using the following:
Life is ….
Learning English is….
Death is….
….is a summer’s day
…is a kick in the teeth
2. Try to make metaphors of action to describe:
a) falling in love
b) watching a fight
c) having a dream come true