Year 4 English: Imagery: simile, metaphor and personification
Part of the Year 4 English reading poetry and plays aloud chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Imagery: simile, metaphor and personification
Figurative language means words used to make a picture, rather than their plain meaning. Three kinds are shown in the table.
| Name | What it does | Example from The Fog Comes In |
|---|---|---|
| simile | compares two things using like or as | wraps the roofs like a grey sheet |
| metaphor | says one thing is another, without like or as | The river is a ribbon, grey |
| personification | gives a human action or body part to something that is not human | silver feet; the sun yawns |
Poem: The Fog Comes In
The fog comes in on silver feet.
It creeps across the sleeping town
and wraps the roofs like a grey sheet,
and hides the hill, and hides the tree.
The river is a ribbon, grey,
and every lamp glows like a coin.
The bus stop waits, but nothing comes,
and footsteps fade and go away.
Then the sun yawns and stretches out.
Effect means what the words make the reader feel or picture. Writers also choose word choice (the exact words) and structure (how the lines and stanzas are arranged). A single-line stanza, for example, makes the reader stop for a moment.
Key ideas
- A simile uses like or as to compare two things.
- A metaphor says one thing is another, with no like or as.
- Personification gives a human action or body part to something that is not human.
- A single line on its own can make the reader pause, and show a change.
Method. Look for the words like or as.
- Look for like or as. The word like makes a comparison in stanza 1.wraps the roofs like a grey sheet
- Check the comparison. The roofs are being compared with a sheet.roofs = sheet
- Copy the words. The simile is the words that begin with like.like a grey sheet
- Write the answer. like a grey sheet
Check. The comparison uses like, so it is a simile. ✓
Method. Look for one thing that is said to be another.
- Find the line. The first line of stanza 2 says The river is a ribbon, grey.The river is a ribbon, grey
- Check for like or as. There is no like or as in this line.no like, no as
- Name the figure. A line that says one thing is another, without like or as, is a metaphor.metaphor
- Write the answer. The river is a ribbon, grey
Check. The river is said to be a ribbon, with no like or as. ✓
Method. Ask whether the thing does something only a person can do.
- Think about the subject. A bus stop is an object and cannot wait.bus stop = object
- Check the action. Waiting is something a person does.waits = human action
- Name the figure. Giving a human action to a thing is personification.personification
- Write the answer. personification
Check. A bus stop cannot wait, so the word is personification. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: a simile must have like or as. The line The river is a ribbon has neither, so it is a metaphor, not a simile.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask: "What picture does this make in your head?" Accept any sensible picture. Figurative language is best learned by saying the line aloud and asking what the writer wants you to see.
Exercise 9C Practice: simile, metaphor and personification
Method. Find the fact that the text states.
- Find the words that answer the question. Scan the text for the detail the question asks about.every lamp glows like a coin
- Check that the fact is stated, not guessed. The words like a coin compare a lamp with a coin.like a coin
- Write the answer. like a coin
Check. The text states this fact. ✓
Method. Find the fact that the text states.
- Find the words that answer the question. Scan the text for the detail the question asks about.The fog comes in on silver feet
- Check that the fact is stated, not guessed. The fog is given feet, so the words are a body part given to a thing.silver feet
- Write the answer. silver feet
Check. The text states this fact. ✓
Method. Test each choice against the line and the poem.
- Read the line with the word or figure in it. Decide what the line needs.
- Test the choice in the line. A bus stop cannot wait, so the word gives it a human action.personification fits
- Reject the other choices. Neither a simile nor a metaphor fits: the line has no like or as, and it does not say the bus stop is something else.simile and metaphor do not fit
- Write the answer. personification
Check. personification fits the line. ✓
Method. Test each choice against the line and the poem.
- Read the line with the word or figure in it. Decide what the line needs.
- Test the choice in the line. The word like compares the roofs with a grey sheet.simile fits
- Reject the other choices. The line does not say the roofs are a sheet, and it does not give the roofs a human action.metaphor and personification do not fit
- Write the answer. simile
Check. simile fits the line. ✓
Method. Ask whether the fog is given something only a person or creature has.
- Look at the words. Silver feet are the feet of a living thing.silver feet
- Check whether fog has feet. Fog is not a living thing, so the words give it a body part.fog has feet = personification
- Write the answer. personification
Check. Feet are given to the fog, so the figure is personification. ✓
Method. Look for a word that a person does, but a sun cannot.
- Find the sun. Stanza 3 says Then the sun yawns and stretches out.the sun yawns
- Check the action. A sun cannot yawn, so the word gives it a human action.yawns = human action
- Write the answer. yawns
Check. Yawns is a human action given to the sun. ✓
Method. Test each verb against the picture of a quiet fog.
- Test creeps. Creeps is slow and quiet, like a soft fog moving over the roofs.creeps: slow and quiet
- Reject the other verbs. Crashes is loud, and rushes is fast; neither suits a quiet fog.crashes and rushes do not fit
- Write the answer. creeps
Check. Creeps matches the quiet fog. ✓
Watch out. Word choice is about the exact effect of one verb.
Method. Think about what a ribbon looks like.
- Think about a ribbon. A ribbon is thin, long and smooth.thin, long, smooth
- Connect it to the river. The river is thin and smooth through the fog, so the reader can picture it.a clear picture of the river
- Write the answer. the river looks long, thin and smooth, like a ribbon
Check. The metaphor gives a clear picture. ✓
Method. Think about what feet give a living thing.
- Think about feet. Feet make a creature move, so the fog seems to walk.the fog walks
- Connect it to the effect. Silver feet also make the fog seem pale and quiet.pale and quiet
- Write the answer. the fog seems alive and moves quietly
Check. Silver feet make the fog seem alive. ✓
Method. Compare stanza 3 with the stanzas before it.
- Compare the length. The first two stanzas have four lines; stanza 3 has only one.four lines, four lines, one line
- Explain the effect. A single line on its own makes the reader pause, and shows the change from fog to sun.a pause and a change
- Write the answer. the single line makes the reader pause and shows a change
Check. Structure can shape meaning. ✓
Method. Compare the sun with something that is bright or warm.
- Choose a comparison. A lamp is bright and warm, like the sun.a warm lamp
- Use like or as. Write the sun is like a warm lamp.The sun is like a warm lamp
- Write the answer. The sun is like a warm lamp in the sky
Check. The comparison uses like. ✓
Watch out. A simile needs like or as. Without it, the line is a metaphor.