Exploring Writing - Gary Robert Muschla 2011

Exercise 2.11 The Power of Figures of Speech
Figurative Language
Part 2. Writing the Draft

Figurative language can turn good writing into great writing. Figures of speech include similes, metaphors, and personification.

Similes make comparisons using the words like or as. Metaphors make comparisons without using like or as. Personification gives human qualities to nonhuman things and ideas. The great power of figurative language is in the enrichment of ideas.

Exercise 2.11 The Power of Figures of Speech

Study the following examples of figures of speech:

✵ The cat’s eyes were like full moons in the darkness. (simile)

✵ The thief’s stare was as cold as ice. (simile)

✵ The snow was a white blanket over the land. (metaphor)

✵ The trees fought the storm’s winds. (personification)

Notice how the comparison or personification of each example is made. Also notice how the figures of speech help readers visualize the idea expressed by the sentence. Write your own examples of similes, metaphors, and personifications. Ask yourself how the figures of speech enrich the ideas of the sentences. For more practice with figures of speech, do Worksheet 2.20 at the end of this section.