Year 6 English — Simile, metaphor and personification
Tell a simile, a metaphor and personification apart, and explain what each one means.
Name: ________________________
1."He has a heart of gold." What does it mean?
- a) He has a heart problem.
- b) He wears a gold chain.
- c) He is very rich.
- d) He is very kind.
2.Sort each phrase by how it makes its comparison.
Groups: Compares using "like" or "as" · Compares by saying one thing IS another
- like a bolt of lightning
- the world is a stage
- her smile is sunshine
- as light as air
- a sea of troubles
- as cold as ice
3.Which sentence is a simile?
- a) The moon is a silver coin.
- b) The moon smiled at the sleeping village.
- c) The moon shone like a silver coin.
- d) The moon rose at eight o'clock.
4.What figure of speech is "The sun greeted us at dawn"? Write one word.
5.Complete the simile with the animal it usually names: as stubborn as a ____.
6.Match each simile to what it means.
- as light as a feather
- as cold as ice
- as busy as a bee
- as good as gold
- as clear as crystal
- as quick as lightning
- extremely cold
- moving extremely fast
- behaving very well
- working without a pause
- very easy to understand
- weighing very little
7.Sort each sentence by the figure of speech it uses.
Groups: Simile · Metaphor · Personification
- Her voice was as sweet as honey.
- The old gate groaned in the night.
- The classroom was a zoo.
- Time is a thief.
- He ran like the wind.
- The wind whispered through the trees.
8."The waves whispered to the sand." Which figure of speech is this?
- a) personification
- b) metaphor
- c) none of these
- d) simile
Answer key — Year 6 English — Simile, metaphor and personification
- 1. d) He is very kind.
- 2. as cold as ice → Compares using "like" or "as"; a sea of troubles → Compares by saying one thing IS another; like a bolt of lightning → Compares using "like" or "as"; the world is a stage → Compares by saying one thing IS another; as light as air → Compares using "like" or "as"; her smile is sunshine → Compares by saying one thing IS another
- 3. c) The moon shone like a silver coin.
- 4. personification
- 5.
- mule
- donkey
- 6. as light as a feather → weighing very little; as cold as ice → extremely cold; as busy as a bee → working without a pause; as good as gold → behaving very well; as clear as crystal → very easy to understand; as quick as lightning → moving extremely fast
- 7. Her voice was as sweet as honey. → Simile; Time is a thief. → Metaphor; The wind whispered through the trees. → Personification; He ran like the wind. → Simile; The classroom was a zoo. → Metaphor; The old gate groaned in the night. → Personification
- 8. a) personification