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Stories 1

Synonyms, Similes and Metaphors

To write interesting stories, writers often use synonyms, similes and metaphors.

n A synonym is a word or phrase that has a similar meaning to another word or phrase.
e.g. old, ancient, antique, aged – all of these words mean ‘not new’.

Using synonyms in a story makes it more interesting.

n A simile is an expression that compares two things with similar characteristics using as or like.
e.g. The thunder roared like an angry lion. She was as quiet as a mouse.

n A metaphor is an expression that describes something by comparing it to something else
with similar characteristics. Metaphors are often not literal and you may need to think about
them to understand.

e.g. He has a heart of gold – a person cannot really have a heart made of gold, so this is not
literal. It means the person has a good heart and is kind.

Similes and metaphors create rich descriptions.

2 Read and find. Read the story extracts below.
In each extract, find a word with the same
meaning as the word in bold.

2

I followed the instructions carefully

and switched on the machine.

Suddenly, it made a loud noise and

exploded. There was something

wrong with the device. 3

1 His grandmother looked over her
glasses and asked him to bring in
We entered the dark forest the bags. Then she asked him to
nervously. It was so gloomy fetch more wood for the fire.
that we couldn’t see beyond
our own hands!

3 Read and complete. Read the sentences below and choose the correct option,
a or b, to complete each sentence.

1 People say (a) fierce / (b) violent video games have a negative Learning
effect on teenagers. Strategy

2 Reem will (a) travel / (b) commute to France in the Some synonyms cannot be used
interchangeably. For example, we can
summer. say ‘an old woman’ but cannot say
‘an antique woman’. Therefore, it is
3 The ice on the lake was too (a) slim / (b) thin to walk on. important to learn both the meaning
of words and the contexts in which
4 At the end of the story, the police caught the (a) wrong / they can be used.
(b) incorrect person.

5 He yawned and said, ‘Let’s go (a) house / (b) home.’

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