Words that describe how things look, sound, smell, taste, and feel can make your writing more vivid and exciting for your readers.

A simile is a comparison of two different things with the use of like or as.
This cologne smells like a gardenia in bloom.

A metaphor is a comparison of two different things without the use of like or as.
On camping trips, the sky is my ceiling and the stars are my lamps.

Personification are words used to give things and animals human qualities.
The raindrops tapped at my door.

Tell whether each sentence contains a simile, metaphor, or personification by typing s, m, or p as your answer in each of the blanks provided.

1. This medicine tastes like chalk.


2. Books are gateways to learning.


3. The night descends on tiptoe.


4. The wind sings its mournful song.


5. In our country, the explosion sounded like thunder.


6. The cat has become as fat as a pig.


7. Your outfit is as bright as the sun.


8. That bell sounds like a chime.


9. The Panama canal a passageway to two oceans.


10. Jonathan's voice sounded rough, like sandpaper.