ACTIVITY 283 – IVAN THE INCREDIBLE

SIMILES – FIGURES OF SPEECH

A SIMILE IS A FIGURE OF SPEECH THAT SAYS THAT ONE THING IS LIKE ANOTHER DIFFERENT
THING. WE CAN USE SIMILES TO MAKE DESCRIPTIONS MORE EMPHATIC OR VIVID.
WE OFTEN USE THE WORDS AS...AS AND LIKE WITH SIMILES.
COMMON PATTERNS FOR SIMILES, WITH EXAMPLE SENTENCES, ARE:

SOMETHING [IS*] AS ADJECTIVE AS SOMETHING

HIS SKIN WAS AS COLD AS ICE.
IT FELT AS HARD AS ROCK.
SHE LOOKED AS GENTLE AS A LAMB.

SOMETHING [IS*] LIKE SOMETHING

MY LOVE IS LIKE A RED, RED ROSE.
THESE COOKIES TASTE LIKE GARBAGE.
HE HAD A TEMPER (THAT WAS) LIKE A VOLCANO.

SOMETHING [DOES**] LIKE SOMETHING

HE EATS LIKE A PIG.
HE SMOKES LIKE A CHIMNEY.
THEY FOUGHT LIKE CATS AND DOGS.

* STATIVE VERB: BE, FEEL, SMELL, TASTE ETC

** ACTION VERB

A SIMILE IS A DIRECT COMPARISON OF TWO THINGS. SIMILES ARE A EASY TO

UNDERSTAND. THE USES OF SIMILES CAN BE CONFUSING TO PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT
FLUENT IN A GIVEN LANGUAGE, BECAUSE THEY WILL INTERPRET THE WORDS
LITERALLY. ALSO, SIMILES CAN CHANGE FROM REGION TO REGION, AND EVEN
AMONG GROUPS OF PEOPLE, LIKE MUSICIANS OR TEENAGERS.

I. MATCH THE ADJECTIVES AND NOUNS AND MAKE SIMILES CONNECTING THEM. YOU MAY
REPEAT THE ADJECTIVES. WHAT DOES THE WITCH SAY TO IVAN, USING SIMILES?

STRONG COW
CALM STEER
HAPPY TARZAN
HAPPY

1. _________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________________________
4. _________________________________________________________________

II. WATCH THE SEGMENT AND CHECK YOUR GUESSES.

III. WORK IN GROUPS. MENTION FIVE THINGS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO DO OR BE, USING
SIMILES.
EX: I'D LIKE TO BE AS FAST AS SUPERMAN.
http://moviesegmentstoassessgrammargoals.blogspot.com

Claudio Azevêdo
 MOVIE SEGMENTS TO ASSESS GRAMMAR GOALS
ACTIVITY 283
IVAN THE INCREDIBLE
SIMILES – FIGURES OF SPEECH

ANSWER KEY:

HE IS AS STRONG AS A STEER
HE'S AS CALM AS A COW.
HE'S AS HAPPY AS A HOG.
HE'S JUST AS STRONG AS TARZAN.

http://moviesegmentstoassessgrammargoals.blogspot.com

Claudio Azevêdo