🌈 What Is a Metaphor?
4th Grade 📚 Literature
A metaphor describes something by saying it IS something else: "The classroom was a zoo."
Saying one thing is another
The classroom wasn’t really a zoo — the metaphor means it was loud and wild. Metaphors help readers picture an idea quickly.
Metaphor vs. simile
A simile compares using "like" or "as": "She ran like the wind." A metaphor skips those words: "She was the wind on the soccer field."
Everyday metaphors
We use metaphors all the time: "time is money," "a heart of gold," "a night owl," "drowning in homework."
Quick quiz
Which sentence is a metaphor?
What words does a simile use?
"He has a heart of gold" means he is…