Metaphors: What You Should Have Asked Your Teachers
Key Questions About Metaphors
Students start learning about metaphors in grade school. Most of the instruction is on fun examples of metaphors for kids such as "the classroom was a zoo" and "Maria is a chicken."As we get older our vocabulary grows and we learn more metaphors. We also start to learn about similes, analogies and figurative language. This is often when the questions start.
If you are lucky you might have a teacher to answer your questions. If not, here are some of the most frequently asked questions about metaphors.
What's the Diff Between a Metaphor and a Simile?
A metaphor compares two similar things, such as a sea of grief.More examples:
- She was so sad that her heart was broken.
- His brain was a computer.
For more metaphor examples and an infographic comparing metaphors and similes, check out the article "Metaphor Examples" on YourDictionary.
A simile is a type of metaphor that compares two unlike things like "that man eats like horse."
More examples:
- He was busy as a bee.
- She was happy as a clam.
For more simile examples, check out the article "Examples of Similes" on YourDictionary.
What's the Diff Between a Metaphor and an Analogy?
A metaphor compares two similar things such as a house plant and a tree - "the plant had the leaf structure of a tree."More examples:
- You are the light of my life.
- She has a bubbly personality.
For more metaphor examples check out the article "Metaphor Examples" on Your Dictionary.
An analogy is a perceived likeness between two things such as the structure used in Greek and Shakespearean tragedies.
More examples:
- The elitist value of a Model T Ford and a Corvette.
- The structure of a house plant and a tree.
For more analogy examples check out the article "Analogy Examples" on YourDictionary.
Tip: One way to think of the difference is that the "analogy" is what is expressed and the "metaphor" is how it is expressed.
Is It OK to Use "As" in a Metaphor?
Can a Metaphor Be Used in Figurative Language?
Yes. "Figurative language" uses words or expressions with a meaning that is different from the literal interpretation...a similar definition to that of a "metaphor." So, a metaphor can be used in figurative language.For example, the phrase she had "a heart as big as New York" is a metaphor and is figurative language.
Can Colors Be Used Metaphorically?
Yes. The color black is often used to mean bad with white being used to mean good. Blue is often used to mean depressed and green is used to show envy.What Is a Mixed Metaphor?
A mixed metaphor garbles up the elements of two metaphors by using two or more inconsistent metaphors in a single expression. This garble is often viewed by the reader to provide a foolish or illogical effect.Examples:
- If you can stand in a boat, you can be swallowed by a shark.
- If we can make that touchdown, then the rest of dominoes will fall like a house of cards.
One person who was famous for his mixed metaphors was baseball great Yogi Berra.
Some of his more repeated mixed metaphors include:
- It's like deja vu all over again. (Technically, this is a mixed simile.)
- If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be.
- Ninety percent of this game is half-mental.
