Simile Similes are when you compare two things by saying that one is like the other. For example... 'Michael Owen is like a whippet in the box.' /**/ 'The sea was like a hungry dog licking the shore.' What two things are being compared in this line' Poets often use similes, and you should try to use a few similes in your own descriptive writing. Try going through the poetry you have studied in your Anthology underlining all the similes used. Metaphor Metaphor is a more concentrated form of simile, in which one thing is said to be the other. The above examples canbe turned into metaphors by simply removing the 'like' or 'as'. " Michael Owen is a whippet in the box" " The sea was a hungry dog licking the shore." Personification is a special type of metaphor where something that is not alive is given human emotions. It can be very useful in creating atmosphere, as the world around a character can be made reflect their feelings. For example " The stones cried out under the horizons." " The angry wind hurled itself through the moaning trees." " Mark walked dejectedly through the lonely lanes, his way lit by a tired old moon."