Famous metaphors are found in great speeches throughout history. If it’s used intentionally, a mixed metaphor can be an effective communication technique. What emotions would you compare to writer’s block? But most of all — as I hope these examples of metaphors have shown you — they are one of the most powerfully-persuasive devices in a writer’s toolbox. It’s a technique often found in metaphors. Slipping on black ice is a metaphor for all the ways that life can and will surprise you. But here are the facts: Hyperbole always uses exaggeration, whereas metaphors sometimes do. It’s most commonly used for emphasis, humor, or drama. Love is a nutrient; Love is a journey; Love is a fluid in a container; Love is fire; Love is an economic exchange; Love is a natural force; Love is a physical force; Love is a captive animal; Love is war; Love is a social superior; Love is rapture; Love is a thrill ride; Love is a fine wine; Love is a garden; Love is a battlefield Soft and sweet and when you get heated up you go all gooey and delicious. Didn't that give the impression of a very dark night? Metaphors are a zap of electricity between you and your audience — a jolt that’s often the difference between a lackluster sentence and a sparkling gem of persuasive genius. Another method of effective language storage in the Lexicon includes the use of metaphor as a storage principle. They have cemented glorious stories and ideas into our minds. Similes and metaphors are often confused with one another. All Rights Reserved, "Success is a sense of achievement; it is not an illegitimate child. The main difference between a simile and metaphor is that a simile uses the words "like" or "as" to draw a comparison and a metaphor simply states the comparison without using "like" or "as". This one’s a little sweeter: Or how about metaphors in poetry? . Idioms use metaphors, or are metaphors: for example, the English phrase to kick the bucket means to die This is a metaphor in which the literal meaning is associated with two or more figurative terms, in other words, a combination of primary metaphors. Difference Between Similes and Metaphors: A simile directly compares two things using “like” or “as” (“he was mad as hell”), while a metaphor implicitly states a comparison, without intending it to be taken literally (“he was boiling mad”). A metaphor is a word or phrase used to describe something as if it was something else. Hitler knows that he will have to break us in these islands or lose the war. Now we turn to metaphors of evil and goodness or purity. Carefully crafted, purposeful content is ace at just that: generating REAL traffic and leads. Metaphors allow you to hold your audience’s attention by shifting their focus away from the boring bits onto something far more imaginative and creative. So, what better place to slip in a nifty metaphor than in your headline? Using metaphors is a great way to do that. What light through yonder window breaks? (For example, George Orwell’s novella Animal Farm is considered by many to be an extended metaphor.). Take these examples of metaphors from some of the internet’s best content marketing blogs: All these metaphor examples paint a vivid picture you can see, hear, or even taste. “Life is a highway.”. Here's a metaphor example: "The curtain of night fell upon us." A metaphor is a type of comparison: when you use a word or phrase metaphorically, you are using a meaning that has developed from the literal meaning and has some of the same features. used in simile:like,as,such as,similar to. The walking dictionary is a fitting metaphor used to describe the spelling bee champion. . “Love is a fruit in season at all times and in reach of every hand.” — Mother Teresa. Define Metaphors. You need your words to leap off the page and galvanize your readers into action. Likewise, metaphors allow us to have a greater impact on the readers. Emptiness, fearfulness, loneliness, frustration, feeling trapped? For example: Love is nota fruit; however, the meaning of the comparison is easily understood. A Roadmap for Getting Your First Freelance Writing Client. That’s when metaphors become the writer’s best friend. Here’s where the power of metaphors and analogies kicks in. Especially if you weave the metaphorical theme through your post. Where a metaphor states that something is something else, a simile compares two different things by using “like” or “as.”, Example of Simile: “Elderly American ladies leaning on their canes listed toward me like towers of Pisa.” — from ‘Lolita’ by Vladimir Nabokov. In blogging, no one does metaphorical illustrations better than Henneke Duistermaat and her hand-drawn “Henrietta” cartoons. —, On the surface, it’s about a bickering couple who discover they are spies for rival agencies. Understand how metaphors work. Mercutio. A metaphor (from the Latin “metaphora”) takes an object or action and compares it to something blindingly familiar, but completed unrelated. While a simile compares two different things, an analogy explains the similarities or relationships between two different things. When you’re searching for the right image on sites like Unsplash and Gratisography, remember not to think of the literal meaning. A metaphor is one of several figure-of-speech devices that uses figurative language. Definition of Met. A scab is something you have to put up with until the time comes when you pick it off and flick it away. If you dress them up in comedic banter, it makes them more acceptable (and even funny). In TV and movies, metaphors are often used as a device to handle taboo subjects such as sex or bodily parts. Impressive. (And if you write for clients, there definitely will come a time when you’re bored to tears.). And no message. We can’t all be talented artists like Henneke, but we can find entertaining or moving images that represent our message. “Romeo and Juliet” is chock full of love metaphors. It is used for comparing two things indirectly. Truman is a metaphor for conquering fears, perseverance, and not accepting the reality with which we’re presented. ", "The moonlight sparkled brighter than a gypsy. Ask for me to-morrow, and you shall find me a grave man. Think about who you are writing for and the context of your subject matter. ", "Life contains nothing but clear skies up ahead. And, even though metaphors are exaggerations, they're only exaggerated to paint a vivid picture or make a profound statement. When used properly, metaphors create strong images and leave lasting impressions: "He was sad" is so bland compared to "He was drowning in a sea of grief.". ". My boys need a house! I have separated the metaphors on this page into two lists. Example of Hyperbole: “I was helpless. Learn more about us. But you get the meaning right away. Memories are bullets. Recorded from the late 15th century, the word comes via French and Latin from Greek metaphora, from metapherein ‘to transfer’. Simile Definition: A simile is the metaphor’s first cousin. In the hands of song, TV, and movie writers; metaphors are often light, whimsical, and funny (or sad). Also, like shorthand, they can convey a picture or a meaning instantly, with few words. a word or phrase used to describe an object or action in a way that is not literally true Examples of Metaphor in a sentence The walking dictionary is a fitting metaphor used to describe the spelling bee champion. Other adjectives connected with darkness, for example shady, shadowy and murky are also used to denote dishonesty: There’s a dark side to her character. Most metaphors are concepts: see conceptual metaphor. Extended metaphors are often used in poetry and literature where the author wants to convey more passion and commitment to a concept. And here’s an extended metaphor from “Hope is the Thing With Feathers” by Emily Dickinson: Dead metaphors are figures of speech that have been around so long or have been so overused, they have lost their effectiveness. It’s a teeming jungle — with plenty to eat, and plenty that wants to eat you. “She tucked her tail between her legs and rang away,” on the other hand, is an implied metaphor — the comparison to a dog is implied, but not stated outright. They can continue for several sentences, several paragraphs, or even longer. Call it death by track changes. Unlike a simile, a metaphor "does not use connective words such as like, as, or resemblesin making the comparison." A metaphor isn’t a comparison – that’s a simile, where you say one thing is ‘like’ another (“Her eyes were like diamonds”). Extended metaphors can be direct or implied, but create a greater emphasis with the comparison they’re making thanks to their extended length. The TV show Seinfeld was masterful at this: And next time you go to the movies, watch out for an entire metaphorical theme lurking behind the scenes: Now that we’ve looked at numerous metaphor examples, let’s go over some practical tips that’ll help you use metaphors in your own writing. So, let’s use that as your second concept. Here’s how: First, take your subject and think of a second concept you could align it to. Here are 20 metaphor examples: Just as there are many ways to paint metaphorical pictures, there are many different types of metaphors. But you get the meaning right away. That’s how mad he’d be! But if I said the circumference of the earth was 801,500 Olympic size swimming pools laid back to back, it paints a much more relatable picture. ", "She's going through a rollercoaster of emotions. Nothing less than the fair sun and envious moon could express the depth of Romeo’s emotional state at that moment. Ready to have some fun? Just when I think you’re the shallowest man I’ve ever met, you somehow manage to drain a little more out of the pool. ", "I feel the stench of failure coming on. “She was a dog with a bone” is a common metaphor. I was quaking from head to foot, and could have hung my hat on my eyes, they stuck out so far.” — from “Old Times on the Mississippi” by Mark Twain. With over 300k subscribers and 4 million readers, Smart Blogger is one of the world's largest websites dedicated to writing and blogging. Metaphors also spur on the imagination of your readers, enabling them to form a new and more in-depth understanding of familiar ideas. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. We all know they’re important to substantiate your arguments, but on their own they can be meaningless and, to be honest, downright boring. Use metaphors that are relevant to the times we live in and changes in our society and culture. You’re a marshmallow. I bet you didn’t know that last one was by Shakespeare. A thing that represents or stands for … Hence, the words are understood as a metaphor and Zwingli claimed that there was no real presence during the eucharist. Let’s say your subject is “how to write a content brief,” which involves a formula and process — a bit like cooking. They help us form impressions of people and situations (“he fought cancer and won”). The metaphor is one of self-discovery and improvement, which many say are rooted in Buddhist philosophies. Jerry, it’s L.A.! Now, let’s get to the meat of the post. Metaphor used in sentence example & words in English. What does the word “speed” make you think of? We use the word dark to talk about bad actions or characteristics. When used correctly, metaphors are effective fiction writing tools. Implied metaphors force you to use your imagination. With metaphors, words or phrases that are ordinarily applied to one thing are applied to something you wouldn't necessarily pair it with. —, from ‘One for the Money’ by Janet Evanovich, Winston Churchill’s 'Finest Hour' speech in June 1940, John F. Kennedy at the Dedication of the Aerospace Medical Health Center in San Antonio, Texas, in 1963, Martin Luther King’s 'I Have a Dream Speech' in 1963, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Inaugural Address in 1933, Kramer (on his preference for Jockey shorts), Common Metaphors (aka Direct Metaphors, Primary Metaphors, or Conventional Metaphors), Extended Metaphors (aka Sustained Metaphors), 581 Sensory Words to Take Your Writing from Bland to Brilliant, 801+ Power Words That Pack a Punch and Convert like Crazy, Make an Entire Post or Article Metaphorically Themed, Use Metaphors to Make Facts and Figures Come to Life, Be Sure to Use Metaphors Relevant to Your Audience, Use of Metaphors to Make Dull Ideas Sparkle, Metaphors Don’t Have to Be Written (Or, Get Creative With Metaphorical Images), Avoid the Cliches and Don’t Overdo Your Metaphor Quota, headlines are the most important part of your post, Toy Story 4 is a Salute to Parents of Grown Children, Win the War on Debt: 80 Ways to be Frugal and Save Money, How Decision Fatigue Steals Your Productivity (And How to Win it Back), 5 Ways Marketers are Rocking the Gig Economy, How to Embrace (and Gently Encourage) the Content Audit. Okay, so that’s the definition of metaphor…. This one sentence manages to fit in two different comparisons, words/crumbs and feast/mind. It helps give your writing a more intriguing creative tone. Example sentence: “He was a fish out of water at his new school.”. Difference Between Analogies and Metaphors: While a metaphor uses words or phrases to represent an idea, an analogy uses narrative or comparisons to explain the idea. The parents looked upon Matilda in particular as nothing more than a scab. Focus on the 6 most common types of metaphors: Common metaphors are comparisons where the link can be easily made and directly understood. Metaphors help capture attention. That capture one or the network quickly grinds to a fish out of water at his new school..! Metaphors allow us to have a greater impact on the imagination of subject. Necessarily pair together, content is like an eagle soaring above the sky understood as a hyperbolic metaphor )! 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