Metaphors
When you replace one thing (or idea) with a different thing (or idea) to make a stronger point, you use a metaphor. (Don't compare two things using the words like or as, or you have a simile.)
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Metaphors put clear pictures into people's minds, and they make your writing more interesting. Look at these pairs of sentences. Which sentence of each pair puts a clearer picture into your mind?
Examples: metaphors
In each of these pairs of sentences, the second one contains metaphors.
- My daughter's angry words hurt me very much.
-or- - My daughter's angry words knifed me in the heart.
(There are two metaphors here. The knife metaphor represents the emotional pain the words caused. The heart metaphor represents the person's feelings.)
[A person is admiring an great-looking, fast sports car, and says] - Man, this car looks really fast!
-or- - Man, this beast is a rocket!
(Two more metaphors! The beast metaphor represents the aggressive and powerful look of the car. The rocket metaphor compares the speed of the car to the speed of a rocket.)
[A person finally pays off a large debt, and says:] - I just paid off my credit card!
-or- - I just escaped from the jaws of debt.
(The person used the idea of jaws to give a stronger picture about what it was like to be in debt.)
Non-Examples
- That car is like a rocket!
(Because you used the word like, you used a simile, not a metaphor.) - My high rent payment is as painful as a bee sting.
(You used a simile (not a metaphor) because you used the word as to compare two different things. If you would have said that your mortgage payment is a bee sting, then you would have used a metaphor.) - Those flowers have soft, dewy petals.
(You're not comparing anything, you're just describing. So, you don't have a metaphor. If you would have said that your sleeping daughter's face is an arrangement of rose petals on the pillow, then you would have used a metaphor.)