Are your similes correct?
11.07.24
If your child is revising for 11+ creative writing, you may notice that the humble simile crops up – a lot!
Children don’t really struggle using similes.
What can happen is that they can rely on cliché.
Your character is going slow? Ah! Slow as a snail!
What can also happen is that once the simile is chosen, the following description doesn’t support the imagery.
For example…
Like a snail, she danced into the room.
Like a whirlwind, the man walked to the shops.
The verb ‘danced’ does not accurately describe the snail’s movement.
The verb ’walked’ is not how a whirlwind would move.
Home Challenge
Have a go at improving these 'simile sentences'. You can also extend the description with additional information and use punctuation creatively. I’ve added some verb choices to make the task a little easier!
I’ve also made this task a printable PDF for ease of use. The link to download it is in the chat for this post and can also be found via the FILES tab for this group.
Example original sentence:
Like a bull, the thief walked into the room.
Example improved simile sentence:
Like a bull, the enraged thief barged into the room, making mincemeat of every obstruction; this would not end well.
- As miserable as a rain cloud, the dancer sat in his chair.
Verbs: flopped/slouched/sank/disappeared into
- Like a curtain of darkness, his anger hopped into the room.
Verbs: swamped/cloaked/smothered/choked
- Like a hurtling meteorite, the puppy went into the garden.
Verbs: bounded/sprang/burst/exploded
- Like a towering skyscraper, the giant looked down on everyone.
Verbs: loomed over/dominated/scrutinised/examined
Happy writing!
Anna