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ELA 4: Similes & Metaphors 1055 Views


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Description:

We're about to shower you with knowledge about similes and metaphors. Oh, and please be aware, that was a just a metaphor. This video will not act as a replacement for your morning bathing routine.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:04

[Coop and Dino singing]

00:13

Sometimes, being straightforward with language is so boring. [Person crosses out life is good]

00:17

If you're a playful person, you might want your words to reflect that!

00:20

So you might choose to use a little thing called "figurative language."

00:23

Figurative language is when something means something other than its most obvious literal [Coop discussing figurative language]

00:27

meaning. It's used a lot to exaggerate or emphasize something....

00:31

...or just to have fun. Seriously, Dr. Seuss, Shel Silverstein, Roald Dahl? They were all

00:36

about figurative language. And those were the most fun guys around.

00:40

You know who else is super fun and loves figurative language? Yep, Shmoop! [Man giving presentation]

00:44

...Well. We think we're kind of fun.

00:46

...Stop laughing.

00:47

One kind of figurative language is the simile. It doesn't get more fun than similes. Seriously, [Boy being photographed]

00:51

the word is just one letter away from "smile."

00:54

Similes are when something is compared to something else using the words "like" or "as."

00:58

You could say your friend is "as bright as a light bulb." Or maybe your dog is "as smelly

01:02

as dirty socks." Or your mom is "sweet like candy."

01:06

All of those are similes because they compare one thing to another thing using like or as,

01:10

and they're all an example of a "figure of speech" because they're not literal.

01:14

When you say your friend is bright, you don't mean that he's walking around glowing in the [Person switches lights off]

01:17

dark, though that would be pretty cool, and would probably make him a superhero.

01:21

Metaphors are similar to similes because they also compare one thing to another in a figurative [Dino discussing metaphors]

01:25

way, but they skip all that "like" or "as" stuff and just say that one thing is another thing.

01:31

For example, if someone eats a lot of food in a messy way, you might call them a pig.

01:35

Of course, they're not literally a pig, they're just eating like one.

01:38

Bam. Metaphor. [Waiter approaches man with the bill]

01:40

Another example would be when a parent calls their child a "shining star."

01:43

No, we don't mean the weird glowing kid again. The parent is just using figurative language

01:47

to say their kid is amazing and brilliant, which parents tend to do.

01:51

So let's recap- a simile is a comparison using "like" or "as," and a metaphor is a comparison [Coop discussing similie and metaphor summary]

01:56

that says one thing is another thing.

01:58

Both similes and metaphors are examples of figurative language, or a figure of speech.

02:02

When Katy Perry tells you that "baby, you're a firework," she isn't trying to warn you

02:06

that you might explode any second now. She's using a figure of speech to say that you're [Man strains and head explodes]

02:10

super-duper special and awesome.

02:11

...Now that you know all about figurative language, it's time to go fight crime with

02:15

your glowing friend! Glow Boy and Figurative Language...Person...Thing...? [Boys wearing capes prepare to fight crime]

02:20

...Okay. We'll go work on a cooler name.

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