 If you are speaking literally you mean exactly what you say. Example: “My head hurts.” Example: “My dog begs for scraps when I cook in the kitchen.”

 Example: “My head is about to explode.” (What is being compared here?)  Example: “In the kitchen, when I cook, my dog is a tap dancer.”

 The writer transfers qualities of one thing onto another. A metaphor has two parts. A=B : something is something else. The B part, the something else, shows how the poet feels or perceives the A part. Examples: “Science class was a rowdy carnival.” “His eyes were blue diamonds, shimmering in the moonlight.”

 Uses like or as to compare two things. A is like B. Examples: “Science class was like a day at the beach.” “Her eyes were as dark as midnight.”

 Gives human or physical qualities to an object, animal, or idea.  Examples: “My social studies book glared at me from across the room.” “The tree stood quietly, carefully watching everyone who passed below.”