Metaphors and similes: without them poetry would be prosy, religion would be non-existent and opiates would be indescribable. A good metaphor is more than a literary device; it can shift someone’s entire perception of a situation, often with memorable and lasting effect.

Metaphors and similes are slippery in syntax and connotation, and I have a vague sense that they are probably more often the result of a flash of genius than of careful construction, but I have read enough vacuous poetry to know that it can’t hurt to give them some extra love and attention.

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Here are a few of my favourite metaphors and similes:

“Sadness is but a wall between two gardens.” – Khalil Gibran

“Reality is a cliché from which we escape by metaphor.” – Wallace Stevens

“The Possible’s slow fuse is lit
 / By the Imagination.” – Emily Dickinson

“A broad margin of leisure is as beautiful in a man’s life as in a book.” – Henry David Thoreau

“The word ‘now’ is like a bomb through the window, and it ticks.” – Arthur Miller

P.S. To help you with this worksheet, I would like to recommend Wordnik which gives you a list of words that are contextually related to your search-word.