Skip to main content
Academy11+

Free printable worksheet 路 About 20 minutes 路 Ages 9 to 11

Similes, metaphors and personification

Spot figurative language, then write your own similes, metaphors and personification for everyday things. Print it from this page or download the PDF.

Download PDF

Academy11+

Free 11+ creative writing worksheet

Similes, metaphors and personification

About 20 minutes

Name

Date

Part A: write S (simile), M (metaphor) or P (personification) for each sentence. Part B: write your own for each subject. Part C: explain why your best one works.

What they are

Simile: compares using 'like' or 'as'. The moon hung like a lantern over the town.

Metaphor: says one thing IS another. The playground was a battlefield.

Personification: gives a thing human actions or feelings. The wind whispered through the keyhole.

Part A: simile, metaphor or personification?

SentenceS, M or P
The thunder grumbled over the hills.
Her voice was as sharp as broken glass.
The classroom was a zoo by lunchtime.
The old car coughed and spluttered up the lane.
Snowflakes drifted down like torn paper.
My little sister is a whirlwind.

Part B: write your own

SubjectSimileMetaphorPersonification
a storm
the sea
a city at night
a dark forest

Part C: my best one, and what it makes the reader think or feel

www.academy11.co.uk/11-plus-creative-writing/worksheets/similes-metaphors-personification 路 Free 11+ creative writing worksheet from Academy11+ 路 Free to print for home and classroom use

Tips for parents

  • Hunt for figurative language in the books your child reads and on adverts and packaging. Labelling a few a day builds confidence fast.
  • Push past the first idea. 'As white as snow' is the first thing anyone thinks of; ask for three more and pick the freshest.
  • One striking comparison in a paragraph is better than five. Too many makes writing feel crowded.

Written the story? Get feedback on it

Once the plan becomes a story, get it marked: your child writes to exam-style prompts, typed or handwritten, and you get feedback on what went well and what to improve. There's a free 7-day trial.

Get feedback on a story

Enter the writing competition

Put the practice to use: a free writing competition every month for Years 4, 5 and 6, with one prompt, feedback on every entry and winners featured on the site.

See the writing competition

More free creative writing worksheets

See all 10 creative writing worksheets 路 Download this sheet (PDF)

More free 11+ creative writing help

Questions parents ask

What is the difference between a simile and a metaphor?

A simile compares two things using 'like' or 'as' (the moon was like a lantern). A metaphor says one thing is the other (the moon was a lantern). Personification gives a non-human thing human actions or feelings (the moon watched over the town).

How many similes should an 11+ story have?

There's no set number. Two or three well-chosen pieces of figurative language across a story usually work best, placed at the moments where you want the reader to really picture something.