Often, we can make the creative decision to either use a metaphor or simile to say the same thing. So, similes are phrased literally while metaphors are phrased figuratively.
#METAPHORS IN THE PEDESTRIAN FULL#
You might use an extended metaphor in a full paragraph or even a full chapter of a book.įor example, the metaphor “The man is a dinosaur” can become an extended metaphor if the author of a book decided to give the man the nickname “dinosaur” for the rest of the book. Vehicle (Subject that is implied for the comparison to work, but not mentioned)ĭoing something wrong that will yield no results.Īn extended metaphor is a metaphor that goes on for more than one sentence. The comparison between the girl and the dog is implied (the dog, or even shame, are not explicitly mentioned).Įxamples of Implied Metaphors Implied Metaphor It was simply implied.įor this phrase to work, we need to know that dogs put their tails between their legs when they feel shameful. This means that someone returned home behaving like an ashamed dog.īut a dog was never mentioned. Thus, you are implying a similarity rather than making it explicit.Ī good example is in the saying “she returned home with her tail between her legs”. Instead, a feature or behavior of the thing being compared is used. Implied metaphors do not directly name the thing being compared (the part of the metaphor we call the ‘vehicle’).
We will all be in the same boat when we’re pushing up daisies.Īll in the same boat (everyone in the same situation). Wet behind the ears (to be inexperienced, relating to new-born farm animals).īully pulpit (to have a position where you can spread your message to many people). He appeared wet behind the ears on his bully pulpit. He hit a home run and was dancing in the endzone.įrom Baseball: To hit a home run (to do exceptionally well).įrom Football: To dance in the endzone (to celebrate success). So you can get two death metaphors like “He’s pushing up daisies” and “He went to the farm upstate” and turn them into a new mixed metaphor: “He’s pushing up daisies in the farm upstate.”Įxamples of Mixed Metaphors Mixed Metaphor In the second way, you can get two metaphors and put them right next to each other. These sorts of mixed metaphors often sound funny and are mixed-up by accident. For example, you can get two metaphors about death, like “He’s sleeping with the fishes” and “started a worm farm”, and create a new metaphor: “He’s sleeping with the worms.” In the first way, we’ll create one new metaphor out of two different ones. We create mixed metaphors when we use two different metaphors at the same time. The two things being compared in a metaphor are called the tenor (the thing we want to describe) and vehicle (the thing we are using to make the comparison).
How Metaphors are Made: The Tenor and Vehicle When you call someone a dinosaur, you are using a metaphor to describe the fact that they are very old, like a dinosaur! 2. The similarity is that marathons take a long time and require you to pace yourself to get through.
We will often say “life is a marathon, not a sprint.” Of course, life isn’t a literal marathon, but there is a similarity that is drawn out in this metaphor. The connection between the classroom and the zoo is that a zoo is full of animals hanging off things, running around, and being generally disorderly! This metaphor might be used to explain a classroom that is messy with children running around everywhere. The daughter is compared to an angel: something that is heavenly and pure. This metaphor implies that your daughter is a beautiful, pure, lovely person. Similarities include the fact we all have roles to play in society and that we all have storylines in our lives, just like in a play. Made famous by Shakespeare, this metaphor draws connections between theater and real life.