ShmoopTube

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Here's your Shmoop du jour, brought to you by Simile.

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It's like... like... like.......a phrase with the word "like."

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Which of the following is NOT an example of a simile?

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In case we need a refresher, a "simile" is a figure of speech that compares one thing

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to another using "like" or "as."

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So... we can solve this question as easy as 1, 2, 3.

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See what we did there?

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Choice (A) is a popular saying that uses "as" to compare some quiet person or thing to the

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quietness of mice. So there's no doubt that (A) is a simile.

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We wonder what happens to loud mice? It can't be good.

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Choice (B) is also clearly a simile as it uses "as" to compare some stupid person to a doornail.

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(B)--like doornails--doesn't make the grade.

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(C) can be eliminated as well, because it uses "like" to compare the sweetness of something

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to the sweetness of candy.

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Once again, we've got ourselves a simile here, making (C) a no-go.

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Choice (D) tries to pull one over on us by using the word "likes." First of all, there's

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an "s" on the end of the word, which we'd never get in a simile.

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More importantly, the word is used as a verb rather than as a means of comparison. Here

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we're told that somebody enjoys a good apple... not that they're like one.

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This disqualifies choice (D) as a simile, but qualifies it as the correct answer.

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How could somebody be like an apple anyway?

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We'll have to ask our Granny Smith... she knows everything.

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