Everyday Grammar: Similes

John: Oh, excuse me, Dr. Jill. I’m still picking up from the weekend. My house looks like a hurricane hit it!
Jill : What happened?
John : My family came for a visit. They have three kids under five. It was a three-ring circus!
Jill: I know what you mean! I have some little nephews who are like that. And you gave me a good idea for a lesson.
John: Oh, good. You can tell me while I finish cleaning up.
Jill: Okay, you used two similes to describe the situation in your house. A simile uses the words “like” or “as” to describe someone or something by making a comparison to someone or something else.
First, you said your house looked “like a hurricane hit it.” We all know the strong winds of a hurricane leave many broken things.
John: Yes, that looks a little like my house today.
Jill : So, when you compare one thing to a different thing, you are using a simile. The other simile you used was “It was (like) a three-ring circus!”
John: Here’s my favorite one – when the children are in bed, we say they are “snug as a bug in a rug.”
Jill: I hope there are no bugs in your rug! And that’s Everyday Grammar!
Originally published at - https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/6520840.html