Write a simile for a backpack at the end of a long hike.Plain: The pack was heavy. Start: The pack sat on her shoulders like...
Write a simile for a brand new pair of shoes.Plain: The shoes were stiff. Start: The shoes held his feet like...
Write a simile for a classroom when the teacher steps out.Plain: The class got noisy. Start: The noise rose like...
Write a simile for a crowd leaving a stadium.Plain: The crowd left. Start: The crowd poured out like...
Write a simile for a grandfather's laugh.Plain: His laugh was loud. Start: He laughed like...
Write a simile for a school hallway one minute after the last bell.Plain: The hallway was empty. Start: The hallway was as empty as...
Write a simile for a secret you are trying to keep.Plain: The secret was hard to keep. Start: The secret sat in my mouth like...
Write a simile for a toddler running across a room.Plain: She ran unsteadily. Start: She ran like...
Write a simile for an old car starting.Plain: The engine started badly. Start: The engine coughed like...
Write a simile for snow falling past a streetlight.Plain: The snow fell slowly. Start: The snow came down like...
Write a simile for the first sip of tea that is far too hot.Plain: The tea was hot. Start: The tea hit his tongue like...
Write a simile for the handwriting of someone in a hurry.Plain: The writing was messy. Start: His words leaned across the page like...
Write a simile for the moon behind thin cloud.Plain: The moon was dim. Start: The moon hung there like...
Write a simile for the way a cat crosses a wet lawn.Plain: The cat walked carefully. Start: She crossed the grass like...
Write a simile for waiting on a bus that is late on a cold morning.Plain: We waited a long time. Start: The minutes passed like...
Metaphor 15
Write a metaphor for a best friend.Plain: She is a good friend. Start: She is my...
Write a metaphor for a blank page.Plain: I did not know what to write. Start: The page was a...
Write a metaphor for a city at night, seen from a hill.Plain: The city had many lights. Start: The city was a...
Write a metaphor for a kitchen at dinner time.Plain: The kitchen was busy. Start: The kitchen was a...
Write a metaphor for a library.Plain: The library has many books. Start: The library is a...
Write a metaphor for a long Monday at school.Plain: The day felt long. Start: Monday was a...
Write a metaphor for a memory that keeps slipping away.Plain: I forget things. Start: My memory is a...
Write a metaphor for a messy bedroom: say what it is, with no like or as.Plain: The room was messy. Start: The room was a...
Write a metaphor for a noisy little brother.Plain: He is noisy. Start: My brother is a...
Write a metaphor for a storm arriving over a town.Plain: A storm came. Start: The storm was a...
Write a metaphor for an argument between two brothers.Plain: They argued. Start: The argument was a...
Write a metaphor for one laugh in a quiet room.Plain: Someone laughed. Start: Her laugh was a...
Write a metaphor for thick fog on a road.Plain: The fog was thick. Start: The fog was a...
Write a metaphor for time on the last day of a vacation.Plain: Time went fast. Start: Time was a...
Write four lines in which a school is a ship, and stay with the ship in every line.Plain: A school has people with jobs. Start: The principal was the captain, and...
Personification 15
Write a kettle coming to the boil as someone losing patience.Plain: The kettle boiled. Start: The kettle grumbled, then...
Write a pencil at the end of a long test as someone who has given everything.Plain: The pencil was worn down. Start: The pencil had given...
Write a phone on its last bar of battery as someone pleading for the charger.Plain: The battery was low. Start: The phone begged...
Write a river going through a town as someone in a hurry.Plain: The river flowed past. Start: The river hurried past the shops without...
Write a shopping cart with one bad wheel as someone with a mind of their own.Plain: The cart pulled to the left. Start: The cart had its own ideas about...
Write a suitcase that does not want to close.Plain: The suitcase was full. Start: The suitcase refused...
Write a traffic light with a temper.Plain: The light turned red. Start: The light glared at...
Write an alarm clock as a person who enjoys the job.Plain: The alarm rang. Start: The alarm cleared its throat and...
Write an old house at night as someone settling down to sleep.Plain: The house creaked. Start: The house sighed and...
Write fear as a person who takes the seat next to yours.Plain: I was afraid. Start: Fear sat down beside me and...
Write the last slice of cake as someone waiting to be chosen.Plain: One slice was left. Start: The last slice sat up straight and...
Write the moon as someone keeping watch over a street.Plain: The moon shone. Start: The moon kept an eye on...
Write the sun on a Monday morning as someone who would rather stay in bed.Plain: The sun rose. Start: The sun dragged itself over...
Write the wind as someone searching a street.Plain: The wind blew. Start: The wind went from door to door...
Write winter arriving as a guest nobody invited.Plain: It got cold. Start: Winter let itself in and...
Hyperbole 15
Exaggerate how dull a wait for a delayed flight is.Plain: The wait was dull. Start: I grew a beard while...
Exaggerate how fast news travels in a small town.Plain: News spread fast. Start: Before she had closed the door, ...
Exaggerate how good a grandmother's soup is.Plain: The soup was good. Start: People would cross...
Exaggerate how hungry you are after a swim.Plain: I was hungry. Start: I could have eaten...
Exaggerate how often a parent has said tidy your room.Plain: She has said it often. Start: She has told me a million...
Exaggerate how slowly a little sister ties her shoes.Plain: She was slow. Start: By the time she finished, ...
Exaggerate how small a first apartment is.Plain: The apartment was small. Start: You could cook breakfast from...
Exaggerate how tired you are after a race.Plain: I was tired. Start: I could have slept for...
Exaggerate the age of the family car.Plain: The car was old. Start: The car remembered...
Exaggerate the cold of a lake in May.Plain: The water was cold. Start: The water was so cold that...
Exaggerate the height of a new classmate.Plain: He is tall. Start: He has to duck for...
Exaggerate the length of a line at the post office.Plain: The line was long. Start: The line was so long that...
Exaggerate the mess on a desk.Plain: The desk was untidy. Start: Somewhere under the papers there is...
Exaggerate the noise of a neighbor's drum kit.Plain: The drums were loud. Start: The drums could be heard...
Exaggerate the weight of a school bag.Plain: The bag was heavy. Start: The bag weighed...
Imagery 15
Describe a beach at low tide so a reader can see it.Plain: The tide was out. Kind: visual imagery, the sense of sight.
Describe a carnival after dark so a reader can see it.Plain: The carnival was bright. Kind: visual imagery, the sense of sight.
Describe a freight train passing a crossing so a reader can hear it.Plain: A train went by. Kind: auditory imagery, the sense of hearing.
Describe a frozen pond under skates so a reader can feel it.Plain: The ice was hard. Kind: tactile imagery, the sense of touch.
Describe a hailstorm on a tin roof so a reader can hear it.Plain: It hailed hard. Kind: auditory imagery, the sense of hearing.
Describe a hand pushed into a sack of dry rice so a reader can feel it.Plain: The rice felt cool. Kind: tactile imagery, the sense of touch.
Describe a jar of pickles being opened so a reader can smell it.Plain: The pickles smelled sharp. Kind: olfactory imagery, the sense of smell.
Describe a kite on a windy hill so a reader can see it.Plain: The kite flew high. Kind: visual imagery, the sense of sight.
Describe a lawn being mowed so a reader can smell it.Plain: The grass was cut. Kind: olfactory imagery, the sense of smell.
Describe a mouthful of very dark chocolate so a reader can taste it.Plain: The chocolate was bitter. Kind: gustatory imagery, the sense of taste.
Describe a mug of cocoa held in cold hands so a reader can feel it.Plain: The mug was warm. Kind: tactile imagery, the sense of touch.
Describe a peach eaten over a sink so a reader can taste it.Plain: The peach was juicy. Kind: gustatory imagery, the sense of taste.
Describe a spoonful of honey so a reader can taste it.Plain: The honey was sweet. Kind: gustatory imagery, the sense of taste.
Describe an empty gym with one ball bouncing so a reader can hear it.Plain: The gym echoed. Kind: auditory imagery, the sense of hearing.
Describe peeling an orange so a reader can smell it.Plain: The orange smelled fresh. Kind: olfactory imagery, the sense of smell.
Idiom 18
Write about a child who cannot wait to open a present, and use hold your horses.Plain: Wait. Slow down. Idiom: hold your horses.
Write about a cousin who hardly ever visits, and use once in a blue moon.Plain: He visits very rarely. Idiom: once in a blue moon.
Write about a day spent in bed with a cold, and use under the weather.Plain: I was feeling sick. Idiom: under the weather.
Write about a detective who suspects the wrong person, and use barking up the wrong tree.Plain: She was looking in the wrong place. Idiom: barking up the wrong tree.
Write about a diver who climbs back down the ladder, and use cold feet.Plain: She did not go through with it, out of fear and doubt. Idiom: cold feet.
Write about a family dinner where nobody mentions the broken window, and use the elephant in the room.Plain: Nobody spoke of the obvious problem. Idiom: the elephant in the room.
Write about a friend waiting to hear your news, and use all ears.Plain: She was listening intently. Idiom: all ears.
Write about a little brother who tells what is inside the wrapping paper, and use spill the beans.Plain: He gave away her secret. Idiom: spill the beans.
Write about a model rocket that fails on the launch pad, and use back to the drawing board.Plain: They began the plan again from the start. Idiom: back to the drawing board.
Write about a search for a shop that turns out to have closed, and use wild goose chase.Plain: The long search achieved little. Idiom: wild goose chase.
Write about a spelling test that turned out to be easy, and use a piece of cake.Plain: The test was easy. Idiom: a piece of cake.
Write about a surprise party that got out early, and use let the cat out of the bag.Plain: He revealed the secret. Idiom: let the cat out of the bag.
Write about a walk home in a downpour, and use raining cats and dogs.Plain: It was raining very hard. Idiom: raining cats and dogs.
Write about someone who joined five clubs in one week, and use bite off more than you can chew.Plain: She took on more than she could manage. Idiom: bite off more than one can chew.
Write about the end of a very long day, and use hit the hay.Plain: I went to bed. Idiom: hit the hay.
Write about the first day at a new school, and use a fish out of water.Plain: I was in unfamiliar surroundings, and uncomfortable. Idiom: a fish out of water.
Write about the minute before a school play, and use break a leg.Plain: Good luck on stage. Idiom: break a leg, said to a performer before going on.
Write about the night before a science fair, and use burn the midnight oil.Plain: He worked late into the night. Idiom: burn the midnight oil.
How it works
These figurative language writing prompts take one device a group: simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, imagery and idiom. The idiom prompts ask you to use the idiom in a piece of writing, not to explain it.
Read the full guide
Simile and metaphor writing prompts
A simile compares two unlike things in so many words, in English often with like or as. A metaphor calls the one thing the other and leaves the comparison implied. So a simile prompt starts The hallway was as empty as, and a metaphor prompt starts The room was a.
Personification, hyperbole, imagery and idiom
Personification gives a thing or an idea the qualities of a person. Hyperbole is exaggeration that is not meant literally. Imagery is language for the senses, and each of those prompts names its sense. An idiom is a phrase that means something other than the literal meaning of its words.
Write the plain sentence down first, then cross it out.
Say the simile aloud. If you have heard it before, write another.
Questions and answers
What is a good personification writing prompt?
One about a thing that already seems to have a mood. On this list: a traffic light with a temper, a suitcase that does not want to close, a kettle losing patience as it comes to the boil.
Are there metaphor writing prompts?
Fifteen, each with a start that says what the thing is: The fog was a, My memory is a. The last asks for four lines in which a school is a ship.
Are there hyperbole writing prompts?
Fifteen. Each names something to exaggerate and gives a start: The line was so long that, for a line at the post office, or He has to duck for, for a tall classmate.
What is an imagery writing prompt?
One that asks for a description a reader can see, hear, smell, taste or feel. Each of the fifteen here names one sense: a hailstorm on a tin roof for hearing, a peeled orange for smell.
What do these writing prompts for figurative language give me to start from?
The plain sentence to replace and, in four of the six groups, the first words of the new one: The engine coughed like, The fog was a, The alarm cleared its throat and, The bag weighed.