'What is a Metaphor?': A Literary Guide for English Students and Teachers

The transcript also contains a free (OER) lesson for teachers on "Dead Metaphors."

Timestamps
0:00 Metaphor Definition
0:23 Examples of Common Metaphors
0:45 Why Use Metaphors?
1:12 Types of Metaphors

In the comments section, please feel free to provide more examples of metaphors that you've encountered in your reading adventures! Liking, sharing, and commenting on our videos will help us to build a rich digital learning environment around these topics.

[jordanadair]

I just showed this video to my English 10 classes in preparation for our study of Macbeth to rousing success. Many in my classes struggle to understand metaphor on a more nuanced level, and this video does a great job of breaking down the types of metaphors and giving excellent examples. I plan to continue using videos from this series in my classes in the future as will a number of my English department colleagues.

[subhasrim]

Thank you so much. Even though I'm in sixth grade I can understand everything of what you're saying. Thank you so much I really appreciate it. You guys made it so fun. I never get this exited when I'm learning.

[timwhite]

Good point about higher thinking depending on metaphors. It’s a kind mental of short cut that enables fast moving transitions and insight that literal cognition would take for ever to perform.

[angiedampalig]

wow! that was great! I really love how you metaphorically describe metaphors on a metaphorical level.

[kimwright]

I'd like to see more videos on narrative structure: parallel narratives, split narratives, embedded narratives, etc. It would be helpful for students to visuals on those topics.

[essoussiabdelkader]

He's got a heart of gold, the metaphor in this sentence is clear, languages studies are so amazing it's open to us borders.💐💐💐
thank you.

[Khatoon]

Metaphor is figure of speech that describes object or action in way that isn’t literally true, but helps to explain idea or make comparison. Metaphor makes implicit comparison between two unlike things, usually by saying that one thing is another thing . Common metaphor examples time is thief . Eyes are windows to soul . This icing on cake . Hope is horizon . Life contains nothing but clear skies up ahead . He has heart of gold we say his heart made of gold in Arabic means ( he is very kind, supportive) . Her lovely voice was music to ears . America is melting pot . Metaphor about life are figure of speech that state that one thing is actually another thing . Personification is type of metaphor. Simile too is type of metaphor. Famous metaphor sun was toddler insisting refusing to go to bed it was past eight thirty and still light . Thank you for your wonderful educational literary channel.

[신문수-si]

Hello! I'm the Korean student who is studying for " TOEFL" qualification test since 3 months, at first I definently didn't captured the word " metaphor" during watched the movie, and then I searched the one for an hour by a various of materials and finally got it by myself !!^^ also this video aid with me enough, thank you for kindness easy explanations and now I absolutely figured it out by the video 😊😊

[richardglady]

Thank you for the clarity in the explanation of what a metaphor is.

[SWLF]

Please drop us a comment to let us know what you thought of our video! Doing so will help us to build a rich digital learning environment around the topic of figurative language.

[JJ]

Thank you for providing such a lucid explanation. :)

[alibuzkurt]

perfect. thank you so much. i m looking forward to thr new videos

[ryanmendoza]

0:45 you're so hilarious 😂 By the way thank you for this actually I was reading a book right now and if I didn't find this it might've take me decades to understand this 😂 sorry for my english

[johnlinker]

I would like you to do a clip on archetype in literature - a very difficult thing to teach teenagers in high school, which I try to do every year. Thanks you

[trishitabandyopadhyay]

It makes me want to attend his class... He has a very cool way of explaining topics...

[muniba]

Thanks Oregon state university. You have saved my life 👍😊

[gregkotoch]

So I remember my high school English teacher explaining to the class that a metaphor was a comparison without using 'like' or 'as'. Whereas a simile is a comparison that uses 'like' or 'as'.

[roblasgna]

So many people are saying how this helped them in 6th grade, but this literally helped so much and I’m in 11th grade.

[Joy-ykpw]

Hi! I have a question. How does conceit differ from metaphor/ simile?

[katieloughrist]

I see the Creative Commons Attribution license is described as "reuse allowed." When I clicked on the link, it took me to a Youtube info page that was not very clear. I use Creative Commons materials all the time, and I need the exact license it is under. Is it CC BY? CC BY-NC-SA? I need to know in order to cite it. We also need to know if we're allowed to adapt it and if we're required to re-share it under the same license.