But notice the word pictures that are created. Now let's move onto the ones that are most useful in writing - similes and metaphors. These are both comparisons - comparing one thing with something else. Here's one that uses both personification and simile. In the brisk wind, leaves drifted from the trees and pirouetted along the ground like ballerinas.
Metaphors are more subtle.
Frozen with the frightful possibility, Jordan faltered, spitting the words from the dump-yard of his mind. This is a line from my newest novel Kite Flyer. You also see my use of alliteration. This is a line from Upon a Midnight Clear - combining both a simile and metaphor. These phrases create wonderful word pictures - yet truly express the problem of the child.