EXERCISE 1. WHICH SENTENCE IN EACH PAIR DO YOU CONSIDER BETTER

5. a. Liv had accepted Joel’s invitation to the dance, and she changed her mind with no

explanation.

b. Liv had accepted Joel’s invitation to the dance, but she changed her mind with no

Completing Comparisons

In the previous section, we compared sentences to see which ones were better. We can

also use comparison as a writing tool to make sentences more concise, lively, and enjoy-

able to read.

Consider the following sentence, in which baseball players are compared to bees:

The baseball players gathered around the umpire like angry bees.

By using the image of the angry bees, we do not have to say that the players were ag-

gressive and quick in their movements or that their complaints sounded like a loud buzz

around the umpire. The image of the bees does that for us. Using a comparison in this way

saves words and creates interest.

If you paid close attention to your speech, you would find that you use many compar-

isons. Some are direct, with like or as: “as strong as an ox,” “as timid as a mouse,” “like a

lion.” Others are indirect: “Joan was a tiger on the field.” (Joan played as savagely as a

tiger.) Both forms are a kind of poetry. Direct comparisons are called similes. Indirect

ones are metaphors. In the following exercise, try your skill in writing sentences with

comparisons.