(music plays)

In a colourful TV studio, Charmain stands next to a wall touch screen with a definition of similes. She is in her twenties, with black hair in a ponytail. She wears earrings, a white shirt under a blue T-shirt with a print that reads "Home Work Zone."

She says HI, TVO KIDS.
IT'S TEACHER CHARMAIN, HERE.
SOMETIMES IN OUR WRITING, WE
WANT TO ADD SOME DESCRIPTIONS
WAYS OF DESCRIBING NOUNS,
PEOPLE, PLACES OR THINGS
WITHIN OUR WRITING TO MAKE IT
MORE INTERESTING
AND MAKE OUR WRITING MORE
INVITING AND ENGAGING FOR OUR
READERS.
AND SOMETIMES WE DO THINGS LIKE
ADDING ADJECTIVES ON BEFORE NOUN
TO DESCRIBE THEM, BUT THERE'S
ANOTHER EVEN MORE INTERESTING
WAY
OF ADDING DETAIL TO YOUR
WRITING,
AND THAT IS USING SIMILES.
SIMILES ARE WAY OF COMPARING TWO
DIFFERENT THINGS USING THE WORD
"LIKE" AND "AS."

She points to a drawing on the screen and continues SO HERE'S AN EXAMPLE: I'VE GOT A
FRIEND HERE THAT'S REALLY TALL
AND THEN THE LITTLE BOY IS
LOOKING AT HIM AND SAYING
HE IS AS TALL AS A GIANT.
SO THAT'S A WAY OF DESCRIBING
HIS TALL FRIEND THERE.
HE'S COMPARING HIM
TO WHAT A GIANT LOOKS LIKE.
HE'S NOT REALLY A GIANT, IT'S
JUST A WAY OF COMPARING IT
AND HE IS USING THAT WORD "AS."
AS A WAY TO COMPARE IT.
LET'S TRY ANOTHER EXAMPLE:
HERE'S A GIRL
WHO'S A GREAT SWIMMER,
AND MY SENTENCES
SHE SWIMS LIKE A FISH.
WELL WE KNOW A FISH
SWIMS REALLY WELL.
SO THAT'S A GREAT WAY
TO COMPARE THEM,
SO WE CAN TELL HAT SHE'S A
STRONG SWIMMER.
SO, AS YOU COULD SEE, THIS TIME
WE USE THE WORD "LIKE."
SO THAT IS DEFINITELY A SIMILE,
BECAUSE IT'S COMPARING TWO
THINGS USING THE WORD LIKE OR AS
AND IN THIS CASE, LIKE.
LET'S TRY ANOTHER.

She clicks on a top menu and another example appears.

She continues WELL, HERE I HAVE A FRIEND WHO'S
WATCHING A FILM ON TV.
HE SEEMS TO THINK
"AH, NOT SO EXCITING."
MAYBE IT'S NOT EXACTLY THE MOST
EXCITING SHOW EVER AND IT SAYS,
THE FILM WAS AS EXCITING AS
WATCHING PAINT DRY.
WELL, IF YOU'VE EVER
WATCHED PAINT DRY,
THERE ISN'T MUCH TO IT, IT JUST
SITS THERE.
IT'S KIND OF LIKE,
[Yawns] BORING!
SO HE'S COMPARING THIS FILM TO
WATCHING PAINT DRY
BY USING THE WORD AS.
SO THE FILM IS AS EXCITING AS
WATCHING PAINT DRY.
KIND OF BORING.
LET'S TRY ONE TOGETHER, I'VE GOT
THREE DIFFERENT EXAMPLES,
I'VE GOT MY FRIEND OVER HERE
WHO SEEMS REALLY STRONG,
SHE'S LIFTING SOME HEAVY
WEIGHTS OVER HER HEAD.
SO I WANT TO FINISH MY SENTENCE,
SHE WAS AS STRONG...
AND I WANT TO FINISH IT OFF,
HERE'S SOME EXAMPLES
SEE WHAT YOU THINK IS BEST:
IS SHE AS STRONG AS LOTS OF
OTHER THINGS?
AS STRONG AS AN OX? OR AS STRONG
AS A LEAF ON A TREE?
SO YOU WANT TO COMPARE
HER STRENGTH
TO SOMETHING HERE IN OUR LIST
THAT IS ALSO REALLY STRONG,
BECAUSE WE CAN SEE THAT
SHE'S REALLY STRONG.
I THINK A LEAF ON A TREE...
WELL A LEAF ISN'T A STRONG THING
SO I THINK WE CAN JUST CROSS
THAT ONE OUT, I DON'T THINK
THAT'S APPLICABLE.

Using her index finger, she crosses out an option.

She continues AND AS LOTS OF OTHER THINGS,
THIS ONE ISN'T VERY DESCRIPTIVE
TO TALK ABOUT HER STRENGTH,
SO I THINK THAT'S OUT.
WHEN I THINK OF AN OX, THAT'S A
BIG ANIMAL THAT CAN CARRY THINGS
FOR FARMERS OR FOR OTHER THINGS
SO THEY'RE REALLY STRONG,
I THINK THAT'S A GREAT EXAMPLE.
SO I'M GOING TO FINISH OFF MY
SENTENCE:
SHE WAS AS STRONG AS AN OX. I
THINK THAT'S A GREAT COMPARISON
SO THERE YOU GO. SIMILES ARE A
WAY OF COMPARING
DIFFERENT THINGS, THEY USUALLY
USE THE WORD "LIKE" OR "AS."
TO DO THAT COMPARISON, AND
WE CAN COMPARE THE TWO THINGS
SO THAT AUDIENCE WILL UNDERSTAND
AND MAKE SENSE TO THEM.
SO IT HAS TO BE TWO THINGS
THAT ARE COMPARABLE.
THERE YOU GO, TVO KIDS.
NOW YOU CAN IMPROVE YOUR WRITING
BY USING SIMILES. WAY TO GO!