---
title: Identify the literary device whereby two dissimilar entities are com… — Poetry: simile, metaphor, personificat… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the literary device whereby two dissimilar entities are compared through the explicit use of the words "like" or "as". Exam question 1 of lesson 46 «Poetry: simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration» of the English course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmati
---

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# Exam question 1 · Poetry: simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the literary device whereby two dissimilar entities are compared through the explicit use of the words "like" or "as".

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** identify, compare, use · **To what, where:** literary device, two dissimilar entities, explicit use, words

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This is exam question 1 of lesson 46 «Poetry: simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration» of the English course of Mova's primary school, asked in stiff, formal language. The page gives the question's syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause, then the 4 options as the student saw them, each with its tree and pragmatics. Every text is parsed by Mova itself. How the student answered it, with the score of every option and why: [the test at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/english/46-poetry-simile-metaphor-personification-alliteration/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:46-poetry-simile-metaphor-personification-alliteration:e1:1
# text = Identify the literary device whereby two dissimilar entities are compared through the explicit use of the words "like" or "as".
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	literary	literary	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	device	device	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	whereby	whereby	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	10	advmod	_	_
6	two	two	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	8	nummod	_	_
7	dissimilar	dissimilar	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	compound	_	_
8	entities	entity	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	nsubj:pass	_	_
9	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	aux:pass	_	_
10	compared	compare	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	acl:relcl	_	_
11	through	through	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
13	explicit	explicit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	compound	_	_
14	use	use	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	_
15	of	of	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
16	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
17	words	word	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	14	nmod	_	_
18	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	19	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	like	like	INTJ	UH	_	10	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	19	punct	_	_
21	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	23	cc	_	_
22	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	23	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
23	as	as	ADP	IN	_	19	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
24	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	23	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
25	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **identify** | imperative | you *not said here* | the literary device |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent device=Theme |
| 2 | **compare** | present · passive |  | two dissimilar entities |  | the explicit use of the words |  | whereby *property* | vn amalgamate-22.2-2 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient |
| 3 | **use** |  |  | the words |  |  |  |  | nom use «act transitive»: of=patient |

<!-- .note -->
One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The simile

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:46-poetry-simile-metaphor-personification-alliteration:e1:o1:1
# text = The simile
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	simile	simile	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The metaphor

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:46-poetry-simile-metaphor-personification-alliteration:e1:o2:1
# text = The metaphor
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	metaphor	metaphor	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Alliteration

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:46-poetry-simile-metaphor-personification-alliteration:e1:o3:1
# text = Alliteration
1	Alliteration	alliteration	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Personification

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:46-poetry-simile-metaphor-personification-alliteration:e1:o4:1
# text = Personification
1	Personification	personification	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

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**Text:** the tests of Mova's primary school, written for Mova (`world/data/school/`), as the course runner gave them to the student. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each text read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

<!-- /div -->

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