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material likeness

Device
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A comparison based on physical substance, texture, or tangible qualities

Detailed Definition
Material likeness is a simile that draws parallels between an abstract idea and a physical object or sensation using “like” or “as,” thereby making the intangible accessible; e.g., “her resolve was like tempered steel” conveys inner strength through a familiar, tactile substance.
Example
Example in poetry:
In “My love is like a red, red rose,” Burns’ simile grounds love in physical petals; In “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”, Shakespeare ties beauty to weather; In “She walks in beauty, like the night,” Byron links grace to stars; In “A Red, Red Rose,” love is likened to seasonal growth.
Additional Notes
A simile or metaphor that compares things through their shared physical traits rather than emotional or conceptual similarity. Related to the material figure and tangible vocabulary. Contrasts with abstract likeness. Learners should practice writing lines where the vehicle of comparison is explicitly physical—a specific texture, shape, or substance—and then evaluate whether the material detail adds precision or excess.
Also Known As
Material resemblance Tangible similarity Corporeal likeness Concrete simile Physical simile
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