What figure of speech is used in "He would look at the ceiling and at the faces before him, as though he had just returned from a dreamy wonderland”?

Analyze the question You are asked to identify the figure of speech in the sentence: "He would look at the ceiling and at the faces before him, as though he had just returned from a dreamy wonderland."

Explain the concept

• Simile: an explicit comparison between two different things using words like like, as, as though, or as if.
• Metaphor: an implied comparison that says one thing is another, with no linking word.
• Personification: giving human qualities to non-human things or ideas.
• Irony: saying one thing while meaning the opposite, or a situation turning out opposite to what is expected.

Show the solution

1. The sentence compares the man's dazed, faraway look to the look of someone who has just come back from a "dreamy wonderland."
2. The comparison is made explicitly with the phrase "as though", which works like "as if" or "like."
3. It is not a metaphor, because it does not say "he was someone returning from wonderland."
4. It is not personification, because no non-human thing is given human traits. The ceiling and faces are simply looked at.
5. It is not irony, because there is no contrast between what is said and what is meant.

So the figure of speech is a simile.

Answer: C. Simile

Exam tip Look for the comparison signal words: like, as, as...as, as if, as though. If one is present, it is nearly always a simile. If the comparison is stated directly ("He is a lion"), it is a metaphor.