Gibb, Heather; Wales, Roger. 1990. Metaphor or simile: Psychological determinants of the differential use of each sentence form. Journal Article. pp. 199-213
Abstract
By using a sentence-completion task, figurative comparison statements were examined in relation to subjects' relative preference for the metaphorical versus the simile format (is vs. is like). Variables identified as likely predictors of one form over the other were concreteness of vehicle, specificity of the tenor, and concreteness of the predicate adjective preceding the vehicle. An explanation of the differential function of the two figurative forms is put forward in terms of the kind of themes expressed within the ground of the comparisons.(Heather Gibb and Roger Wales)