He ran quickly, his legs pumping like pistons.

Meaning: He moved his legs rapidly, propelling himself forward at a fast speed.

Choice of Words: The word "ran" means to move quickly on foot. "Quickly" means at a fast pace. "Legs" are the limbs that humans and animals use to walk or run. "Pumping" means moving up and down or back and forth rapidly. "Pistons" are parts of an engine that move up and down to create power.

Alternative Expressions

He dashed forward, his limbs flailing like a windmill.

Meaning: This means that he ran very quickly, and his arms and legs were moving around wildly, like the blades of a windmill.

Choice of Words: He is the subject of the sentence, and dashed is the verb. Forward is an adverb that describes the direction in which he ran. His is a possessive pronoun that shows that the limbs belong to him. Limbs is the noun that refers to his arms and legs. Flailing is a verb that describes how his limbs moved. Like is a preposition that compares the movement of his limbs to the movement of a windmill. Windmill is a structure that uses the wind to turn its blades and generate power.

He sprinted past the finish line, his muscles burning like fire.

Meaning: This means that he ran very fast, and his muscles were feeling very sore and tired, like they were burning.

Choice of Words: He is the subject of the sentence, and sprinted is the verb. Past is an adverb that describes the direction in which he ran. The is a definite article that refers to the finish line. Finish line is the noun that refers to the line that marks the end of a race. His is a possessive pronoun that shows that the muscles belong to him. Muscles is the noun that refers to the part of his body that he used to run. Burning is a verb that describes how his muscles felt. Like is a preposition that compares the feeling of his muscles to the feeling of fire. Fire is the noun that refers to the hot, burning substance.

Related Expressions