Across all eight configurations, the comparison term is kept available: it is the image through which the hearer understands something about the subject. Expressing or suppressing the other elements changes the form without necessarily removing the intended relationship.
“Zayd is like a lion,” “Zayd is a lion,” and, as an answer to a suitable question, “A lion!” may therefore concern one subject but differ in force, clarity, and dependence on context.
The point of studying mention and omission is not to count words. It is to understand how the apparent scope of likeness, the strength of predication, and the clarity of communication change. The next major discussion concerns literal and figurative usage.