Analogies

Key Notes:

What are Analogies?

An analogy is a comparison between two things that are usually thought of as different. It points out a relationship or similarity. Understanding analogies helps you to think critically, improve your vocabulary, and make connections between ideas.

Think of it like a bridge connecting two seemingly unrelated things. The bridge is the relationship.

Why are Analogies Important?

Analogies help you:

• Improve vocabulary: By understanding the relationships between words, you learn new words and their meanings.
• Develop critical thinking: You learn to analyze and compare different concepts.
• Solve problems: Analogies can help you see patterns and connections in different situations.
• Understand complex ideas: By comparing complex ideas to simpler ones, you can understand them more easily.
• Do well on tests: Analogies are often used in standardized tests.

Identifying and Solving Analogies

Analogies are typically written in the following format:

A : B :: C : D

This is read as “A is to B as C is to D.” Your job is to figure out the relationship between A and B, and then find a word D that has the same relationship to C.

Steps to Solving Analogies:

• Identify the relationship between A and B. What connects these two words? Is it a type of, a part of, an action, or something else?
• Express the relationship in a clear sentence. For example, “A is a type of B” or “A is the opposite of B.”
• Apply the same relationship to C. Think of a word that fits the same relationship to C as B does to A.
• Check your answer. Does the relationship between C and D match the relationship between A and B?

Common Types of Relationships

Synonym: Words that have similar meanings (e.g., happy : joyful) Antonym: Words that have opposite meanings (e.g., hot : cold) Part to Whole: A part of something to the whole thing (e.g., petal : flower) Type of: A specific example of a category (e.g., rose : flower) Cause and Effect: One thing causes another (e.g., fire : smoke)

Function: The purpose or use of something (e.g., knife : cut) Object to Characteristic: An object and a characteristic it possesses (e.g. lemon : sour) Degree: Variations in intensity (e.g. drizzle : pour) Location: Where something is found (e.g. fish : ocean) Performer and Action: Relates a verb to the one who performs it (e.g. teacher : teach)

Examples

Let’s look at some examples:

Happy : Sad :: Tall : Short (Antonyms)

• Happy is the opposite of Sad, as Tall is the opposite of Short.

Dog : Mammal :: Rose : Flower (Type of)

• A dog is a type of mammal, as a rose is a type of flower.

Pen : Write :: Fork : Eat (Function)

• A pen is used to write, as a fork is used to eat.

Pupil : Teacher :: Employee : Employer (Relationship)

• Pupil has a relationship with Teacher, as Employee has a relationship with Employer

Exercises

Complete the following analogies:

• Day : Night :: Up : ______
• Shoe : Foot :: Glove : ______
• Hot : Cold :: Wet : ______
• Bird : Fly :: Fish : ______
• Car : Road :: Boat : ______
• Doctor : Hospital :: Teacher : ______
• Author : Book :: Composer : ______
• Apple : Fruit :: Carrot : ______
• Spoon : Soup :: Fork : ______
• Tire : Car :: Page : ______

Answers to Exercises

• Down
• Hand
• Dry
• Swim
• Ocean (or Sea)
• School
• Song (or Symphony)
• Vegetable
• Steak
• Book

Summary

Today, we learned about analogies: what they are, why they’re important, how to identify different types of relationships between words, and how to solve them. By practicing analogies, you can enhance your vocabulary, sharpen your critical thinking skills, and improve your problem-solving abilities. Keep practicing to become an analogy master!

Let’s practice!