COMPARISONS
Analogies, Similes, & Metaphors
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Wednesday, May 27, 2009
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Text for this Lesson
Analogies
An analogy is about the way words (and things) relate to one another. You often get analogy word problems on tests. That kind of analogy is made up of two pairs of words, like this:
PUPPY: DOG :: kitten: _____
What you are expected to do is to find a word which correctly completes the second pair. To solve the problem, you need to figure out what the relationship is. First, read out the analogy:
Puppy is to dog as kitten is to _____ ?
Now it's easy to figure out. A puppy is a young dog, so what's a kitten? A young cat. The answer is "cat."
There are many different ways that words can relate, for example:
They can mean the same thing (be synonyms):
WORK: LABOR :: tidy: neat
They can sound alike or be spelled the same way (be homonyms):
SEE: SEA :: write: right
They can mean opposite things (be antonyms):
BEAUTIFUL: UGLY :: graceful: clumsy
They can be parts of a whole:
LEG:MAN :: wheel: bike
They can be ingredients:
PINEAPPLE: JELLY :: tomato: jam
They can be descriptions (size, shape, color, texture, etc.):
MINK: SOFT :: mold: fuzzy
BLUE: SKY :: green: tree
Or they can describe a cause and action:
OWL: HOOTS :: fan: whirs
How would you complete this analogy?
BLUE: BLEW :: red: ______
How are these words related?
Is there more than one way?
Similes and Metaphors
Metaphors and similes are both ways to compare things. We use metaphors and similes every day, but it can be hard to remember just which is which.
A metaphor is when you say something is something. A simile is when you say something is like something. For example, let's say you have a mean stepfather. If you say, "my stepfather is a bear," that's a metaphor. But if you say, "my stepfather is like a bear," that's a simile.
It's easy if you remember this: if two things are compared with the use of the words "like" or "as," that's a simile. A simile is what's called an open comparison. One memory aid is that you find the letter "i" in both "like" and "simile." But if there's no "like" or "as," that's a hidden comparison -- a metaphor.
| Similes | Metaphors |
| her hair was like silk | her hair was silk |
| mean as Oscar the Grouch | meaner than Oscar the Grouch |
| the ship went down like lead | dead fish are polished marble |
| light as a feather | those figures are fishy |
| busy as a bee | car salesmen are sharks |
| her gaze was like ice | her gaze was icy |
Practice using similes and metaphors to describe people , places, and things in your life.
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