Types of Analogies Based on Meanings of the Word

The ancient Greek word analogia, from which we get the word “proportion,” is where we get our word “analogy.” A significant portion of the term can be traced back to the ancient Proto-Indo-European root *leg-, which can be translated as “to collect” or “to gather.” Analogies can be broken down into a wide variety of subcategories, and each subcategory can be used to portray a certain form of relationship. A possible illustration of an analogy would be:

Writing out analogies in this fashion is by far the most prevalent practice; the colons are used in place of words. It might also be written as “Branch is to tree as arm is to person,” which is another approach to express the same idea. It can be said in this manner that a branch is a component of a tree in a manner that is analogous to that of an arm being a component of a human being. This notion of an analogy can be used to a wide variety of different subjects.

Different Kinds of Analogies

There are numerous analogies that can be used to explain the many different sorts of connections between things. These are the following:

A Portion of the Whole

The analogy that compares a component to the whole is one of the most popular types of analogies, and a lot of different examples of analogies can be placed into this category. An analogy between a portion and its totality can be seen in the previous example concerning branches and arms. These are the relationships that exist between items that compare two different groups of objects, both of which are part and whole pair combinations. One more illustration of a part to whole analogy is the following:

Florida stands in for the United States of America’s living room.

Some typical comparisons involve the origins of things and the goods they produce.

When attempting to explain the origin of a variety of commonplace items, using analogies that compare the sources and the products can be an effective method. When it comes to elucidating to youngsters the processes involved in production, an analogy of this nature might be quite helpful:

Beans of cocoa, chocolate, and pencils made of wood and cocoa.

In Opposition to the Aim

This is akin to an analogy that compares causes and effects, or an analogy that compares sources and products; this means that the focus here is on instrumental action. The first word in each of the analogy’s halves is an object, and then it is followed by the purpose that is most frequently served by that thing:

A book refers to reading, while racket refers to playing tennis.

Typical or Typical (Category)

The topic of traits is frequently used in analogies. In each of the two halves of the analogy, the first word describes a quality, and the second word describes an item that possesses that quality. With this particular type of analogy, there is room for quite a bit of inventiveness:

amphibious: cardinal; frog; crimson; amphibious: frog

The colour red is to a cardinal what the ability to breathe underwater is to a frog.

User to Instrument

In many instances, those who work with particular kinds of equipment are given designated job titles. This can serve as the foundation for an analogy between the user and the tool, such as:

doctor: stethoscope:: camera operator: camera

Sequences

Analogy tests are a type of logic and intelligence exam that determines whether or not a person is capable of understanding the sequential links between different concepts. 

Analogies can also be derived from a pair of words that are only considered to be synonyms. This can be useful in illustrating the connection between the two sets of words and providing an explanation of how they are comparable. One possible example is as follows:

angry; enraged; raging: glad; joyful:

Antonyms

An analogy can be created using two sets of antonyms in the same way that it can be created using two sets of synonyms. 

Conclusion 

There are many different literary devices that are used frequently and are somewhat comparable to analogies. All of these literary devices are founded on the connections that exist between various ideas. Although some of them are more abstract than others, none of them are the same thing as analogies in their purest form.