An analogy is a figure of speech that states that one thing is like another thing. The purpose of an analogy is to help you understand the similarities between two objects or two courses of action to compare them.
An analogy can be used when comparing ideas, arguments, or thoughts by giving a likeness between two items that aren’t alike but share some similar traits. Most analogies use simile, a form of figurative language that uses the words “like” or “as”.
An analogy can be written or spoken and is used as a figure of speech. Its purpose is to make one thing easier to understand by comparing it with something else you already know.
Types of analogies with Examples:
There are several types of analogies: analogy of degree, the analogy of quality and analogy of proportionality. The analogy of degree compares two items that have similar differences or degrees. An analogy of quality compares two things that have either a greater or lesser difference between them. The analogy of proportionality compares two things that are similar in size, shape, and number.
Example: The plane sits in the hangar-like a tired bird. This is an analogy of degree.
A bird and a plane are both objects that fly, but they do not sit in hangars.
The analogy of quality:
The bird is resting after its long flight. This is an analogy of quality. In this example, the bird and the plane are both alive, the only difference being that one is resting and one is flying.
The analogy of proportionality:
The bird sits on the ground, and the plane stands in the hangar, which might remind you of an analogy of proportionality. This is because both the bird and the plane have a similar size, shape and number.
A person can lose weight easier by dieting . The diet and the person are similar concerning weight, but not other attributes.
Example: I’d rather be a vegetarian than a vegan because a vegetarian has compassion toward animals, whereas a vegan is cruel toward animals which lead to an animal cruelty campaign and, in turn, an increase in violence towards humans. This is an analogy of proportionality.
How can one be detecting one Element of Each of the two Related Pairs?
One thing you should know about analogies is that they are an analogy. That means, for comparison’s sake, that one element of each of the two related pairs will be used to represent the other pair.
For example, “a rat” might represent “the scurry.” In this example, we can tell from looking at the first word how it will be paired with one element from each of its related pairs: “an animal” and “a rattle.
Therefore, it will be the “rat” that represents scurry instead of some other word that has nothing to do with the topic.
First, let’s look at a few examples of establishing related pairs followed by a few examples of analogies where one element from each set represents the other pair:
If a person is a scrooge, then the money is his/her ghost of Christmas past.
If a person is a scrooge, then Christmas is his/her ghost of a Christmas present.
If a person is a scrooge, then Christmas is his/her ghost of Christmas future.
In this next example of an analogy, the first word of each pair (the one with the apostrophe) will represent one element from each pair:
He who asks questions doesn’t lose his temper, but he may lose his friend.
For instance,
Mystery element pairs are chemical elements that are related to one another but do not have any other chemical element in common. Pair of the day: Titanium and Zirconium
If you’re at all familiar with these two elements, then you know they are quite similar in many ways. You might also be curious whether they can be detected in the same way.
Titanium is a silvery-white metal, whereas Zirconium is a silvery-white metal that transitions to grey. The chemical behaviour of both of these elements is similar.
Tips to solve questions related to Detecting one Element of Each of the two Related Pairs:
Comparisons between things that are different will be less apt than comparisons between things that are similar.
Things that have the same function in a given context will be more apt for analogy than those which do not. For example: Comparing a river to a blood vessel would be apt; comparing a river to an artery would not.
Things that have the same structure will be more apt for analogy than those which do not. For example: Comparing a lake to a pond would be apt; comparing a lake to an ocean would not.
Conclusion:
And just how is the related pair established? You don’t need to know! And that’s why analogies are so useful in creative writing: even if you’re not a creative writing student, you can still use them in your work.
You can get started today by solving a simple Detecting one Element of Each of the two Related Pairs problem. Once you’ve solved it, you’ll be able to understand the rest of the article.