Analogy Examples: Analogy for Students and Children

Sometimes words and phrases can prove inept in conveying the exact depth of our expression. This doesn’t mean that our grasp of the language is weak. It is that people have an innate tendency to understand the true meaning only when one concept has been compared to another. When someone presents a concept or an idea, which is contrasted with a similar concept, then the central idea becomes more apparent. This shows us the true meaning of things. In language, this is known as analogy and it is more important than facts. To get a clear idea on what analogy is, consider a concept, let us say love. A statement like “My love is as vast as an ocean” will convey more than just saying, “My love is boundless”. Again, if you want to convey the height of a building, instead of saying how tall it is, compare it to other tall buildings, as this will give a better idea of its elevation. Analogy also spices up the sentence preventing it from getting monotonous. That is why analogy has been extensively used in rhetoric. Go through the various examples given below to have a better perception of analogy.

Analogy Examples

• A gang of boys is like a pack of wolves.
• Obeying is to a servant, like ordering is to a master.
• Green is to go as red is to stop.
• You are as annoying as nails on a chalkboard.
• Just as the earth revolves around the sun, an electron revolves around the nucleus.
• What a general is to an army, a CEO is to a company.
• Gas is to car as wood is to fire.
• Rose is to vase as water is to pitcher.
• Day is to month as minute is to hour.
• Small is to petite as large is to giant.
• Pencil is to write as crayon is to color.
• Just as a caterpillar grows out of its cocoon, so we must grow out of our comfort zone.
• Day is to humans as night is to owls.
• Inside is to outside as upside is to downside.
• Edward is to Ed as Suzanne is to Sue.
• A cobra is to a mongoose as a cat is to a dog.
• Purple is to grapes as red is to cherries.
• Pig is to pork as cow is to beef.
• Word is to sentence as page is to book.
• Mitten is to hand as sock is to foot.
• Plane is to hangar as car is to garage.
• Ground is to a snake as sky is to an eagle.
• Wheel is to bike as tire is to car.
• Land is to dirt as ocean is to water.
• Apple is to tree as flower is to plant.
• Meow is to cat as bark is to dog.
• Pen is to author as brush is to artist.
• Boy is to shirt as girl is to blouse.
• Small is to petite as large is to giant.
• Lion is to cage as book is to bookcase.
• Boy is to girl as man is to woman.
• Office is to working as kitchen is to cooking.
• Ice floats in water just like wood floats in it.
• Toe is to foot as finger is to hand.
• Small is to large as little is to big.
• Three is to triangle as four is to square.
• Rich is to money as well is to health.
• Land is to river as body is to veins.
• Panel is to door as pane is to window.
• Eye is to sight as teeth is to chew.
• Baby is to adult as puppy is to dog.
• Author is to story as poet is to poetry.
• Seed is to tree as egg is to bird.
• Creek is to river as hill is to mountain.
• Son is to father as daughter is to mother.
• Stem is to flower as trunk is to tree.
• Heat is to furnace as cool is to air conditioner.
• Man is to men as goose is to geese.
• Cat is to mouse as spider is to fly.
• Knife is to cut as pen is to write.
• Bird is to fly as fish is to swim.
• Snake is to reptile as lion is to mammal.
• Zebra is to stripes as giraffe is to spots.
• Fish is to gills as human is to lungs.
• Ant is to six legs as spider is to eight legs.
• Scissors is to cut as glue is to paste.
• Jog is to run as hop is to jump.
• Music is to listen as TV is to watch.
• Wealthy is to rich as poor is to broke.
• Kitchen is to cooking as bedroom is to sleeping.
• Fish is to water as bird is to air.
• A gang of boys is like a pack of wolves.
• Just as sword is the weapon of a warrior, pen is the weapon of a writer.
• A doctor’s diagnostic method is similar to a detective’s investigation.
• What a cobra is to a mongoose, a cat is to a dog.
• The captain is to his ship as the leader is to his tribe.
• A fish is to swimming as a bird is to flying.
• Gold is to a goldsmith as iron is to a blacksmith.
• Dog is to a kennel as rabbit is to a burrow.
• Voice is to a person as writing is to a language.
• A sail is to a ship as a goal to a person.
• Painting is to a painter as plant is to water.
• Strings are to a guitar as love is to life.
• Hunting is to a tiger as working is for people.
• Key is to a lock as password is to a mobile phone.
• Ground is to a penguin as sky is to an eagle.
• Time is to a watch as light is to the sun.
• Moon is to the night as the sun is to day.
• Lyrics are to a lyricist as music is to a composer.
• Anti-virus software is to a computer as vaccines are to a newborn.
• Angels are to heaven as devils are to hell.
• Pen is to paper as keyboard is to the computer.
• Polar bears are to the arctic as camels are to the desert.
• Fish is to water as bird is to air.
• Life is like a box of chocolates.
• Glove is to hand as monitor is to computer.
• Ice is to Eskimos as desert is to Egyptians.
• White symbolizes purity and goodness, like black symbolizes impurity and evil.
• Poem is to a poet as child is to a mother.

Simply said, analogy is a figure of speech that is used to make a concept or an idea clearer to the listener. An analogy creates a visual representation of the concept, making it easier to grasp the subject matter. So, when you are at a loss on how to explain something, then simply compare it with another relative concept. As the above examples tell you, there are analogies for every idea – some strong and some weak -but each manage to shed light on the idea.