ELA analogy examples
Word problems need vocabulary answers

I'd be willing to bet the analogy examples you have seen were all in test-preparation materials.

If that is the case, you are missing out on a teaching tool that could improve student understanding of your major class concepts and help you meet several of your annual ELA course objectives.

Besides all that, working with open-ended word problems can be a lot of fun.

Definition of analogy

An analogy is a comparison in which elements in one half of the comparison bear the same relationship to one another as the elements on the other half of the comparison.

Word analogies are set up like equations in which each side is expressed as if it were a fraction:

The analogy must be solved by finding a word that logically fits in the Word 4 position. That means finding some word that has the same relationship to Word 3 as Word 2 has to Word 1.

Did you notice the comparison of an analogy to an equation is itself an analogy? Analogies are often better than examples for explaining unfamiliar concepts in terms of something the learner already knows.

Analogies depend on definitions

Like all comparisons, analogy examples depend on the recipient of the message defining and using the comparison terms in precisely the same way that the originator of the message did.

Confusion results when the message sender and message recipient don't agree on how words are used. If they use words in different ways without being aware they they don't agree on their definitions, the confusion may become serious miscommunication.

Teaching potential in confusion

This semantic confusion provides an ideal situation for teaching students the importance of vocabulary choices, particularly when the vocabulary refers to concepts or activities that cannot be physically observed.

Students are unlikely to have strong feelings about English class terminology. Thus ELA terms make good analogy examples in which students can learn about the ramifications of vocabulary choices before you introduce them to topics such as media use, persuasion and argument, and the role of language in political and civic life.

ELA analogies examples list

Below is a list of word problems requiring students to find the relationship between two items on one side of the analogy examples in order to solve for the missing item on the other side of the comparison.

In each set, both sides of the comparison use vocabulary drawn from the English language arts curriculum. The problems force students to think deeply about the meaning of the terms to identify words that could be used to complete the puzzle.

short story : novel :: topic sentence : ???

fiction : nonfiction :: poetry : ???

persuasion : opinion :: sonnet : ???

chapter : novel :: paragraph : ???

vocabulary : communication :: novel : ???

homophone : misspelling :: oral : ???

novel : fiction :: poem : ???

nonfiction : expository:: fiction :

outline : plan :: anecdote : ???

haiku : sonnet :: email : ???

drama : oral history :: sitcom : ???

revise : edit :: book : ???

verbal : oral :: nonverbal : ???

topic : writing :: subject : ???

analogy : metaphor :: introduction : ???

There is no answer key for these analogy examples. There is no one correct answer. The point of working with the analogy examples is for students to come up with as many sensible solutions as possible.

The solutions to the word problems are limited by students' vocabulary at the time they attempt the analogy examples.

How to use analogy examples

You could ask students to:

• Solve the word problem.

• Solve the word problem and specify the relationship they perceive both sides of the analogy.

• Determine why people disagree on the solution.

Problems such as these are useful for team activities in preparation for writing prompts or to activate knowledge in preparation for a new study topic. They also make good prompts for presentations and impromptu speeches.

The value of ELA analogies

Discussion of the issues will help students to understand the ELA concepts. More important, however, they will learn how word choices impact people's abilities to discuss and solve problems collaboratively in school, work, and civic life.

By grappling with a few of these word problems, students will develop some appreciation for the difficulties of written communication.