Everyday language is full of comparisons to try to make some ideas easier which, said without going into greater detail or without being exemplified, can be complicated.

Analogies are a type of linguistic resource widely used by all speakers, whether or not they have an extensive literary background, and they make it possible to communicate messages easily, efficiently and quickly.

Let’s see some examples of analogies , relating them to the meaning of the concept and some special types of this type of resource.

What are analogies?

The analogies refer to the existing relationships or similarities between two concepts or sets of words . This relation of similarity emerges from comparing two or more concepts, consolidating the most outstanding features of both. In short, they are understood as what two different things have in common.

The things that are compared do not have to be objects, they can also be ideas, roles, jobs, actions… Usually, this type of linguistic resource is used to better explain a certain idea based on another one that is better known and understood by the general population.

Writers very often resort to analogies , especially when they try to make the reader understand a not so clear idea by using objects and contexts with which he can feel more identified. It also has the function of capturing attention and not making the text heavy and not very dynamic.

Examples of analogies

Next we will see a few analogies, classified according to the specific type they belong to. The first four types, comparison, homology, metaphor and allegory, are analogies of language, in which the message has a single interpretation, but with the addition of a figurative meaning.

Later, we will see the analogies of argumentation, interpolation, extrapolation and reduction to the absurd , used in science to go from more known things to not so known things, allowing the creation of formal-logical models.

1. Comparison

Comparison is a type of analogy in which similes are produced where objects or ideas that have characteristics in common are compared .

  • This muscle is as hard as a rock.
  • His tears shine like two blue sapphires.
  • The streets of the city were like a maze.
  • Your soul is blacker than night.
  • This summer has been so warm that it felt like we were living in hell.
  • You swim as well as if you were a mermaid.
  • Her beautiful blonde hair looked like gold.
  • His green eyes were like emeralds.
  • His red, fleshy lips were sweet as strawberries.
  • I ate like it was my last supper.

2. Homology

It is about comparing different things that play a role that is essentially different too, but that have a structural part that is similar and are part of comparable categories, of the same classification system. It is widely used in the field of comparative anatomy.

  • An angel is to good what a demon is to evil.
  • Madrid is to Spain what Paris is to France.
  • Crying is to sadness what laughing is to joy.
  • Hunger is to food as thirst is to drink.
  • Mondays are a week what January is a year.
  • Studying is in childhood what working is in adulthood.
  • The dove is to peace what the raven is to war.
  • Pizza is to Italy what paella is to Spain.
  • Captain is to ship as mayor to city.
  • The arm is to the human being what a wing is to a bat.

3. Metaphor

Metaphors involve comparing one object with another; however, the object being compared is omitted , it being up to the listener or reader to come to the conclusion as to which object is being referred to.

Although they are not analogies stricto sensu, they are related, especially to analogies by comparison. Some examples:

  • Your eyes are black in the night.
  • His eyes were the source of long rivers on his cheeks.
  • The golden plate emerges from the cold sea.
  • He understands everything at once, he’s a lynx.
  • His mouth spits acid.
  • My heart is a stopped geranium.
  • His hands are olive branches.
  • It’s not hell, it’s the street.
  • This project is in diapers.
  • It’s in the clouds.

4. Allegory

In this type of linguistic resource, the comparisons are placed throughout the text or narrative . Allegories are very frequent in texts with a didactic or moral purpose such as the Bible, fables or stories.

This kind of analogy is very subtle, something similar to what happens with metaphors, and a more or less complex interpretation must be made to capture the message behind what has been said or written.

An example of an allegory would be the story of Peter and the wolf. The boy, who had been shouting all summer that the wolf was coming when he was not, had caused everyone to be alarmed and to go to where Peter was, seeing that they had been tricked.

However, one day, the wolf really came, Peter screamed but no one listened to him. From this it follows that telling lies is wrong, and that it can lead to very serious consequences, such as those Peter had to go through.

5. Interpolation

Interpolation is the action of considering all the situations of a phenomenon and interpreting it in relation to a new situation , either by analogy or induction. Interpolation is widely used in pedagogy, especially to facilitate the learning process, going from a basic level to a more complex one.

An example would be learning to read and write, starting first with understanding the sounds of letters, then how they are used to form words, learning any special rules there may be, and then understanding the meaning of sentences.

The more or less invisible analogy that would be behind the idea of teaching writing like this is that the difficulty will progressively increase.

6. Extrapolation

Extrapolation is understood to mean the extension of the same idea, method or action to other situations that, apparently, present the same characteristics as the original situation .

In relation to the example given in the case of interpolation, the process of reading, which went from less to more complex, can be extrapolated to other educational contexts, such as the learning of human anatomy, going from cells to organic systems.

7. Reduction to the absurd

Instead of establishing relationships, as is the case with most of the types of analogies already mentioned, what is done here is to establish contradictions in order to prove that something or someone is behaving in a way that is contrary to what has been reacted to .

To make this case better understood, let’s give an example:

Pedro did not steal Pablo’s case yesterday, because Pedro was in Madrid and Pablo was in Barcelona.

From this it is understood that since Peter cannot be in two places at once, it is materially impossible that he could have committed the theft.

Bibliographic references:

  • Esper, E. A. (1973), Analogy and association in linguistics and psychology. Georgia Press.
  • Itkonen, E. (2005). Analogía como estructura y proceso: Enfoques en lingüística, psicología cognitiva y filosofía de la ciencia. John Benjamins Publishing.
  • Oppenheimer, R. (1956). Analogía en la ciencia. American Psychologist, 11(3) 127.