How to Use Analogies

When we use one person, place, thing or event to describe another, we are creating analogies. Analogies help us build mental pictures because they show connections between different things; we can use something familiar to describe something unfamiliar. Using analogies in your descriptions can help get your message across in a fresh, creative way whether you're writing or speaking. However, they should be used sparingly, and some great writers hardly use them at all.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Choose a subject for your analogy. Perhaps you're trying to describe your feelings to your best friend after taking a test that will determine whether you pass or fail a class.

2. Compare the situation to another person, place, thing or event that will be familiar. Think about how the other thing is similar and focus on that aspect.

3. Create your analogy, using "like" to connect the two situations. For example, "After taking that test, I feel like a prisoner strapped into an electric chair, waiting for the pardon to arrive." Or "I feel like a jockey after the Kentucky Derby, waiting in the winner's circle." Be specific about the similarities between the situations or things.

4. Use analogies, but avoid clichés, which are overused phrases, such as "mad as a hornet," "like a diamond in the rough" and "bitter pill." Brainstorm for new comparisons, such as, "The reckless student was careening through the course like a drunken driver competing in the Indianapolis 500."

Tips & Warnings

• To work, a comparison must be clear. If you're reader has to stop and think about the meaning of your analogy or if you must take time to explain it, the analogy doesn't work.