Grade by Grade
B. Foundations of Language · Listening, Speaking and Word Power

Word Relationships: Analogies, Formal Words and Canadian English

B2.2 B1.3 A3.2About 40 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can explain the relationship in an analogy and complete analogies.
  • I can choose formal or informal words that fit my audience.
  • I can recognize words that are common in Canadian English and explain what they mean.
  • I can show my understanding of words by explaining how they are connected.

Words to know

analogy
A comparison of two pairs of words that have the same relationship, like hot : cold :: up : down.
relationship
How two words are connected: opposites, part and whole, tool and user, and so on.
formal word
A word used in serious or official situations, like receive instead of get.
informal word
A relaxed, everyday word, like kids instead of children.
Canadian English
The kind of English spoken and written in Canada, with some words, spellings and meanings of its own.

Remember from earlier grades

You've worked with synonyms and antonyms, shades of meaning (warm, hot, scorching), idioms, connotation (positive, neutral and negative words), and word histories, including words English borrowed from French and from Indigenous languages such as Inuktitut and Mi'kmaq. In Grade 6 you'll show how well you understand words by explaining how they relate to each other.

Let's start with a puzzle

Paddle is to canoe as pedal is to ___?

Think about the relationship: you use a paddle to move a canoe. What do you use a pedal to move? A bicycle! This kind of puzzle is called an analogy. To solve it, you have to understand both words and how they're connected.

A red canoe with a paddle on a rocky lakeshore and a bicycle leaning against a pine tree.
Paddle is to canoe as pedal is to bicycle. Both objects are here: what relationship connects each pair? AI-generated image

How analogies work

An analogy is written like this: paddle : canoe :: pedal : bicycle. You read it as "Paddle is to canoe as pedal is to bicycle."

To solve one:

  1. Look at the first pair. Make a sentence that shows how they're connected: A paddle is used to move a canoe.
  2. Use the same sentence with the second pair: A pedal is used to move a ___. → bicycle.
  3. Check that the relationship is exactly the same.
paddle:canoe::pedal:bicycle"A paddle is used to move a canoe.""A pedal is used to move a bicycle."same connecting sentence = same relationship
Read it as paddle is to canoe as pedal is to bicycle. The analogy works because one sentence fits both pairs.
RelationshipExample analogy
Synonyms (same meaning)big : large :: quick : fast
Antonyms (opposites)freeze : thaw :: arrive : depart
Part to wholepage : book :: player : team
Tool to userstethoscope : doctor :: hammer : carpenter
Item to categorymaple : tree :: trout : fish
Cause to effectrain : flood :: spark : fire
Degree (stronger)cool : frigid :: warm : scorching
Young to adultcalf : moose :: cub : bear
Read the colon as "is to" and the double colon as "as."

Formal and informal words

Many ideas can be said in a formal or informal way. Choose based on your audience and purpose. (Remember register from the speaking lesson?)

InformalFormal
kidschildren
getreceive, obtain
find outdiscover, learn
a lot ofmany, numerous
helpassist
showdemonstrate
startbegin, commence
needrequire
Formal words aren't better; they fit formal situations, like a report, a speech or a letter to the mayor.

Canadian English

English in Canada has some words that are especially common here, or that have a special meaning here:

  • toque (or tuque): a knitted winter hat. It comes from Canadian French.
  • loonie: the one-dollar coin, named for the loon on it. toonie: the two-dollar coin.
  • washroom: the usual Canadian word for a public bathroom.
  • eavestrough: the channel along a roof edge that catches rainwater.
  • hydro: in Ontario, electricity, as in the hydro bill.
  • Grade 6: Canadians usually say Grade 6, while many Americans say sixth grade.

Canadian English also uses Canadian spellings like colour, centre and travelled, and many words borrowed from French and from Indigenous languages, such as kayak (from Inuktitut) and toboggan (from Mi'kmaq, through French).

Worked example

Let's solve analogies

Solve: (1) feather : bird :: scale : ___ (2) whisper : shout :: drizzle : ___

  1. (1) Make a sentence: A feather covers a bird's body.
  2. Use it again: A scale covers a ___'s body. → fish (or snake).
  3. (2) Make a sentence: A shout is a much stronger whisper. (Degree: from soft to strong.)
  4. Use it again: A ___ is a much stronger drizzle. → downpour (heavy rain).
  5. Check: both pairs have exactly the same relationship.

(1) fish (2) downpour

weakermuch strongerwhispertalkshoutdrizzleraindownpourcoolcoldfrigid
Degree analogies compare a word with a much stronger one: whisper : shout :: drizzle : downpour. The middle words show the steps in between.
Worked example

Let's change register

Mira writes a request to the town council: "We kids need a lot of help to find out how to start a community garden."

  1. Audience: the town council, an official group, so the message should be formal.
  2. kids → students or young people
  3. need → require (or keep need: it's fine in formal writing too)
  4. a lot of help → assistance
  5. find out → learn; start → establish or begin

"We students would appreciate assistance in learning how to establish a community garden." The facts are the same; the words fit the audience.

Say the sentence

For any analogy, always say the connecting sentence out loud. If you can't make a sentence that works for both pairs, try a different answer.

Just for fun

Funny but true: Nobody officially planned the name toonie for the two-dollar coin. Canadians simply mashed together two + loonie, and the name stuck. That's Canadian English being invented right in front of us!

Hands-on activity

Analogy cards and a Canadian word hunt

You need: 16 small pieces of paper, a pencil, and a family member to play with.

  1. Write 8 analogies, splitting each one across two cards, with one word pair per card (paddle : canoe on one card and pedal : bicycle on its partner; calf : moose and cub : bear...). That uses all 16 cards, and each card has a matching partner with the same relationship.
  2. Mix them up, face down. Take turns flipping two cards. If they make an analogy, say the connecting sentence to keep them.
  3. Canadian word hunt: around the house, look for things with Canadian English names: a toque, a loonie, the hydro bill. List as many as you can.
  4. Ask an older relative: Are there words they use that they think are especially Canadian, or from your family's language?

What to look for: correct connecting sentences ("A calf is a young moose; a cub is a young bear") and accurate meanings of Canadian words.

Your turn

1

Complete: hot : cold :: day : ___

2

Complete: page : book :: step : ___

3

Complete: calf : moose :: kit : ___ (Hint: a baby beaver is called a kit.)

4

Name the relationship: spark : fire.

5

Give a formal word for get and a formal word for show.

6

What is a toque?

7

What is a loonie, and why is it called that?

More practice: warm-up

1

What is an analogy?

2

How do you read big : large :: quick : fast?

3

Formal or informal: kids?

4

What is a toonie?

5

Complete: maple : tree :: rose : ___

More practice: on your own

1

Complete and name the relationship: chilly : freezing :: hungry : ___

2

Complete: stethoscope : doctor :: ___ : firefighter. Explain.

3

Rewrite in a formal register for a school newsletter: "Lots of kids found out the bake sale got tons of money."

4

What's wrong with this analogy? freeze : thaw :: hot : warm. Fix it.

5

Why might a visitor from another country be confused if you said, "Put on your toque and grab a loonie for the washroom fee"?

Challenge

1

Write your own analogy for each relationship: part to whole, and young to adult.

2

Complete: author : novel :: composer : ___. Explain the relationship.

3

Explain why both "I need help" and "I require assistance" can be correct. When would you choose each?

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Complete: paddle : canoe :: pedal : ___

2.

What relationship is page : book?

3.

Which is the most formal choice?

4.

What is a toque?

5.

Complete: cool : frigid :: warm : ___

6.

Which is the first step in solving an analogy?

For parents and teachers

Big idea (B2.2, B1.3, A3.2): Grade 6 students demonstrate understanding of a variety of words by explaining relationships between them, choosing words for audience and purpose, and noticing features of Canadian English. Analogies show deep word understanding because students must know both words and how they connect.

How to help at home:

  • Make up analogies in the car or at dinner: "Puck is to hockey as ball is to ___."
  • Share words your family uses that might be regional, Canadian or from another language you speak.
  • When your child writes to an adult (a coach, a teacher), help them switch to a formal register.

Common difficulties:

  • Choosing an answer that's related but has a different relationship (e.g., hot : warm when opposites were needed). Always say the connecting sentence.
  • Thinking formal means using big words everywhere. Plain words are often best; formal words are for formal situations.