Verbal Reasoning · Word Analogies
Word Bridge
Full is to empty as happy is to…?
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Why this works
Full is the opposite of empty, so happy is the opposite of sad. In an analogy the two pairs must be joined by exactly the same relationship: find the link in the first pair, then carry that link across.
Helping a child through Word Bridge
Hints, least revealing first
- Say the first pair out loud: "Full is the opposite of empty."
- The same bridge has to carry "happy". These are opposites.
When they finish it: “Same bridge, both times!”
What usually goes wrong here
- Chooses a word from the same topic but with a different relationship.
This is the wrong answer 11+ papers are built to offer, so it is worth watching for directly: a child who does this will look confident and still lose the mark. If it keeps happening on transfer an analogy relation, the fix is the misunderstanding rather than more questions.
4 11+ skills this exercise practises
Each of these has its own page, with a worked example on it. 1 of the 4 names the mistake that skill attracts.
- Select an antonymSelect a word with the opposite meaning in the stated context.
- Identify an analogy relationIdentify the semantic relationship in one word pair.
- Transfer an analogy relationApply a stated or inferred word relationship to complete a second pair.
- Select opposite meaningChoose the option most opposite in meaning to a target word.
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Word Bridge touches 4 skills at once
Which means a child who struggles with it could be stuck on any one of them. A free diagnostic across all four subjects narrows it to the one.