Geometry and English Language Learning Four-sided Shapes Geometry and English Language Learning

Trapezoid A trapezoid is a four-sided shape with only one pair of parallel sides.

A parallelogram is a four-sided shape with opposite sides parallel.

Rectangle A rectangle is a shape with four straight sides and four right angles.

Rhombus A rhombus is a shape with four straight, equal sides, and opposite angles equal.

Square A square is a shape with four straight, equal sides and four right angles.

Quadrilateral A quadrilateral is a four sided figure. All four sided shapes fall under this category. Parallelograms, trapezoids, rectangles, rhombuses, and squares are all quadrilaterals because they share the same features – having four sides. There are other categories within quadrilaterals that these shapes fall under.

Categories All of the five shapes are quadrilaterals. This is because they have common features of a quadrilateral – they all have four sides. A square, rectangle, and rhombus are all in the parallelogram category because they have the same features as a parallelogram – a four-sided shape with opposite sides parallel. A square is a rectangle and a rhombus. Like a rhombus, it has four straight, equal sides, and opposite angles equal. Like a rectangle, it has four straight sides and four right angles.

Categories A rectangle and rhombus are NOT a square, because they do not have all of the same features as a square: a rhombus does not need to have right angles, and a rectangle does not need all sides equal. A square does. Why is a parallelogram NOT a rectangle, but a rectangle is a parallelogram?

Questions?