Synonyms, antonyms and word meaning
Synonyms, antonyms, homophones and choosing the right word in context.
Words in English are connected to one another through their meanings. Synonyms are words that have the same or a very similar meaning, such as big and large or happy and glad; we use them to add variety to our writing. Antonyms are words with opposite meanings, such as hot and cold or increase and decrease. Homophones are words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings, such as see and sea or write and right, while homonyms are spelled the same but mean different things. A word can also have a literal meaning, which is its plain dictionary sense, and a figurative meaning, which is imaginative, as in 'a heart of stone'. To choose the correct word, you must look at the context of the whole sentence, because only one word usually fits both the meaning and the grammar. For example: in 'The journey was very long and ___', the word tiring fits, while the antonym short and the unrelated words quick and tasty do not. Building a strong vocabulary of synonyms and antonyms helps you understand reading passages and answer exam questions accurately.
Rules
- 1Synonyms have the same or a similar meaning (begin = start, happy = glad); they can often replace one another.
- 2Antonyms have opposite meanings (hot ≠ cold, increase ≠ decrease, buy ≠ sell).
- 3Homophones sound the same but are spelled differently and mean different things (see/sea, write/right, their/there).
- 4Read the whole sentence (the context) before choosing a word, because only one option usually fits the meaning and grammar.
- 5Watch out for near-synonyms: words can be close in meaning but only one suits the exact situation in the sentence.
Practice
10 easy · 10 medium · 10 hard