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Table of Contents
A synonym is a word or phrase that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word or phrase. Antonyms are words that have opposing meanings.
See the fact file below for more information on the Synonyms and Antonyms or alternatively, you can download our 22-page Synonyms and Antonyms worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
SYNONYMS
- A synonym is a word or phrase that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word or phrase.
- It comes from the Greek “syn” and “onym,” which mean “together” and “name,” respectively.
- When speaking or writing, one of the best ways to expand your vocabulary and to avoid using the same words repeatedly is to use a thesaurus to find synonyms.
- A thesaurus is a book that lists words in groups of synonyms and related concepts.
- It is important because synonyms can improve both oral and writing skills.
- Finding the right synonymous word can be tricky because it might exaggerate the idea of the sentence or change its meaning.
- What are the benefits of synonyms?
- Make text much more captivating
- Help avoid dull and repetitive text
- Improve communication between you and others
- Help provide an image in the mind of the reader
- Examples:
- Evil – wicked
- Terrible – awful
- Safe – secure
- Persistent – firm
- Gorgeous – good-looking
- Needed – necessary
- Provide – give
- Place – location
- Kill – murder
- Vital – essential
- Nice – pleasant
- Phone – call
- Glad – happy
- Very – extremely
- Look – watch
- Travel – journey
- Drive – ride
- Answer – reply
- Remember – recall
- Jump – leap
- Asked – questioned
- Scared – frightened
- Presage – foreshadow
- Permit – allow
- Near – close
- Hero – champion
- Progress – advance
- Delicious – tasty
- Sentence application:
- She is a beautiful lady.
- She is a stunning lady.
- Light the fire; it is getting dark.
- Set fire to the wood; it is getting dark.
- Synonyms can be any part of speech, as long as both words belong to the same part of speech.
ANTONYMS
- Antonyms are words that have opposing meanings.
- They are used to show a contrast between two things.
- The word antonym was not added to the language until the 1860s, derived from the Greek prefix anti– meaning opposite or against, and the Greek word onym, which means name.
- Antonyms fall within three categories: Relational Antonyms, Graded Antonyms, and Complementary Antonyms.
- Relational Antonyms: These are word pairs showing the relationship between two opposites such as there can’t be a child without a parent or it’s either all or nothing.
- Examples – Front: Back, Uncle: Aunt, Hello: Goodbye
- Graded Antonyms: These are word pairs showing variation between the two opposites such as little and big are antonyms but you will observe a lot of changes to get to the opposite meaning.
- Examples – Sad: Happy, Healthy: Sick, Smart: Stupid
- Complimentary Antonyms: These are the sets of word pairs that have no degree of meaning. There is only one opposite possible for the word.
- Example: Dead-Alive, Male-Female, On-Off
- The English language also lets its speakers make antonyms just by adding a prefix. Examples:
- Un: Able becomes unable. Accounted becomes unaccounted.
- In: Flexible becomes inflexible. Complete becomes incomplete.
- Im: Proper becomes improper. Polite becomes impolite.
- Ir: Relevant becomes irrelevant. Reparable becomes irreparable.
- Dis: Honest becomes dishonest. Grace becomes disgrace.
- Il: Licit becomes illicit. Legible becomes illegible.
- Mis: Fortune becomes misfortune. Advice becomes misadvice.
- However, adding a prefix does not always make the word an antonym.
- Only certain words and concepts have opposites. The one part of speech that almost never has an antonym is the noun.
- Mostly, antonyms are adjectives, which are words that describe nouns. Example: Light-Dark
- Prepositions, which show a relationship between words or location. Example: Up-Down
- Verbs, which are action words, can sometimes have antonyms. Example: Open-Close, Buy-Sell
Synonyms and Antonyms Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Synonyms and Antonyms across 22 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Synonyms and Antonyms worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about a synonym which is a word or phrase that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word or phrase & antonyms which are words that have opposing meanings.
Complete List Of Included Worksheets
- The Right Word
- Matching Up
- Sentence Construction
- Crossword Puzzle
- Fishbowl Antonyms
- Word Creators
- On Quotes
- Wordsearch
- S&A Words Application
- S&A Sentence Application
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Link will appear as Synonyms and Antonyms Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, August 14, 2019
Use With Any Curriculum
These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.