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Improve Vocabulary by Learning Through Similar Words and Opposites
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Student_taking_notes-5c31681e46e0fb0001d4fb75.jpg "Basic Tips for Synonyms and Antonyms (1)")
By
Kenneth Beare
Kenneth Beare
English as a Second Language (ESL) Expert
- TESOL Diploma, Trinity College London
- M.A., Music Performance, Cologne University of Music
- B.A., Vocal Performance, Eastman School of Music
Kenneth Beare is an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher and course developer with over three decades of teaching experience.
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Updated on January 28, 2019
Learning synonyms and antonyms helps build vocabulary. English learners can use the charts below to begin learning how to use this technique. Teachers can print out the charts as examples for students to follow.
To begin with, here are definitions:
Synonym
A word or phrase that means that same, or nearly the same as another word or phrase.
big - large
heavy - weighty
thin - slim
Antonym
A word or phrase that means the opposite or nearly the opposite of another word or phrase.
tall - short
thick - thin
difficult - easy
One excellent technique for improving your vocabulary is to learn synonyms and antonyms together. You can create a chart listing both synonyms and antonyms including example sentences to help you memorize new vocabulary. Synonyms and antonyms can be learned in categories such as adjectives, adverbs, and adverbs. It's good to begin building vocabulary by learning categories of English synonyms and antonyms. To get you started, here are a number of synonyms and antonyms arranged into categories for beginning to advanced level English learners.
Example Synonym and Antonym Charts
Adjectives: Beginning Level
Nouns: Beginning to Intermediate Levels
| Word | Synonym | Antonym | Example Sentences |
| big | large | small | He has a big house in California. She has a small apartment in Manhattan. |
| difficult | hard | easy | The test was very difficult. I think riding a bike is easy. |
| new | recent | used | I bought a recent book. She drives a used car. |
| clean | tidy | dirty | He keeps his house tidy. The car is dirty and needs to be washed. |
| safe | secure | dangerous | The money is secure in the bank. Walking through downtown at midnight is dangerous. |
| friendly | outgoing | unfriendly | Tom is outgoing with everyone. There are many unfriendly people in this town. |
| good | great | bad | That's a great idea! He's a bad tennis player. |
| cheap | inexpensive | expensive | Homes are inexpensive at the moment. That car is very expensive. |
| interesting | fascinating | boring | That's a fascinating story. That TV show is boring. |
| quiet | still | noisy | It's nice and still in this room. The children are very noisy today. |
Word | Synonym | Antonym | Example Sentences |
student | pupil | teacher | The pupils are in their seats. The teacher began the class. |
owner | director | employee | The director hired three new people. The employees are very happy with their jobs. |
earth | ground | water | The ground here is very rich. You need water to live. |
day | daylight | night | It's daylight out. Get up! I usually go to bed early at night. |
answer | response | What is your response? She asked him a number of questions. | |
beginning | start | end | The start is at 8 am. The end of the book is very good. |
man | male | woman | Tim is a male. Jane is a woman. |
| puppy | cat | I'd like to get a puppy. The cat meowed so I let her in the house. | |
food | cuisine | drink | Let's eat some French cuisine tonight. She had a drink after work. |
boy | lad | girl | The lad is waiting for you in the other room. There are four girls in the class. |
Adverbs: Intermediate
| Word | Synonym | Antonym | Example Sentences |
| fast | quickly | slowly | He drives very quickly. I slowly walked through the park. |
| carefully | cautiously | carelessly | Tim walked cautiously through the room checking everything. Those who drive carelessly will probably have an accident. |
| always | all the time | never | She eats lunch at her desk all the time. She never goes to the dentist. |
| seriously | thoughtfully | thoughtlessly | He thoughtfully answered the question. She speaks about her private life thoughtlessly. |
| colorfully | plainly | brightly | She painted the picture plainly. He brightly spoke about his adventures. |
Here are some other ideas for learning synonyms and antonyms:
- Use vocabulary trees to help you organize synonyms and antonyms into categories such as things and places in the home, business-related vocabulary for work, etc.
- Build word form charts based on the synonyms and antonyms you are learning.
- Make synonym and antonym flash cards to quickly check your knowledge.
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Your Citation
Beare, Kenneth. "Synonyms and Antonyms for ESL." ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/synonyms-and-antonyms-1211730.Beare, Kenneth. (2020, August 28). Synonyms and Antonyms for ESL. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/synonyms-and-antonyms-1211730Beare, Kenneth. "Synonyms and Antonyms for ESL." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/synonyms-and-antonyms-1211730 (accessed April 22, 2024).
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