Group Assignment

English 2

“Synonym and Antonym”

Lecturer:

Lukman Hakim, MS

Created by:

Dwi Nurhartinah Pratiwi 111408400000 Astrid Nadya Rizqita 11140840000028 Rani 11140840000026

Economics and Development Studies Faculty of Economics and Business

Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University

2014

Foreword

Bismillaahirrahmaanirrahiim

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullaahi wabarakaatuh.

Alhamdulillah. Praise to Allah, the Lord of the Heavens and the Earth.

A big thank you goes out to our lecturer, Mr. Lukman Hakim who has given us this task to complete, thus giving us the sense of sheer motivation and the strive to improve in English and increase in knowledge.

We fully acknowledge and understand that perfection lies in Allah SWT alone and that this paper is not without mistakes, therefore we are open to suggestions that would help us become better university students in the future.

Wassalamu’alaikum warahmatullaahi wabarakaatuh.

Jakarta, 06 March 2015

Group Number Twelve

Introduction

Background of the Analysis

As the first-spoken language in the world, English undoubtedly has become a very crucial tool for us to be able to communicate with practically anyone all over the globe. Being able to master it has become a very central priority for those who are not native speakers of the language. It certainly is not easy as turning the palm of the hand but is still possible if one has the strong willpower to overcome obstacles that may come in the way.

One of the most important aspects of any language is vocabulary. Indeed, although one mastered the basics of English grammar, it is still not enough. Sentences consist of words, and in order to construct sentences, one ought to know which words to use in order to put the message across.

In this occasion, our group would be presenting the definition of the synonym and antonym, its examples, and exercises.

Purpose

Understanding the same and similar meaning

Understanding the opposite meaning

Question for quizzes and exercises

DISCUSSIONSYNONYM

Definition of synonym:A word having the same or nearly the same meaning as another in the language, as happy, joyful, elated. A dictionary of synonyms and antonyms (or opposites), such as Thesaurus.com, is called a thesaurus.1

Word origin: Greek, syn = same, onyma = a name

Synonym is a key to better writing, as it shows to readers that the writer knows a lot of vocabularies as such that the text written by the writer does not appear to become bland. Another reason to use synonyms is the fact that a passage may appear to be ineffective in conveying a message to the readers.

Synonyms can be nouns, adverbs, adjectives, verbs or prepositions, as long the words have the same part of speech.

Short list of synonyms in English, listed by the part of speech

Nouns

Belly / stomach Children / kids Disaster / catastrophe Earth / soil Father / dad Happiness / joy Instinct / intuition Mother / mom Present / gift Sunrise / dawn

Verbs

Answer / reply Beat / defeat Behave / act Begin / start Close / shut Leave / exit

1 Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2015.

Provide / supply Select / choose Shout / yell Speak / talk

Adjectives

Big / large Complete / total Correct / right Crazy / mad Foolish / silly Happy / glad Hard / difficult Ill / sick Last / final Near / close Sad / unhappy Stable / steady

Adverbs

Abroad / overseas Almost / nearly Badly / poorly Fast / quickly Intentionally / on purpose Out / outside Rarely / seldom Sometimes / occasionally Surely / for sure Very / highly / extremely

Prepositions

Above / over About / regarding / concerning Against / versus Below / beneath / under By / via Despite / in spite of In / into Off / away Until / till With / including

Conjunctions

And / plus Because / since

But / yet If / provided Once / as soon as

Interjections

Hello / hi Gee / gosh Goodness / goodness me / my goodness No / nope Oh Lord / good Lord Thanks / thank you Whoopee / yahoo / hooray Yes / yeah

Synonyms are not necessarily the same!

They can be very similar, but they do not necessarily mean the same.2

Here is a common example.

The following words are all synonyms. Their general meaning is "pleasant to look at."

There are however important nuances.

Look at the illustrations, read the definitions and see for yourself.

Pretty, beautiful, handsome... What's the difference?

Pretty Beautiful Handsome

Pretty = delicate and pleasant to

Beautiful = pleasant to look at.

Handsome = (of a man) 

2 "Synonyms and Antonyms Explained." Synonyms and Antonyms Explained. Really Learn English!, n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2015. <http://www.really-learn-english.com/synonyms-and-antonyms.html>.

look at. pleasant to look at.

Lovely Ravishing Good-looking

Lovely = (of someone that makes

you have a strong feeling for them) 

graceful and very pleasant to look at.

Ravishing = very beautiful.

Good-looking =physically pleasant to

look at.

Cute Adorable Gorgeous

Cute = (of someone young or

something small)charming and pleasant to

look at.

Adorable = very pleasant to look at and very easy to love.

Gorgeous = impressive and

extremely pleasant to look at.

Here is another example:

"To ask" means to say or write what you wish to happen.

"To request" means to say or write what you wish to happen, but it has a formal use.

In other words, you would use "ask" and "request" in different situations and contexts.

So it's not enough just to study a word's meaning and synonyms. You should also be aware of the subtle difference, nuances, and usage issues of each individual word.

Additional example:

One of the meanings of "hurt" is to "to be painful."

For example, "My back hurts."

One synonym of "hurt" is "ache."

"To ache" means "to be painful, in a dull way." A dull pain means that it is not very strong, but it is continuous.

For example, "i've been standing for so long that now my feet ache."

"hurt" and "ache" are synonyms. Their meanings are indeed very similar, but not identical.

Synonym Questions3

1. RemoteA. AutomaticB. DistantC. SavageD. Mean

2. DetestA. ArgueB. HateC. DiscoverD. Reveal

3. GraciousA. PrettyB. CleverC. PleasantD. Present

4. PredictA. ForetellB. DecideC. PreventD. Discover

5. KinA. ExultB. Twist

3 501 Synonym & Antonym Questions

C. FriendD. Relative

6. PensiveA. OppressedB. CagedC. ThoughtfulD. Happy

7. BanishA. ExileB. HateC. FadeD. Clean

8. FraudA. MalcontentB. ArgumentC. ImposterD. Clown

9. SaccharineA. LeaveB. SweetC. AridD. Quit

10. DragA. SleepyB. CrushC. ProudD. Pull

11. JovialA. IncredulousB. MerryC. RevoltingD. Dizzy

12. IndifferentA. NeutralB. UnkindC. PreciousD. Mean

13. SimulateA. ExciteB. ImitateC. TrickD. Apelike

14. CharismaA. GhostB. ForceC. CharmD. Courage

15. ApportionA. DivideB. DecideC. CutD. Squabble

16. GenericA. GeneralB. CheapC. FreshD. Elderly

17. QualmA. DistressB. ImpunityC. PersevereD. Scruple

18. WaryA. CalmB. CurvedC. ConfusedD. Cautious

19. DistortA. WrongB. EvilC. DeformD. Harm

20. SumptuousA. DeliriousB. GorgeousC. PerilousD. Luxurious

More questions on Synonyms4

1. Kim and Dave will move into theApartment when it becomes vacant.A. Clean b. Empty c. Built

4 Building Vocabulary Skills and Strategies p. 10

2. Moving day can cause people aLot of stress.A. Variety b. CuriosityC. Anxiety

3. “We could use some assistanceWith the move,” Kim told Dave.A. Money b. Help c. Advice

4. “i’ll ask Alberto,” Dave said. “He’sA brawny fellow.”A. Smart b. Nice c. Strong

5. Kim and Dave were thrilled withTheir new apartment.A. Excited b. WorriedC. Thinking

6. It was much more spacious thanTheir old place.A. Roomy b. CrowdedC. Expensive

7. They feel lucky to be tenants inSuch a nice building.A. Living b. Renters c. Adults

8. Kim, who is rather finicky, madeDave move the couch three times.A. Artistic b. Picky c. Nasty

9. When they were settled, DaveSnapped photos for their album.A. Wall b. RelativesC. Scrapbook

10. Moving into a new home is one ofLife’s major milestones!A. Events b. ProblemsC. Disasters

Match each word with its’ synonyms

Answer: 1. Change, 2. Often, 3. Untrue, 4. Polite, 5. Fall, 6. Want, 7. Maybe, 8. Clever, 9. Attorney, 10. Backbone

Referring to the paragraphs above, it can be understood that in order to be able to identify or use more synonyms in texts, one must have enough practice. A person who has more vocabularies have more synonyms to use in mind.

ANTONYM

Sometimes, at a certain point, when a person is trying to compare two different things, he or she tends to use a word that has an opposite meaning with a commonly used word. Nevertheless, this is still correct because an antonym is a word opposite in meaning to another (e.g., bad and good ). It comes from the Greek words "anti" for opposite and "onym" for name. Since language is complex, people may at times, disagree on what words are truly opposite in meaning to other words.

There are three categories of antonyms:

1. Graded Antonyms   Graded Antonyms deal with levels of the meaning of the words, like if something is not "good", is may still not be "bad." There is a scale involved with some words, and besides good and bad there can be average, fair, excellent, terrible, poor, or satisfactory.

Examples :

Last and first

Foolish and wise

Abundant and scarce

Dark and light

Dangerous and safe

Clever and foolish

Early and late

Empty and full

Smart and dumb

Risky and safe

Bad and good

Pretty and ugly

Best and worst

Rich and poor

Cool and hot

Wet and dry

Late and early

Ignorant and educated

Big and small

Optimistic and pessimistic

Excited and bored

Dull and interesting

2. Complementary AntonymsComplementary antonyms have a relationship where there is no middle ground. There are only two possibilities, either one or the other.

Examples :

Dead and alive

Off and on

Day and night

Absent and present

Exit and entrance

Sink or float

True or false

Input and output

Interior and exterior

Exhale and inhale

3. Relational AntonymsRelational antonyms are sometimes considered a subcategory of complementary antonyms. With these pairs, for there to be a relationship, both must exist.

Examples :

Doctor and patient

Buy and sell

Predator and prey

Above and below

Teach and learn

Instructor and pupil

Servant and master

Borrow and lend

AN EXAMPLE :

Choose the best antonym :

Q. RESTIVE:A) Patient         B) Rigorous        C) Deceptive        D) Active           E) Cautious 

Solution:

The word, restive, is tricky, because it sounds like it has something to do with rest. Therefore, option (D) active would be the best antonym. However, this is a trick.Restive actually means restless. So, the correct answer is patient, a good antonym for restless.

Just like synonyms, antonyms also exist as different parts of speeches. Here is a list of antonyms listed by part of speech:

Nouns

Day / night East / west Enemy / friend Failure / success   Guest / host Health / disease Question / answer Speaker / listener Summer / winter Top / bottom

Verbs

Agree / disagree Arrive / leave Begin / end Fall asleep / wake up Find / lose Lend / borrow Love / hate Open / close Remember / forget Start / stop

Adjectives

Asleep / awake Beautiful / ugly Big / small Black / white Cheap / expensive Dead / alive Dry / wet Easy / difficult Full / empty Good / bad Hot / cold Intelligent / stupid Sad / happy Sick / healthy Thin / fat

Adverbs

Always / never Angrily / happily Fast / slowly Here / there Inside / outside Likely / unlikely Near / far Partly / fully Seemingly / actually Yesterday / tomorrow

Prepositions

Above / below Against / for Before / after In / out Like / unlike On / off Plus / minus To / from Towards / away With / without

Conjunctions

And / or Therefore / nevertheless

Interjections

Bravo / boo Hello / goodbye Holy cow / duh Phew / oops Thanks / no thanks Yes / no Yippee / oh my

Why are synonyms and antonyms important?Knowing synonyms and antonyms can help you express yourself better – more CLEARLY. 

If you know different words that describe the same thing (but in a slightly different way, or from a different angle), you can chose the best word (synonym) to use.

That way, you are able to deliver the exact message you intend to communicate.

Knowing synonyms and antonyms can help you express yourself better – with more VARIETY and more COLOURFULLY. (Here, "colorful" means "interesting or exciting.")

Repeating the same words tends to get monotonous. It doesn't sound good in natural speech, and even more so in artistic writing (poetry, prose). Using synonyms makes your speech or writing richer and more "colorful."

Using antonyms helps to emphasize your point, show contrast, or explain exactly what you mean. Antonyms too add "colors" to your speech or writing.

For example, compare these two paragraphs:

"The girl looked out the window. While looking out the window, the girl noticed a little kitty. The kitty she noticed was not fat. It was very much not fat."

"The girl looked out the window. While glancing outside, she noticed a little kitty. The kitten she saw was not fat. It was skinny, and not chubby at all."

In addition, You can really get full understanding of an area if you learn the different

synonyms that apply to it, and their nuances.

For example, cost, charge, and fee, are all used to describe money that you pay for something:

Cost = the amount of money that you need to buy, make or do something. (How much is spent by the buyer.)

The total cost was $100. You can get a new roof at the cost of $850. They protest against the high cost of living.

Charge = an amount of money that is asked in return for goods or services. (How much is requested by the seller/provider.)

There is a monthly charge of $7 for using the phone. There is an admission charge at the circus.  The shipment will be free of charge.

Fee = an amount of money that you have to pay for professional advice or services (the officially set price).

The college has a fee for the services that it provides.  These fees do not cover accommodation or meals. My insurance covers the doctor's fee.

As you can see, cost, charge and fee have similar meanings, but there are slight differences present. They can be used slightly differently.

These words have different uses as verbs, too:

How much does it cost? (not: How much does it charge?) How much do you charge for fixing the roof? (not: How much do you cost for fixing

the roof?)

In order to have a better understanding of antonyms, a lot of practice is required. Here are some practice questions on antonyms:

Antonyms 1 Level 125

Directions: Choose the word that is most nearly opposite in meaning to the word in capital letters.

1. ASSUAGE

A. mitigate

B. inflame

C. inhibit

D. conciliate

E. aver

2. ROMANTIC

A. frivolous

B. pensive

C. earthy

D. tacit

E. scathing

3. INFIRM

A. hospitable

B. equestrian

C. tremulous

D. robust

5 http://www.englishforeveryone.org/PDFs/Level_12_Antonyms_1.pdf

E. anemic

4. ANOMALY

A. recurrence

B. aberration

C. recapitulation

D. felicity

E. consistency

5. MELANCHOLY

A. exuberant

B. composed

C. lugubrious

D. fetid

E. esteemed

6. ADROIT

A. gauche

B. lumbering

C. amateurish

D. adept

E. uncouth

7. YOKE

A. mar

B. fell

C. pervert

D. split

E. conjoin

8. INANE

A. tawdry

B. keen

C. vacuous

D. innocuous

E. pellucid

9. INDULGE

A. abstain

B. quaff

C. regress

D. absolve

E. imbibe

10. REPULSION

A. repugnance

B. aversion

C. destitution

D. petulance

E. attraction

CONCLUSION

An adequate sense of vocabulary comes with practicing and reading books. Just like everything in general, this needs time and energy but at the end will be worth the hardwork.

REFERENCES

1. "Synonyms and Antonyms Explained." Synonyms and Antonyms Explained. Really Learn English!, n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2015. <http://www.really-learn-english.com/synonyms-and-antonyms.html>.

2. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2015.

3. 501 Synonym & Antonym Questions4. Building Vocabulary Skills and Strategies p. 105. http://www.englishforeveryone.org/PDFs/Level_12_Antonyms_1.pdf