Antonyms in Verbal Ability
Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings. They can be useful for understanding the meaning of words in context, as well as for expanding your vocabulary. In this tutorial, we'll go over some common antonyms and strategies for identifying them.
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Look for prefixes and suffixes: Many antonyms can be identified by their prefixes and suffixes. For example, "happy" and "unhappy," "like" and "dislike," and "possible" and "impossible" are all antonyms that use common prefixes and suffixes.
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Pay attention to context: Sometimes, the context of a sentence can help you identify an antonym. For example, if someone says "I'm feeling hot," you might infer that the antonym is "cold." Similarly, if someone says "I'm going up," the antonym might be "down."
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Use a thesaurus: A thesaurus is a great tool for finding antonyms. Look up a word and you'll often find a list of synonyms and antonyms. For example, if you look up the word "fast," you'll find antonyms like "slow," "leisurely," and "gradual."
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Think about relationships: Sometimes, words that are related to each other are antonyms. For example, "day" and "night," "on" and "off," and "above" and "below" are all antonyms that are related to each other.
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Memorize common antonyms: Finally, it's a good idea to memorize some common antonyms. Here are some examples to get you started:
Hot/Cold:
Hot means having a high temperature while cold means having a low temperature. Example: "The coffee is too hot" vs "The ice cream is too cold."
Happy/Sad:
Happy means feeling joy or pleasure while sad means feeling unhappy or depressed. Example: "I'm so happy to see you" vs "I feel sad when you leave."
Young/Old:
Young means having lived for a short period of time while old means having lived for a long period of time. Example: "She's a young child" vs "He's an old man."
Up/Down:
Up means in a higher position or direction while down means in a lower position or direction. Example: "I'm going up the stairs" vs "I'm going down the elevator."
Fast/Slow:
Fast means moving or happening quickly while slow means moving or happening at a low speed. Example: "The car is going too fast" vs "The snail is moving too slow."
Good/Bad:
Good means of high quality or moral excellence while bad means of low quality or immoral. Example: "He's a good person" vs "She's a bad person."
Day/Night:
Day means the period of light between sunrise and sunset while night means the period of darkness between sunset and sunrise. Example: "I like to sleep at night" vs "I like to work during the day."
Big/Small:
Big means of great size or amount while small means of little size or amount. Example: "The elephant is big" vs "The mouse is small."
Right/Wrong:
Right means correct or morally good while wrong means incorrect or morally bad. Example: "That's the right answer" vs "That's the wrong thing to do."
Love/Hate:
Love means having an intense feeling of affection or admiration while hate means having an intense feeling of dislike or aversion. Example: "I love you" vs "I hate when you do that."
