WEEK 6 LESSON
SUBJECT : ENGLISH LANGUAGE
TOPIC : VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT
SUB TOPIC – ANTONYMS AS WORDS (i) EXACTLY OPPOSITE IN MEANING. (ii) NEARLY OPPOSITE IN MEANING.
CLASS : SS 1
Explanation of antonyms.
Antonyms are two words which are opposite in meaning.
It is also a word having a meaning opposite to that of another word. Such as hot and cold, short and tall, on and off, add and subtract, in and out and so on.
Antonym is rooted in the Greek language. The Greek word “anti” means opposite, while “onym” means name.
There are several ways of changing the meaning of words to their opposite. ( from or forming the opposite of some words). These methods are by adding prefix to the root word, by changing the prefix, by changing the suffix and by using different words entirely.
Prefix and suffix are under the class of affix. An affix is a letter or series of letters added to a root word that can change its meaning.
Affixes can take the form of a prefix at the beginning of a root word or as a suffix at the end of a root word.
Common prefixes include : un + employment (unemployment), dis + advantage (disadvantage), etc.
Common suffix include : full and less – useful and useless, careful and careless, etc.
LISTING OF WORDS AND THEIR OPPOSITE BY ADDING PREFIX “DIS”
| S/N | WORDS | OPPOSITE | |||
| 1. | Arm | Disarm | 6. | Comfort | Discomfort |
| 2. | Advantage | Disadvantage | 7. | Connect | Disconnect |
| 3. | Agree | Disagree | 8. | Obey | Disobey |
| 4. | Appear | Disappear | 9. | Please | Displease |
| 5. | Approve | Disapprove | 10. | Qualify | Disqualify |
LISTING OF WORDS AND THEIR OPPOSITE BY ADDING PREFIX “UN”
| S/N | WORDS | OPPOSITE | |||
| 1. | Certain | Uncertain | 6. | Clean | Unclean |
| 2. | Able | Unable | 7. | Conscious | Unconscious |
| 3. | Comfortable | Uncomfortable | 8. | Usual | Unusual |
| 4. | Authorized | Unauthorized | 9. | Faithful | Unfaithful |
| 5. | Broken | Unbroken | 10. | Cover | Uncover |
LISTING OF WORDS AND THEIR OPPOSITE BY ADDING PREFIX “IN”
| S/N | WORDS | OPPOSITE | |||
| 1. | Adequate | Inadequate | 6. | Valid | Invalid |
| 2. | Experience | Inexperience | 7. | Significant | Insignificant |
| 3. | Comprehensible | Incomprehensible | 8. | Visible | Invisible |
| 4. | Competent | Incompetent | 9. | Sane | Insane |
| 5. | Complete | Incomplete | 10. | Discipline | Indiscipline |
LISTING OF WORDS AND THEIR OPPOSITE BY ADDING PREFIX “IR”
| S/N | WORDS | OPPOSITE | |||
| 1. | Regular | Irregular | 6. | Replaceable | Irreplaceable |
| 2. | Rational | Irrational | 7. | Relevant | Irrelevant |
| 3. | Responsible | Irresponsible | 8. | Reparable | Irreparable |
| 4. | Refutable | Irrefutable | 9. | Reversible | Irreversible |
| 5. | Resistible | Irresistible | 10. | Retrievable | Irretrievable |
LISTING OF WORDS AND THEIR OPPOSITE BY ADDING PREFIX “IM”
| S/N | WORDS | OPPOSITE | |||
| 1. | Mobile | Immobile | 6. | Material | Immaterial |
| 2. | Modest | Immodest | 7. | Moderate | Immoderate |
| 3. | Moral | Immoral | 8. | Movable | Immovable |
| 4. | Mature | Immature | 9. | Perfect | Imperfect |
| 5. | Mortal | Immortal | 10. | Possible | Impossible |
LISTING OF WORDS AND THEIR OPPOSITE BY ADDING PREFIX “IL”
| S/N | WORDS | OPPOSITE |
| 1. | Legal | Illegal |
| 2. | Licit | Illicit |
| 3. | Legible | Illegible |
| 4. | Literate | Illiterate |
| 5. | Legitimate | Illegitimate |
FORMING ANTONYMS BY CHANGING THEIR PREFIX
There are few instances in which prefixes such as “ex”, “as”, “an”, etc are changed as in the following.
| S/N | WORDS | OPPOSITE | |||
| 1. | Export | Import | 6. | Inward | Outward |
| 2. | External | Internal | 7. | Ascend | Descend |
| 3. | Exterior | Interior | 8. | Exhale | Inhale |
| 4. | Superior | Inferior | 9. | Increase | Decrease |
| 5. | Exclude | Include | 10. | Inside | Outside |
FORMING ANTONYMS BY CHANGING THEIR SUFFIXES
This is done by adding the suffix “less”.
| S/N | WORDS | OPPOSITE |
| 1. | Careful | Careless |
| 2. | Cheerful | Cheerless |
| 3. | Hopeful | Hopeless |
| 4. | Merciful | Merciless |
| 5. | Useful | Useless |
FORMING ANTONYMS USING DIFFERENT WORDS ENTIRELY
| S/N | WORDS | OPPOSITE | ||||||
| 1. | Good | Bad | 6. | Light | Dark | 11. | Wealthy | Poverty |
| 2. | Temporary | Permanent | 7. | Black | White | 12. | Peace | War |
| 3. | Beautiful | Ugly | 8. | Success | Failure | 13. | Smooth | Rough |
| 4. | Rich | Poor | 9. | Man | Woman | 14. | Sterile | Fertile |
| 5. | Tall | Short | 10. | Love | Hate | 15. | Safe | Dangerous |
A totally different word may also be used to derive the opposite of a word. Example :
ANTONYMS ARE WORDS NEARLY OPPOSITE IN MEANING
| S/N | WORDS | OPPOSITE |
| 1. | Cheerful | Unhappy |
| 2. | Sickly | Healthy |
| 3. | Harmonious | Discondent |
| 4. | False | Genuine |
| 5. | Tough | Tender |
MAKING SENTENCES WITH ANTONYMS
- That road which use to be wide now appears narrow.
- Unlike you, I thought the message was quite clear not
- Good policies alleviate poverty whereas bad once aggrevate
- It is only natural to feel nervous when you first take the stage but you soon become composed.
- Though the teachers welcomed the idea, the principal was adverse to it.
- It is a fact that pride is a less admirable quality than
ASSIGNMENT
Choose the word that is opposite in meaning to each underlined word.
- To encourage productivity we must reward industry and _______ laziness. (a) withhold (b) withdraw (c) punish (d) oppose
- I took the drug to relieve my headache, only for it to ______ my condition. (a) alleviate (b) provoke (c) abate (d) aggravate
- The workers expected management to be _____ rather than indifferent to their welfare. (a) different from (b) interested in (c) opposed to (d) careful of
- Some outspoken social critics live a _____ family life. (a) reserved (b) happy (c) boisterous (d) still
- My brother adores dogs but he has a strong ______ of cat. (a) love (b) annoyance (c) attitude (d) dislike
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