Antonymy 1

Objective

To understand the meaning of antonyms and how they are formed.

Activity 1

In the lesson on synonyms, we saw how words can have similar meanings. They can also be related through opposite meanings. This is very common with adjectives: 

• long - short
• old - new 
• quick - slow 

We call these pairs of words antonyms. Can you think of three other pairs of antonyms? 

Nouns can also have antonyms. Complete the list of five pairs: 

1. beginning - 
2. top - 
3. peace - 
4. absence - 
5. arrival - 

What do you notice about all these pairs of words? Do they have anything in common? 

1. beginning - end
2. top - bottom
3. peace - war
4. absence - presence
5. arrival - departure

In the examples we've seen so far, the pair of antonyms are two distinct words. However, antonyms can also be formed by adding a prefix. For example: 

• fairness - unfairness 
• satisfcation - dissatisfaction 

Can you think of any other similar examples? 

Activity 2

These prefixes denote the absence or lack of the original noun, usually an abstract noun. 

In the next activity, match the appropriate prefix to the noun. Drag the prefix to the front of the noun card. You can double click them to separate. 

Once you've finished, try writing a sentence with each word. 

Activity 3

All the prefixes we've just seen denote the absence of something. However, there is another negative prefix that expresses oppositenes, but also that something is done wrongly, improperly or dishonestly. 

What prefix can we add to these three words to create this new meaning? 

• match 
• fortune 
• judgement 

Write a sentence using each of the words with the mis- prefix.  

• mismatch 
• misfortune 
• misjudgement 

Some nouns can take more than one negative prefix with an accompanying change in meaning. For example: 

appearance

• disapperance: someone or something vanishes without explanation 
• non-appearance: a failure to attend at the expected time 

Look at these two nouns. For each one, add two different negative prefixes and write a sentence for each. 

1. ease
2. interest

Welcome!

Englicious is totally free for everyone to use!

But in exchange, we ask that you register for an account on our site.

If you’ve already registered, you can log in straight away.

Since this is your first visit today, you can see this page by clicking the button below.

CLOSE