SYNONYMS, ANTONYMS

AND ACRONYMS

1
Session Outcomes
You will be able to:

• understand and know the difference

between synonyms, acronyms and
antonyms

• increase own range of vocabulary and

use of alternative words

• improve dictionary and thesaurus

skills
2
What are synonyms?
• They are different words with
similar meanings

• …and can be any part of speech

(e.g. nouns, verbs, adjectives,
adverbs).

3
 Synonym Examples:
• Confused – muddled – puzzled – addled

• Love – affection – desire – lust

• Run – sprint – jog – trot – hurry

4
Why learn synonyms?

…because, by giving us
numerous ways to say the
same thing, they make our
language and writing more
interesting and skilful.

5
Activity
Using the hand-out, replace the highlighted
words with appropriate synonyms.

He went up the noisy stairs to the attic. The key to

the old door was muddy: he had dug it up from the
garden earlier that day. The lock made a clunk as
he turned the key and the door creaked as he
slowly pushed it open. It was cold and dark in the
attic. He could not believe what he saw between
the flashes of thunder from the angry storm.

6
What are antonyms?
An antonym is the opposite meaning
of a word. For example:

• Narrow - wide broad open

• Hard - soft supple limp

• Strong - weak fragile

shaky
7
Write 3 antonyms for each
of the following words :
• Large –

• Noisy –

• Ugly –

• Easy –

• Young –

• Clever –

8
What are acronyms:
Acronyms are shortened versions of a
word. They are usually formed using the
initial letter of each word. For example:

- BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation)

- USA (United States of America)

- UN (United Nations)

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Activity 5: What do the following
acronyms stand for?
EMA MP

PM CV

VAT PIN

BT VW

NI DVD

CD JSA

FE ISA

10
Any Questions?

Helen Holt 11