Read and listen!
Imagine you are a DJ. The music is playing, but it doesn’t sound right yet. You don’t change the song, you adjust the controls. You turn the volume up or down. You change the balance. You fine-tune the sound. Language works the same way. When we speak or write, we don’t always change the situation, we change the word that controls how it sounds. These controls are called antonyms.
Learn: before you continue your musical journey, watch the short video below and discover how antonyms shape meaning in English.
Key Takeways:
1. Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings.
Examples:
small — big
hot — cold
Examples:
small — big
hot — cold
2. A word does not always have only one opposite.
Example:
"Hot" can be the opposite of "cold", "chilly", or "freezing".
The opposite depends on context and meaning.
Example:
"Hot" can be the opposite of "cold", "chilly", or "freezing".
The opposite depends on context and meaning.
3. Antonyms help you:
- compare ideas;
- describe situations clearly;
- avoid confusing phrases like "not good" or "not easy".
They help English show difference and contrast.
Learn: now, let's continue our musical journey. How the DJ's control panel works? Each adjective has a setting. Move the slider and the meaning changes.
Sound Quality Controls (thinking and process)
Some words control how clear and effective something is.
Some words control how clear and effective something is.
clear — [klɪər] — easy to understand; skaidrs
The teacher gave clear instructions, so everyone knew what to do.
confusing — [kənˈfjuːzɪŋ] — hard to understand; not clear; mulsinošs, neskaidrs
The map was confusing, and we got lost.
accurate — [ˈæk.jə.rət] — correct and exact; precīzs
The information in the article is accurate.
inaccurate — [ɪnˈæk.jə.rət] — not correct; wrong; neprecīzs
Some details in the report were inaccurate.
efficient — [iedarbīgs] — working well without wasting time or energy; efektīvs, iedarbīgs
The new system is efficient and saves time.
ineffective — [ˌɪn.ɪˈfek.tɪv] — not producing the effects or results that are wanted; neefektīvs
Those pills were ineffective. I still have a headache.
Safety and Stability Controls (situations)
Some sliders control comfort, risk, and suitability.
Some sliders control comfort, risk, and suitability.
You are already an expert on different safety topics that you studied earlier this school year: Safety on the Road; First Aid, Personal Safety Online, Electrical Safety; Safety on Water; Fire Safety
available — [əˈveɪ.lə.bəl] — if something is available, you are able to buy it, own it, or have it; pieejams; dabūjams
Fresh fruit is available during the summer.
limited — [ˈlɪm.ɪ.tɪd] — small in amount or number; limitēts; ierobežots
There is a limited choice of seats
familiar — [fəˈmɪl.i.ər] — known; something you have seen or experienced before; pazīstams
This street looks familiar to me.
unfamiliar — [ʌn.fəˈmɪl.i.ər] — not known; new or strange; nepazīstams
We felt nervous in the unfamiliar city.
suitable — [ˈsuː.tə.bəl] — right or good for a situation; piemērots
This book is suitable for young readers.
unsuitable — [ʌnˈsuː.tə.bəl] — not right for a situation; nepiemērots
Those shoes are unsuitable for hiking.
Character Controls (people and behaviour)
Some controls shape how we judge people.
Here you can revise a bunch of adjectives used to describe a person. You studied this in Form 7: How to Talk about a Person's Character, How to Talk about a Person's Physical Appearance
Some controls shape how we judge people.
Here you can revise a bunch of adjectives used to describe a person. You studied this in Form 7: How to Talk about a Person's Character, How to Talk about a Person's Physical Appearance
honest — [ˈɒn.ɪst] — telling the truth; not lying; godīgs
She was honest about her mistake.
dishonest — [dɪˈsɒn.ɪst] — not telling the truth; lying or cheating; negodīgs
Copying answers in a test is dishonest.
responsible — [rɪˈspɒn.sə.bəl] — to have control and authority over something or someone and the duty of taking care of it, him, or her; atbildīgs
He is responsible and always finishes his work on time.
irresponsible — [ˌɪr.ɪˈspɒn.sə.bəl] — not thinking enough or not worrying about the possible results of what you do; bezatbildīgs
It was irresponsible to forget the homework again.
reliable — [rɪˈlaɪ.ə.bəl] — can be trusted; does what is promised; uzticams
She is reliable and never arrives late.
unreliable — [ˌʌn.rɪˈlaɪə.bəl] — cannot be trusted; often fails to do things; neuzticams
The bus service is unreliable in bad weather.
generous — [ˈdʒen.ər.əs] — happy to give or share; dāsns
He is generous and helps people in need.
selfish — [ˈsel.fɪʃ] — thinking only about yourself; egoistisks
It was selfish to take all the food.
Impact Controls (abstract and opinion-based)
Some sliders control value and outcome.
She has a positive attitude towards learning.
His negative comments upset the team.
Some sliders control value and outcome.
positive — [ˈpɒz.ə.tɪv] — good, hopeful, or encouraging; pozitīvs
She has a positive attitude towards learning.
negative — [ˈneɡ.ə.tɪv] — bad, harmful, or discouraging; negatīvs
His negative comments upset the team.
important — [ɪmˈpɔː.tənt] — having great value or meaning; svarīgs
It is important to be on time.
unimportant — [ˌʌn.ɪmˈpɔː.tənt] — not very important; nenozīmīgs, mazsvarīgs
Small spelling mistakes are unimportant here.
likely — [ˈlaɪ.kli] — probably going to happen; iespējams
It is likely that it will rain today.
unlikely — [ʌnˈlaɪ.kli] — probably not going to happen; maz ticams
It is unlikely that school will be cancelled.
fair — [feər] — just and equal; treating people the same; taisnīgs
The teacher made a fair decision.
The teacher made a fair decision.
unfair — [ʌnˈfeər] — not just or equal; netaisnīgs
It is unfair to blame only one person.
It is unfair to blame only one person.
successful — [səkˈses.fəl] — achieving what you wanted; veiksmīgs
The project was successful and met all goals.
The project was successful and met all goals.
unsuccessful — [ˌʌn.səkˈses.fəl] — not achieving the desired result; neveiksmīgs
Their first attempt was unsuccessful, but they tried again.
Their first attempt was unsuccessful, but they tried again.
Conclusion:
Very often, we do not learn a completely new word, we add a prefix to change the meaning.
The most common prefixes for antonyms are:
un-, in-, im-, ir-, and dis-
When you add one of these, the core meaning stays the same, but the direction changes.
The most common prefixes for antonyms are:
un-, in-, im-, ir-, and dis-
When you add one of these, the core meaning stays the same, but the direction changes.
However, not all antonyms are formed with prefixes. Some words have a completely different opposite. For example, clear — confusing, generous — selfish.
Atsauce:
Mind Blooming "Antonyms" on youtube.com