Building a strong vocabulary is essential for effective communication. This lesson focuses on three key areas: synonyms, antonyms, and word formation.
1. Synonyms Synonyms are words that have the same or nearly the same meaning as another word. Using synonyms can make your writing more interesting and precise.
- Example:
- Instead of always using the word 'good', you could use: excellent, great, fantastic, superb, wonderful.
- For 'happy', you could use: joyful, cheerful, delighted, pleased.
2. Antonyms Antonyms are words that have the opposite meaning of another word. Understanding antonyms helps clarify meaning and provides contrast.
- Example:
- The antonym of 'hot' is cold.
- The antonym of 'fast' is slow.
- The antonym of 'begin' is end.
3. Word Formation Word formation is the process of creating new words from existing words, often by adding prefixes or suffixes.
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Prefixes: A prefix is added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning.
un-+happy=unhappy(opposite of happy)re-+do=redo(to do again)
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Suffixes: A suffix is added to the end of a word, and it can change the word's meaning or its part of speech.
wonder(noun/verb) +-ful=wonderful(adjective)quick(adjective) +-ly=quickly(adverb)