CHAPTER 8:

READING COMPREHENSION
1
(DIFFICULT WORD, SYNONYM/ANTONYM, AND
REFERENCE)
BAHASA INGGRIS 2 Ι HANA YULINDA F., M.Pd
 FINDING DIFFICULT WORDS
◦ It should be understood that difficult words are not words that you have not
known before, but difficult words in reading are words that are rarely used
by common people, and only appears in certain text or passage.
◦ Difficult words could be particular terms such as health terminology, technical
terms, social and law terms, computer science terms, technology, and so on.
◦ Difficult word should be translated by its context that is used in the text.
 EXERCISE:
#Find difficult words and their meanings in
following text!
WHATSAPP GROUP CALLS NOW AVAILABLE FOR UP TO EIGHT PEOPLE
Popular messaging service1 WhatsApp now allows up to eight people to participate2 in a voice or
video call3. For this feature4 to work, users5 need to use the latest version of the app6. Users can start using
the new feature by choosing the ‘add friend’ option7 and selecting participants8 from their contacts9.
In a statement, the company said the COVID-19 pandemic10 had prompted11 people to use the
messaging service even more. Last month, all users of WhatsApp combined12 reportedly13 spent an
average14 of more than 15 billion minutes in calls15 each day. Similar to WhatsApp messages, all of the
calls are said to be “protected with end-to-end encryption16”, meaning only the callers17 and receivers18
can listen to their conversations19.
Established20 in 2009, WhatsApp has become one of the most used messaging platform21 in the
world, including Indonesia. Globally, the app has been downloaded22 by more than 1.5 billion people.
ANSWER:
1) Messaging service : layanan pesan 12. Combined : gabungan
2) Participate : ikut, ikut serta, menyertai 13. Reportedly : kabarnya
3) Voice calls : panggilan suara 14. Average : rata-rata
4) Video calls : panggilan video 15. Calls : panggilan
5) Feature : fitur 16. End-to-end encryption : Enkripsi ujung ke ujung
6) Users : pengguna 17. Callers : penelepon
7) App : aplikasi 18. Receivers : penerima
8) Option : pilihan 19. Conversations : percakapan
9) Participants : peserta 20. Established : mapan, yg tdk bs dipungkiri
10) Contacts : kontak
21. Platform : pelantar
11) Pandemic : pandemi
22. Downloaded : diunduh
12) Promted : diminta / telah mendorong
 SYNONYMS
◦ Synonims are words with the
same or similar meaning.
•Afraid, scared, frightened
•Automobile, car, vehicle
•Big, large, huge
•Blank, empty, hollow
•Bunny, rabbit, hare
•Cap, hat
•Center, middle, inside
•Couch, sofa, divan
•Evil, bad, wicked
•Famous, well-known
•Father, dad, daddy
•Funny, silly, playful, crazy
•Garbage, trash, junk, waste
•Gloomy, sad, unhappy
•Happy, glad, joyful, cheerful
•Hide, cover
•House, home
•Ill, sick, unwell
•Idea, thought
•Jog, run
•Listen, hear
•Little, small, tiny
•Look, see, glance, stare
•Mad, angry, furious
EXERCISE:
#Find synonyms of following words!
1) To participate: aid, compete, cooperate, engage, join, follow, take part, accompany, engage in, perform, play, share,
concur, partake, strive, associate with, be a participant, be a part to, be into, chip in, come in, enter into, get in on, get in
on the act, go into, have a hand in, have to do, join in, latch on, lend a hand, sit in, sit in on, take an interest in, tune in
2) To use: make use of, utillize, emplo, ake, apply, wear, put, adopt
3) To start: begin, initiate, embark, start up, commence, appear, arrive, go ahead
4) Choosing: select, pick, go for, take, handpick
5) Downloaded: load, compute, run
6) Said: speak, utter, voice, pronounce, vocalize, declare, state, announce, remark, observe, mention
7) Pandemic: widespread, prevalent, pervasive, rife, rampant, epidemic
8) Promted: encourage, push, drive, promote, boost, urge, insist, press, demand, exhort, recommend, suggest, prompt,
advocate, propose
9) Reportedly
10) Platform: stage, scene, board, rostrm, tribune, podium, gallery, veranda
 ANTONYMS
•Add - Subtract •Happy - Sad
•Above - Below •Hard - Soft
•After - Before •Heavy - Light
◦ Antonyms are words •Awake - Asleep
•Bad - Good
•High - Low
•In - Out •Raise - Lower

with opposite meaning. •Better - Worse

•Big - Little
•Birth - Death
•Last - First
•Laugh - Cry
•Learn - Teach
•Right - Wrong
•Rise - Sink
•Rough - Smooth
•Boy - Girl •Less - More •Same - Different
•Clean - Dirty •Lie - Truth •Sell - Buy
•Close - Open •Long - Short •Short - Long
•Cold - Hot •Loose - Tight •Sour - Sweet
•End - Begin •Lost - Found •Start - Stop
•Dark - Light •Love - Hate •Stay - Leave
•Day - Night •North - South •Stop - Go
•Even - Odd •On - Off •Strong - Weak
•Fail - Pass •Over - Under •Teacher - Student
•False - True •Play - Work •Tidy - Messy
•Float - Sink •Polite - Rude •True - False
•East - West •Poor - Rich
•Fat - Skinny •Present - Absent
•Hungry - Full •Top - Bottom
•Gentle - Rough •Quick - Slow
EXERCISE:
#Find antonyms of following words!
1) Popular: Ordinary, Common
2) New: antiquated, common, familiar, normal, old, past, regular, usual
3) Latest : Advanced, Foremost
4) Last: first, beginning, opening, starting
5) Spent: Start, start up
6) More than : Less than
7) Similar to : Different
8) Established: Unstable, Hesitant
9) Become: remain, stagnate
10) Globally: especially, specifically
 ANAPHORIC REFERENCES
◦ Anaphoric reference occurs when a word or phrase refers to something mentioned earlier in the
discourse.
◦ Anaphora is the use of a pronoun or other linguistic unit to refer back to another word or phrase. 
◦ Example :

‘I went out with Jo on Sunday. She looked awful.'

(´She` clearly refers to Jo, there is no need to repeat her name.)

‘Michael went to the bank. He was annoyed because it was closed.’

(He refers to Michael.)
(it refers to the bank.)
CONTINUED ...
◦ Anaphoric reference often makes use of the definite article ’the’, because one of the functions of the
definite article is to indicate that something has already been mentioned. 
◦ Here’s another example:

‘He sat down at the table and took a small box from his pocket. The object felt heavy in
his hands. Inside it was the key to his future.’

(Both the object and it refer back to a small box in the first sentence.)

EXERCISE:
#Difine which words are referred by underline
words!
1) Popular messaging service WhatsApp now allows up to eight people to participate in a voice or video
call. For this feature to work, users need to use the latest version of the app.
2) For this feature to work, users need to use the latest version of the app. They can start using the new
feature by choosing the ‘add friend’ option and selecting participants from their contacts. (users)
3) Similar to WhatsApp messages, all of the calls are said to be “protected with end-to-end encryption”,
meaning only the callers and receivers can listen to their conversations.
4) Established in 2009, WhatsApp has become one of the most used messaging platform in the world,
including Indonesia. Globally, it has been downloaded by more than 1.5 billion people. (WA)
SOURCE
◦ https://
www.thejakartapost.com/life/2020/04/29/whatsapp-group-calls-now-available-for-up-to-eight-people.ht
ml
◦ https://www.eslbase.com/tefl-a-z/referencing
◦ https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/anaphoric-reference#:~:text=Anaphoric%20reference%20mea
ns%20that%20a,ideas%20later%20in%20the%20text
.
◦ https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-anaphora-grammar-1689093