Building

Vocabulary
through
SYNONYMS
SCOPE:
✦ Define Synonym
✦ Types of Synonyms
✦ Examples of Synonyms
✦ Importance

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What is SYNONYM?
 DEFINITION of SYNONYMS
✦ A word, morpheme, or phrase that
means exactly or nearly the same as
another word, morpheme, or phrase in
the same language.

✦ Composite of two Greek words: “SYN”

(prefix means together, and “ONYM”
which means name – together name the
same thing
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✦ The standard test for synonym
is substitution – one form can be
replaced by one another without
changing its meaning.
✦ The state being synonyms is
called synonymous
✦ Poecilonym is a synonym of the
word synonym.

SYNONYMS5
- Synonyms can be any parts of speech, as
long as, both words belong to the same parts
of speech.
Examples:
o Noun: Drink & Beverage
o Verb: Buy & Purchase
o Adjective: Big & Large
o Adverb: Quickly & Speedily
o Preposition: On & Upon
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TYPES OF SYNONYMS
IDIOGRAPHIC/ RELATIVE
SYNOMYMS

STYLISTIC SYNONYMS

CONTEXTUAL SYNONYMS

TOTAL SYNONYMS

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 1. IDIOGRAPHIC/ RELATIVE
SYNONYMS
• These synonyms are so called
because they are words with
similar meanings, but they are
based on different degrees on
describing certain qualities.

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 Examples:

- “attractive” - pretty, beautiful, fine, handsome

- “big” – huge, colossal, massive, ginormous

HUGE
GINORMOUS 9
 2. SYTLISTIC SYNONYMS
• - Much easier to understand because the
meanings are exactly the same, but you use
them interchangeably based only on the style
of writings you are doing.
• Examples:
• - Doctor & Doc
• - Commence & Begin
• - Mother, Mommy, Mama
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 3. CONTEXTUAL SYNONYMS
• - These synonyms mean the same thing, but
only based on the context in which they are
used.
• Examples:
• “BUY & GET”
• - ”Go and buy something from the store.”
• - ”Go and get something from the store.”
• - “I think I might get a cold.” – “I think I might buy a
cold” 11
 3. CONTEXTUAL SYNONYMS
Examples:
• “DIED & EXPIRED”
• - ”He expired.” also means “He died.”
- “My passport has expired.”
- “My passport has died.”
• “Sick & ill”
• - ”I am sick.” could be replaced by “I am ill.”
- “I am sick of you.”
- “I am ill of you.”
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 4. TOTAL SYNONYMS
• - These synonyms are synonyms in
their purest form. It isn’t based on the
degree or anything, or context, or
even stylistic choice.
• - These words just have the same
exact meaning and can be switched
whenever.
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 4. TOTAL SYNONYMS
Examples:

• - ”PERFECT & FLAWLESS”

• - “ ALMOST & NEARLY”
- “He almost made me cry.” ”He nearly made me cry.”
- “I’ve almost succeeded in winning the race.”
- “I’ve nearly succeeded in winning the race

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 WHY LEARN SYNONYMS?

 They help us to understand the meaning of unfamiliar words

 They can help us make our writing more interesting
 Synonyms can prevent us from using the same words
multiple times
 Improves both oral and written communication of wring
skills.
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Building
Vocabulary
through
CONTEXT
CLUES
OBJECTIVES:
✦ Define Context Clue
✦ Discuss the different types of
Context Clues
✦ Give some examples

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 Can you guess what this image
is?

Or would
like to see
the big
picture?
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YES! It’s a duck!

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 What is CONTEXT CLUES?
Context Clues are hints found
within a sentence, paragraph, or
passage that a reader can use to
understand the meanings of new
or unfamiliar words.

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 What is CONTEXT CLUES?
CON is prefix meaning with;
TEXT means a written word

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HOW WILL I KNOW WHERE
TO FIND THEM?

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Can you give me the meaning of the
following words without looking at your
dictionaries or smartphones?

1. LOQUACIOUS
2. EMACIATION

It’s hard right?

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“The two girls in front were so loquacious
that I could not hear the teacher’s question.”

“His emaciation, that is, his skeleton-like

appearance, was frightening.”

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TYPES OF
CONTEXT CLUES

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GRAMMATICAL
SEMANTIC CLUES
CONTEXT
Definition
Restatement
Example
Comparison
Contrast
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You may derive the TYPE OF
CONTEXT CLUES
meaning of the
unfamiliar word from STRUCTURAL
the grammatical /
GRAMMATIC
context or position of AL /
a word in a phrase or SYNTANTIC
a sentence. CLUES

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 TYPE OF
CONTEXT CLUES
Its position tells the
STRUCTURAL
reader that the word /
is a noun, a verb, an GRAMMATIC
adjective, or adverb. AL /
SYNTANTIC
CLUES

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Example 1:
STRUCTURAL/
✦ The two girls in front were so GRAMMATICAL/
SYNTACTIC
loquacious that I couldn’t hear CLUES

the teacher’s question.

Note: The position of the loquacious tells the reader
that it is an adjective.

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 TYPE OF
CONTEXT CLUES

SEMANTIC
Semantic Clues relate
CLUES
to the accumulated
meaning of the
sentence. 30
• You may also obtain the meaning of
unfamiliar word from its synonyms and
antonyms, and the examination of the
word or semantic clues in the sentence
SEMANTIC
or group of sentences. CLUES
• Your understanding of the semantic
clues used by the writers will facilitate
our comprehension of what you read.
TYPES OF SEMANTIC
CLUES

1. Definition

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 DEFINITION
• The new term may be formally
defined, or sufficient explanation may
be given within the sentence or in the
following sentence.
• Clues to definition include “that is”,
comas, dashes, or parentheses.

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Examples:
✦ His emaciation, that is, his skeleton-like appearance,
was frightening.
✦ He suggested a referendum, a method of giving the
public a voice in political decision.
✦ The dudeen – a short-stemmed clay pipe - is
found in Irish folk talks.

DEFINITION 34
TYPES OF SEMANTIC
CLUES

2. Restatement
(SYNONYMS)

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 RESTATEMENT
 The reader may discover the meaning
of unknown word because it repeats
an idea expressed in familiar words
nearby.

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Examples:
✦ The mountain pass was a tortuous road, winding
and twisting like a snake around the trees of the
mountain side.

✦ If you don’t show emotion even when upsetting

things happen, you are phlegmatic or cold.

RESTATEMENT 37
TYPES OF SEMANTIC
CLUES

3. Example

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 EXAMPLE
 Sometimes, when a reader finds a new
word, an example might be found
nearby that helps to explain its
meaning.
 Words including “such as”, and “for
example”, point out example clues.

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Examples:
✦ Piscatorial creatures, such as flounder, salmon,
and trout, live in the coldest parts of the ocean.

✦ He asked us not used overlapping terms, such as

authoritarian and totalitarian, soap opera and
drama, terrorism and guerilla warfare.
EXAMPLE 40
TYPES OF SEMANTIC
CLUES

4. Comparison

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 COMPARISON
 In comparison context clues, the
unknown word is shown to be the
same or like another word.
 “Too”, ‘Like”, “As”, “Similar to”, ”In
the same way” , can be used as signal
words.

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Examples:
✦ The auditorium, like the stadium, has impressive
acoustics.
✦ A phonograph plays record, similar to a record
player.
✦ My brother is enthralled by birds similar the way
that I am fascinated by insects.
COMPARISON 43
 TYPES OF SEMANTIC
CLUES

5. Contrast/Antonym

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 CONRAST/ANTONYM
 Antonyms are words with opposite
meanings. An opposite context clue
contrasts the meaning of unfamiliar
word with meaning of a familiar term.
 Words like “although”, “however”,
and “but” may signal contrasts clues.

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Examples:
✦ When the light brightens, the pupils of the eyes
contract; however, when they grows darker, they
dilate.
✦ The impoverished family looked out of place in a
group of family of rich, affluent men and women.

CONTRAST/ ANTONYM 46
 LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THIS EXAMPLES:

• It was on the corner of the street

that he noticed the first sign of
something peculiar – a cat reading
a map.
Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone, p2

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 LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THIS EXAMPLES:

• They passed different groups of people

hurrying in different directions. As they
jostled their way through a crowd of
confused Hufflepuffs, Harry suddenly
grabbed Ron’s arms.

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Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone, p139
LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THIS EXAMPLES:

• She pushed the book toward them, and

Harry and Ron read: The ancient study
of alchemy is concerned with making
Sorcerer’s Stone, a legendary substance
with astonishing power.

Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone, p175

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LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THIS EXAMPLES:

• Muggles, non-magic people, were

particularly afraid of magic in
medieval times, but not very good
at recognizing it.

Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban, p.

1 50
LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THIS EXAMPLES:

• The clipping had clearly come out

of the wizarding newspaper, the
Daily Prophet, because the people
in the black-and-white picture
were moving.
Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban, p.
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Thanks!
Presented by:

DASCO, ROSABELLE A.

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 REFERENCES

 A.S. Villanueva & R.L. Delos Santos. “Developmental

Reading 1’,2008
 READING – Context Clues, rev. August 2005
 Harry Potter Books

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