Question 9
WHAT ARE TYPES OF
ANTONYMS?
Presenter: Nguyen Thi Hang Quyen
EXAMPLES
up
down
weak
strong
alive
dead
open
close
ANTONYMS
Definition
Types and
Examples
Exercises
DEFINITION
Antonyms are the words that are opposite
on meaning; they denote opposition in
meaning.
01
Gradable
02
Complementary / binary
03
Converse terms /
relational opposites
04
Multiple incompatibles /
Taxonomic sisters
TYPES OF
ANTONYMS
TYPES OF ANTONYMS
1. Gradable
●
Two words are gradable antonyms if they are at opposite
ends of a continuous scale of values (a scale which
typically varies according to the context of use).
●
Examples:
hot – cold
●
big – small
large – narrow
Identification signs:
Combine the words very, very much, how or how much
TYPES OF ANTONYMS
2. Complementary/ binary
●
●
●
Binary antonyms are words which come in pairs and
between them exhaust all relevant possibilities.
If the one word is applicable, then the other cannot be, and
vice versa.
Examples:
alive – dead
true – false
present – absent
TYPES OF ANTONYMS
3. Converse terms / relational opposites
If a word describes a relationship between two things (or
people) and some other word describes the same
relationship when the two things (or people) are mentioned
in the opposite order, then the two words are CONVERSES
of each other.
TYPES OF ANTONYMS
3. Converse terms / relational opposites
Examples:
(1) Parent - Child: "Parent" describes someone who has given birth to or raised
a child, while "child" refers to the offspring of a parent.
(2) Borrow - Lend: "Borrow" means to take something temporarily from
someone, while "lend" means to give something temporarily to someone.
(3) Teacher - Student: A "teacher" imparts knowledge to others, while a
"student" receives instruction and learns from a teacher.
TYPES OF ANTONYMS
4. Multiple incompatibles / Taxonomic
sisters
●
What these systems have in common is that :
(a) All the terms in a given system are mutually incompatible
(b) Together, the members of a system cover all the relevant
areas.
TYPES OF ANTONYMS
4. Multiple incompatibles / Taxonomic
sisters
●
Examples:
(1) Colors: white, yellow, blue, black, red, green
(2) Months: January, February, March, April, May, June,
July, August, September, October, November, December.
(3) Planets in the Solar System: Mercury, Venus,
Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.
EXERCISE
Are the following pairs of words binary antonyms?
a. chalk- cheese
b. same- different
c. copper-tin
d. dead-alive
e. married- unmarried
f. love- hate
EXERCISE
Identify the continuous scale of values between the
two given words:
a. love – hate
b. hot- cold
c. big- small
d. rich - poor
e. none- all
f. possibly- certainly
g. never- always
Cái này phải điền các từ vào range:
eg: “love-hate” love – like – dislike – hate
a. love – hate
a range of emotions and attitudes
b. hot- cold
a range of temperatures
c. big- small
a range of sizes or dimensions
d. rich – poor
a range of wealth or financial status
e. none- all
a range of quantity or extent
f. possibly- certainly a range of certainty or likelihood
g. never- always
a range of frequency or occurrence
EXERCISE
Are the following pairs of antonyms binary, gradable
or relational antonyms?
a. good - bad
b. pass - fail
c. deciduous - evergreen
d. expensive - cheap
e. parent - offspring
f. beautiful - ugly
g. false - true
h. import - export
CATEGORY
Binary
antonyms
Gradable
antonyms
Relational
antonyms
b. pass – fail
c. deciduous – evergreen
g. false – true
a. good – bad
d. expensive – cheap
f. beautiful – ugly
e. parent – offspring
h. import – export
THANKS FOR YOUR
ATTENTION!
Presenter: Nguyen Thi Hang Quyen
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