READING:SYNONYMS AND ANTONYMS Notes, Quizzes & Revision
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READING: SYNONYMS AND ANTONYMS β FAMILY (English)
Age: 12 β’ Context: Kenyan families (parents, grandparents, aunties/uncles, siblings). Topic focus: find and use synonyms and antonyms in short reading passages about family.
What are synonyms and antonyms?
- Synonyms β words that have the same or very similar meanings. Example: "mum" and "mother".
- Antonyms β words that have opposite meanings. Example: "older" and "younger".
Short reading passage (read carefully)
My mum and dad live in Nairobi with my elder sister. Every weekend, my grandparents (grandma and grandpa) visit from the village. I am the youngest child in the family, but I love helping my auntie and uncle when they come. My parents are married and they take good care of me.
Family words β common synonyms (same meaning)
- mother β mum, mom, mama
- father β dad, papa
- grandmother β grandma, granny
- grandfather β grandpa, granddad
- aunt β aunty, auntie (common in Kenya)
- child β kid
- parent β guardian (sometimes used)
- sibling β brother or sister (sibling is a general word)
Family words β common antonyms (opposites)
- older β younger
- eldest β youngest
- son β daughter (opposite genders)
- married β single
- child β adult
How to find synonyms and antonyms in a reading passage
- Look for a word you donβt know and read the sentence again to see its meaning from context.
- Look for other words in the sentence or nearby sentences that repeat the idea β these can be synonyms.
- For antonyms, look for contrast words like but, however, although, or words that show opposite ideas (older vs younger).
- Try replacing the word with a suspected synonym to check if the sentence still makes sense.
Exercises β practice
-
From the passage, write one synonym for each word:
- a) mum β ________
- b) grandparents β ________
- c) youngest β ________
- d) auntie β ________
-
Find the antonyms (opposites) for these words (use family context where possible):
- a) elder β ________
- b) married β ________
- c) child β ________
-
Match (draw a line) or write the correct pair:
- 1. dad β ( ) mom
- 2. grandma β ( ) grandpa
- 3. brother β ( ) sister
-
Fill in the blank with a synonym from the box: (mum, dad, granny, kid)
"My ______ lives with us. She is my mother's mother."
Answers (check your work)
- Exercise 1:
- a) mum β mother (or mom)
- b) grandparents β grandma and grandpa (or grandparents = relations)
- c) youngest β smallest in age / junior / younger (antonym: eldest)
- d) auntie β aunt (or aunty)
- Exercise 2:
- a) elder β younger
- b) married β single
- c) child β adult
- Exercise 3:
- 1 β dad: mom (pair is father/mother)
- 2 β grandma: grandpa
- 3 β brother: sister
- Exercise 4: "My granny lives with us. She is my mother's mother." (granny = grandmother)
Tips for learners (quick)
- In Kenyan English, you may hear "aunty" and "uncle" as friendly forms β these are synonyms of "aunt" and "uncle".
- Use a dictionary for exact synonyms β sometimes two words look similar but have small meaning differences.
- Practice by reading family stories and spotting words that repeat the same idea (synonyms) or show opposites (antonyms).
Enjoy reading family stories and try to find more synonyms and antonyms. π¨βπ©βπ§βπ¦ π§ π§