Word Relationships
Synonyms, Antonyms, Homonyms, Analogies
In some ways words are like families. Just as there are different relationships
among members of the same family, there are different relationships among words.
Picture your own family. You probably have relatives who like to do the same
things you do. But they may look nothing like you. You may have relatives who
are from another city. They might have unusual accents and all "sound alike."
There are probably still others who are rebels. They always want the opposite of
what everyone else in the family wants.
There are similar relationships between words. Words that mean the same thing
but look different are called synonyms. Their meanings are very similar (e.g.,
pretty/cute). An antonym is a word that has the opposite meaning of another word
(e.g., pretty/ugly). A homonym is a word that sounds like another word but has a
different meaning (e.g., there/their).
Because these terms are often confused, here is an easy way to keep them
straight.
| Heard alike |
Same meaning |
An opposite |
| O |
Y |
N |
| M |
N |
T |
| O |
O |
O |
| N |
N |
N |
| Y |
Y |
Y |
| M |
M |
M |
Words are related in many other ways as well. When thinking about the
relationship between two words, you must examine those words for ways in which
they are different, alike, or related to each other.
Understanding how words fit together helps you expand and network frameworks. As
an active reader, this skill enables you to analyze and synthesize information.
Such knowledge is useful in building your vocabulary. This, in turn, gives you
more skill in using the context (see figure below).
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