Vocabulary and Idioms: Meanings, Synonyms, Antonyms and Expressions
Domain 8 - Vocabulary and Idioms tests word meanings, synonyms, antonyms and common expressions, including idioms whose sense cannot be guessed word by word.
Build from roots
Most items come from triliteral roots. From ك-ت-ب (writing) you can reach كِتَاب (book), كَاتِب (writer), مَكْتَب (office/desk) and مَكْتَبَة (library/bookshop). Learn the pattern, not just the single word.
Synonym and antonym pairs
- Synonyms: سَعِيد / مَسْرُور (happy); كَبِير / عَظِيم (great); جَمِيل / حَسَن (beautiful).
- Antonyms: طَوِيل / قَصِير (long/short); نَجَحَ / فَشِلَ (succeeded/failed); كَثِير / قَلِيل (many/few).
Common idioms
- عَلَى قَدَمٍ وَسَاقٍ - at once, hurriedly.
- يَدًا بِيَدٍ - hand in hand, jointly.
- فِي قَلْبِهِ غِلٌّ - he harbours malice.
- بَيْتُهُ مِنْ زُجَاجٍ - he is in a fragile position.
Worked example
ذَهَبَ إِلَى الْمَكْتَبَةِ عَلَى قَدَمٍ وَسَاقٍ. Literal: 'He went to the library on foot and leg.' Correct: 'He hurried to the library.' Reasoning: the expression is fixed and functions as an adverb of manner. مَكْتَبَة is 'library/bookshop', a noun of place from the same root as كِتَاب.
Traps
- Translating an idiom word for word.
- Confusing roots with similar letters: كَتَبَ (write) and كَذَبَ (lie).
- Choosing an antonym for the wrong sense of a polysemous word.
- Giving a synonym that fits the dictionary but not the sentence.