Vocabulary and Word Usage (Synonyms, Antonyms, One-word Substitution, Idioms)
Vocabulary and Word Usage covers synonyms, antonyms, one-word substitution and idioms. Questions test whether you can choose the word that fits the sentence, not just recognise a dictionary meaning.
Synonyms and antonyms
- Pick the option closest in meaning in the given sentence; connotation matters (thin vs skinny).
- Antonyms must match part of speech and register: 'scarce' is the antonym of 'abundant', not 'rare'.
- Use prefixes to decode: un-, in-, dis-, mis-, anti-.
- Read the whole sentence before choosing; a synonym that fits one meaning may fail another.
One-word substitution
- Learn by clusters: -cide (killing), -logy (study), -phobia (fear), -graphy (writing).
- Common patterns: a person who speaks many languages = polyglot; a place where birds are kept = aviary; one who cannot read = illiterate.
- Check the exact subject: 'a person who writes dictionaries' = lexicographer, not librarian.
Idioms
- Meaning is non-literal and fixed: 'turn a deaf ear' = refuse to listen; 'a piece of cake' = very easy; 'once in a blue moon' = rarely.
- Do not split or change the verb: 'kick the bucket' means die, not kick a pail.
- Look for a clue in the sentence: 'He was all at sea about the new rules' signals confusion.
Worked example
'The manager turned a deaf ear to our complaints.' What does the idiom mean? Reasoning: a manager cannot literally become deaf; the object is 'complaints'; the fixed phrase means 'refused to listen'. Answer: ignored the complaints.
Traps
Choosing a synonym with wrong collocation ('do a mistake' vs 'make a mistake'); confusing 'childish' (immature) with 'childlike' (innocent); treating 'inflammable' as 'not flammable'; guessing an idiom from its literal words; using a one-word substitution that is close but wrong (polyglot vs bilingual).