Vocabulary and Usage (Synonyms, Antonyms, Phrasal Verbs, Idioms, Word Formation)
Vocabulary and Usage
This domain tests synonyms, antonyms, phrasal verbs, idioms, and word formation in context. The exam wants the word that fits the sentence, not the rarest word you know.
Core rules and concepts
- Synonym: match meaning, register, and collocation. 'Big' and 'large' differ in 'large amount' and 'big mistake'.
- Antonym: check whether a prefix creates a true opposite or merely a new word. 'Uninterested' means not interested; 'disinterested' means impartial.
- Phrasal verb: the particle changes meaning. Put off = postpone; put out = extinguish; put up with = tolerate; put down = suppress or write.
- Idiom: treat it as a fixed unit. 'Break the ice' means start a conversation, not shatter ice.
- Word formation: choose prefix or suffix by word class and spelling. Conclude -> conclusion; decide -> decision; happy -> happiness.
Worked example
Sentence: 'The committee decided to ______ the final decision until the report arrived.' Options: put off / put out / put up / put down. Reasoning: The sentence needs 'postpone'. 'Put off' is the phrasal verb for postpone. 'Put out' means extinguish, 'put up' means accommodate or raise, and 'put down' means suppress or write. Context and particle meaning decide, not the base verb alone.
Traps
Choosing a synonym that is too strong or too informal; reading idioms literally; mixing phrasal verbs with similar particles; wrong suffix spelling such as 'conclution'; forming an antonym with the wrong prefix such as 'unpossible'; ignoring whether the blank needs a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb.