Garga Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 (edited) Antonym: words that are opposite: hot/cold up/down. Synonym: words that are the same: thin/skinny We're on the part in our grammar lessons where we're learning about antonyms and synonyms. What's the big deal with them? Who cares if words that are opposite are called "antonyms?" Is the point of learning this just to learn the two vocabulary words "Antonym" and "Synonym?" Or is there another reason to learning about antonyms and synonyms beyond learning a grammar term? (Especially antonyms. I mean, I can see saying, "I need to look in the thesaurus for a synonym for the word 'rant.'") But I just don't see anyone ever using the word "antonym" in any kind of setting. Edited November 11, 2009 by Garga_ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cedarmom Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Two reasons I can think of off the top of my head 1)In reading, especially poetry, it will help with understanding the poem. It helps to be able to look at a piece of literature to use the correct terms as you try and understand what the writer was trying to say. Understanding and recognizing the literature devices the author used will give you deeper insight into the piece. 2) It will improve your writing. Being able to know what a synonym is will help your student to use them in his writing. I guess you could just say "Use a word that has the same meaning" But knowing the correct terminology of the craft you are doing makes it a lot easier. I.E. when I crochet, instead of saying single crochet I could say go through loops once, yarn over, go through again, but it is a lot easier to just use the correct teminology and say do a single crochet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate CA Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 The same question could be asked about any number of things we study, but the answer (in my mind) is still the same - because it is part of a well-rounded education. Knowing the meaning of many things is just part of being an educated person. You may never use the term "antonym" or "synonym" but we use "synonym" all the time here in our writing. It expands the ability to write when you know other words that mean the same thing. While we don't use "antonym" frequently, that doesn't mean we shouldn't know what it means. I don't use the term "solar system" or "hieroglyphics" frequently either, but I should still know what they mean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhM Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Pragmatic response? Because the SAT and ACT will have a question asking for the antonym of a particular word. At that point, you want to have no doubt that you are looking for the opposite of the word. But I would think that we need to know the word antonym for the same reason that we study any vocabulary at all. An understanding of its roots helps us to decipher other words. And it helps us understand what others are saying if they insist on using such high-falutin language instead of plain old common sense English. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Pragmatic response? Because the SAT and ACT will have a question asking for the antonym of a particular word. At that point, you want to have no doubt that you are looking for the opposite of the word. :iagree:Also, there are questions on many tests about dictionary and thesaurus skills. It's about teaching them to use various resources. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigs Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 What a great question! For a practical reason - There are dictionaries that not only list "synonyms" but also "antonyms" and you would have to know the meaning of the words (synonyms, antonyms) to see which was the list of similar words and which was the list of opposite words, Also, vocabulary is one of the marks of an educated person. I've read of vocabulary being used to determine intelligence, in people and in animals! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted November 11, 2009 Author Share Posted November 11, 2009 Thank you, thank you, thank you! I just couldn't put it into words. I wanted to explain to my kids WHY we were learning it and I kept sounding lame. I love the hive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 One reason is that the words are used a lot in standardized testing. And the other is that they're fairly common words. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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