reading

 SYNONYMS

Synonyms and antonyms are useful to know because they improve reading and writing skills. And since words represent thoughts, it can plausibly be stated that they allow students to understand the world at a deeper, richer level. It is important to remember that synonyms are not words that have the same meaning, but rather, words that have similar meanings. This means that by learning synonyms, students learn to differentiate between shades of meaning. This enables them to be more precise. In addition, by learning antonyms, students learn the logical opposites of important words, thus enhancing their overall command of language. On the first set of our worksheets below, students must choose the best antonym for the word given. Each worksheet has 10 antonyms questions. Beginning level worksheets have 3 answer choices. Intermediate level worksheets have 4 answer choices. Advanced level worksheets have 5 answer choices.Advanced level worksheets test the most common 200 words used on the SAT and GRE tests. On the second set of workksheets, students must choose the best synonym or antonym for the word given. Each worksheet has 6 synonyms questions followed by 6 antonyms questions. Beginning level worksheets have 4 answer choices. Intermediate and advanced have 5. Advanced level worksheets test the most common 200 words used on the SAT and GRE tests. You may find it helpful to view our Verbal Reasoning Techniques page (found at the bottom of this page). This worksheet outlines several strategies that will enable you to answer synonyms/antonyms questions with a higher success rate, even on questions in which you are unsure about specific word definitions. We also recommend that you use a thesaurus to learn word definitions, especially if studying for the SAT or GRE tests. A thesaurus allows you to become familiar with the family of synonyms and antonyms associated with a given word. In terms of test taking, this can prove more valuable than knowing the precise definition of individual words.