Homonyms, Synonyms, Paronyms, Antonyms

Lecture 4

1. Homonyms. Synonyms. Paronyms. Antonyms

The vocabulary of the English language is systematically arranged, which is shown in the relations
between the units of the vocabulary. It includes synonyms, antonyms and homonyms.
Homonyms are the units of vocabulary that are identical in sound and spelling but different in meaning,
distribution and origin. In homonyms two or more unrelated meanings are associated with the same
written or sound form.
The main features of homonyms are:
- their form may be phonetical and graphical;
- their meaning may be lexical and grammatical;
- paradigm of forms may be different from the homonymous or homographic forms.

Homonyms are divided into proper homonyms, homophones and homographs:

Proper homonyms are the words identical in sound and spelling but different in spelling (saw – Past
Indefinite of the verb to see; saw – an instrument for cutting).
Homophones are words with the same sound, but different in spelling and meaning: air – heir; buy –by,
him – hymn; knight – night; not – knot. Sometimes the whole sentence may be homophonic: The sons
raise meat: The sun’s rays meet. To understand the meaning of homophones in oral speech you need a
wider context.
Homographs are words different in sound and in meaning but accidentally identical in spelling: lead –
lead; wind – wind. Homographs are easy to recognize in oral speech but difficult in written speech.
2. Synonyms. Paronyms
Synonyms are two or more different forms associated with the same meaning. Synonyms can be similar
in meaning but different in shape; they belong to the same part of speech and possess one or more nearly
identical denotative meanings. Some synonyms may have additional characteristics – emotional coloring,
style and valency.
Synonyms may be joined in a group which includes words of different shadows of meaning: hope,
anticipate, expect, look forward to. The groups have the synonymic dominant – a generic term or
hyperonym (in the given example it’s the verb to hope).
More general terms are called hyponyms – words which serve as a generic name for the whole group.
The relations in the group are called hyponymy or inclusion.
Animal – hyponym
dog, cat, horse – co-hyponyms.
Synonyms usually have different colouring, they are divided into:

 Contextual synonyms – the words that can have similar meaning only in a certain context:
buy – get; ask - beg.
 Total synonyms are the words that have similar meaning only in any context: noun -
substantive; affix - flexion.
Synonyms come to the language from different sources – they may be native or borrowed.
Paronyms are close to synonyms, but unlike synonyms they have similar forms which derived from one
word, but got new shades of meaning: economic – economical, affect – effect, accident – incident.
3. Antonyms
Antonyms are the words denoting objects, things, actions, etc. opposite in meaning. Antonyms belong to
the same part of speech and the same semantic field, they are identical in style. According to their
meaning antonyms are divided into contradictory and contrary, according to their structure – into absolute
and derivational.
Contradictory antonyms are the notions, which oppose and deny each other: old – young.
Contrary antonyms oppose each other but may be gradable: old - middle aged - young; hot – warm –
cool - cold.
Absolute antonyms derive from different roots and denote totally different notions: right - wrong.
Derivational antonyms are coined from one stem with the help of affixes: happy –unhappy.
Unlike synonyms, antonyms can’t have stylistic variations. The members of the same antonymic pair
belong to the same sphere of collocation. They are interchangeable at least in some context. When you
replace the antonym, the whole sentence changes its meaning.
Seminar 4
Questions for preparation
1. What is a homonym?
2. What are the main types of homonyms?
3. What kind of words are the homophones?
4. What are homographs?
5. How do homonyms originate in speech? What are the main characteristics of synonyms?
6. What words may be included into a synonymic group?
7. What word can be called hyperonym?
8. What is the difference between contextual and total synonyms?
9. What are paronyms?
Task 1. Translate the following homonyms. Arrange them into three groups: proper homonyms,
homographs, homophones:
Proper homonyms Homographs Homophones

ball(n), ball(n); Bow (n), bow (v); air (n), heir (n);
bear(n), bear(v); be(v), bee(n);
can(v), can(n); dear(adj), deer(n);
capital(n), capital(adj);
ear(n), ear(n);
fir(n), fur(n);
flat(n), flat(adj);
hare(n), hair(n);
heel(n), heal(v);
here(adv), hear(v);
I(pr), eye(n);
lead(v), lead(v);
lie(v), lie(v);
minute(n), minute(adj);
night(n), knight(n);
pale(adj), pail(n);
peace(n), piece(n);
plant(n), plant(v);
rain(n), reign(n);
right(adj), write(v);
row(n), row(v);
sale(n), sail(n);
sea(n), see(v);
seal(n), seal(n);
so(adv), sew(v);
some(pr), sum(n);
son(n) sun(n);
tear(n), tear(v);
week(n), weak(adj);
well(n), well(adv);
wind(n), wind(v);
won(v), one(num);
work(n), work(v).
Task 2. Choose appropriate homophones:
1. My (sole, soul) is dark.
2. Honey is (sweet, suite).
3. Don’t (sale, sail) the (bear’s, bears) skin before you have (court, caught) it.
4. After (reign, rain) comes fine (whether, weather).
5. (No, know) living man all things can.
6. Make hay while the (sun, son) shines.
7. (To, two) heads are better than (one, won).
8. Out of (site, sight) out of mind.
9. (Too, two) many cooks spoil the broth.
10. (New, knew) wine in old bottles.
11. One can (here, hear) the grass grow.
12. One’s (hart, heart) goes into (once, one’s) boots.
13. Like (father, farther) like (sun, son).
14. It never (reigns, rains) but it (paws, pours).
Task 3. Find synonymic dominant in the following groups of synonyms:

1. Able, capable, clever, competent, fitted, powerful, qualified, skilful.
2. Bold, brave, courageous, fearless, gallant, heroic, manful, unafraid.
3. Common, casual, frequent, habitual, ordinary, usual.
4. Dangerous, insecure, risky, threatening.
5. Admirable, attractive, beautiful, elegant, excellent, fine, handsome, nice, splendid.
6. Quake, shake, shiver, tremble, vibrate, waver.
7. Add, broaden, enlarge, expand, extend, increase, heighten, lengthen, spread, widen.
8. Accept, admit, agree, approve.
9. Achieve, acquire, earn, gain, get, obtain, receive, win.
10. Cheer, festivity, fun, gaiety, joy, joyfulness, liveliness, merriment.
11. Effort, employment, labour, work.
Task 4 . Arrange the following synonyms according to the degree of intensity:

1. Ask, beg, implore.
2. Desire, long, wish.
3. Beautiful, handsome, lovely, pretty.
4. Alarmed, frightened, terrified.
5. Delight, happiness, pleasure.
6. Despair, sadness, grief.
7. Excuse, forgive, pardon.
Task 5. Give derivational antonyms to the following words:

Equal, fortunate, grateful, gratitude, just, like (adv), lively, movable, regular, related, reserved, restored, safe,
salted, satisfactory, selfish, systematic, symmetrical, timely, true, worthy.
Task 6. Give antonyms to the following words. Arrange them into three columns: a) derivational antonyms:
careful – careless; b) absolute antonyms: white – black; c) mixed antonyms: correct – incorrect – wrong.
Active, alive, attentive, bad, big, begin, brave, busy, careful, comfortable, competent, continue, correct,
courage, employed, enemy, expensive, final, free, gay, kind, legal, low, normal, polite, post-war, safety, sane,
slow, temporary, wet, white, wrong.

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Lecture 4

1. Homonyms. Synonyms. Paronyms. Antonyms

Homonyms are divided into proper homonyms, homophones and homographs:

Synonyms usually have different colouring, they are divided into:

Proper homonyms Homographs Homophones

Task 3. Find synonymic dominant in the following groups of synonyms:

Task 4 . Arrange the following synonyms according to the degree of intensity:

Task 5. Give derivational antonyms to the following words:

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