Hedgie's English Quest
Map › Ch 2 · Synonyms and Antonyms
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Chapter 2 · Book pages 8–10

🔁 Synonyms and Antonyms

Word twins that mean the same, word rivals that mean the opposite, and how to tell them apart.

By the end of this lesson, you can…
  • choose a synonym (a same-meaning word), like vast → huge
  • choose an antonym (an opposite word), like shack → mansion
  • make opposites with prefixes like un-, in- and dis-
  • understand big Olympiad words like colossal, affluent and obsolete
  • avoid the decoy trap by reading whether the question wants a synonym or an antonym
Start the story →Jump to quiz
Some words are best friends and some are total opposites. Let's learn to spot both! 🔁
📖 Story time

The Opposite Day Muddle

It was the day of the Bramblewood Word Fair. Ollie the Owl gave every animal a card with one word on it.

🦉
Ollie the OwlHere is your challenge! Find a partner whose word means the same as yours. Hedgie, your word is vast.
🦊
Fizz the FoxHa! Easy. My card says tiny. Come, Hedgie, we are partners!
HedgieHmm… vast means very, very big, like the sky. And tiny means very small. Those are not the same at all!
🦉
Ollie the OwlWell spotted! Vast and tiny are antonyms: words with opposite meanings. Fizz is trying to trick you.
🐿️
Nutty SquirrelOoh! Ooh! My card says huge! Huge means very big too!
🦉
Ollie the OwlThen you two are a perfect pair. Vast and huge are synonyms: words that mean the same or nearly the same.
🐢
Tara TortoiseI like to remember it slowly. Synonym = Same. Antonym = Against.
🦊
Fizz the FoxFine, fine. But next time I'll say correct and incorrect, and you won't even notice the little in- at the front!
HedgieOh, I'll notice! A tiny in- or un- or dis- can flip a word into its opposite. Correct, incorrect!

And so Hedgie began collecting word twins and word rivals, one card at a time…

💡 Big ideas

Let's learn it

Read each card, try the example sentences out loud (tap 🔊), then answer the Quick check.

1

👯Synonyms: same-meaning twins

A synonym is a word that means the same (or nearly the same) as another word. Synonyms help you say things in new and exciting ways.

To find one, ask: “Could I swap this word into the sentence and keep the meaning?”

WordSynonymMeaning in kid words
alienunfamiliarstrange, not known
crowdedbusyfull of people
incredibleamazinghard to believe
vast / colossalhuge / giganticvery, very big
industrioushardworkingalways busy working
analyseexaminelook at closely
alterchangemake different
blissfuljoyfulfull of happiness
astonishstunsurprise a lot
adorecherishlove dearly
  • The market was crowded. The market was busy. Swap test: the meaning stays the same, so they are synonyms.
  • Aarav is an industrious boy. He is hardworking. industrious = hardworking (not 'idle', which is the opposite)
  • The magician's trick astonished us. It stunned us. astonish = surprise very much
Hedgie's trickSynonym = Same. Do the swap test: put the option into a little sentence in place of the word. If the meaning does not change, you found the twin!
Olympiad trap!Some options are linked to the word but are not twins. For timid, the options brave, bold and confident are all about courage, but they are opposites. Only shy means the same.
🧐 Quick check
Which word is a synonym of vast?
2

↔️Antonyms: opposite rivals

An antonym is a word with the opposite meaning. Think of two ends of a see-saw: hot and cold, up and down.

To find one, first say what the word means, then think: “What is the exact opposite of that?”

WordAntonymWhy
shackmansiontiny hut ↔ huge grand house
overthiddenout in the open ↔ secret
modestboastfulhumble ↔ shows off
agonycomfortgreat pain ↔ ease
baffleclear (up)confuse ↔ make easy to understand
dressycasualfancy clothes ↔ everyday clothes
trivialimportantsmall, not serious ↔ matters a lot
predatorpreythe hunter ↔ the hunted
  • The king lived in a mansion, but the woodcutter lived in a shack. big grand house ↔ small rough hut
  • The lion is the predator; the zebra is its prey. the hunter ↔ the animal that is hunted
  • Zoya wore a dressy frock to the wedding and casual shorts at home. dressy ↔ casual
Hedgie's trickAntonym = Against. Try the “but” test: “The house was not a shack, but a ______.” The word that fits after but is the opposite.
Olympiad trap!In antonym questions, three options are usually synonyms of the given word! For agony, the options pain, suffering and anguish all mean the same as agony. The odd one, comfort, is the antonym.
Fun factFormal is a synonym of dressy, not an antonym. Formal clothes are smart clothes for special events, so the opposite of both is casual.
🧐 Quick check
Which word is the antonym of predator?
3

🧩Prefix power: un-, in-, dis-, im-

A prefix is a small piece added to the front of a word. Some prefixes mean “not” and turn a word into its opposite.

  • un-: un + happy = unhappy, un + familiar = unfamiliar
  • in-: in + correct = incorrect, in + active = inactive
  • dis-: dis + allow = disallow, dis + trust = distrust, dis + pleased = displeased
  • im- (before m and p): im + possible = impossible, im + polite = impolite

Endings can flip meaning too: careful ↔ careless, penniless means having no money.

  • Disallow ↔ permit disallow = not allow, so the opposite is allow / permit
  • Distrust ↔ confidence (trust) take away the 'dis' and you get the opposite: trust
  • Incorrect = wrong a synonym question! in + correct means 'not correct', which is wrong
  • Penniless ↔ affluent -less means 'without': without a penny = very poor
Hedgie's trickWhen you see un-, in-, dis-, im- at the front, cover it with your thumb 👍. The word left behind (allow, trust, correct) is usually the antonym of the whole word.
Olympiad trap!Incorrect is a negative word, but the question may ask for its synonym. Then the answer is the other negative word, wrong, not right, true or accurate.
🧐 Quick check
Choose the antonym of disallow.
4

💎Big-word treasure chest

The Olympiad loves big words. Learn them in little families so they are easy to remember.

Big wordMeansOpposite
colossalgiganticminute (my-NEWT) = tiny
affluentrich, wealthypenniless, poor
strenuousvery hard, tiringeffortless
grippingvery excitingboring
abandonleave, desertretain, keep
obsoleteout of datemodern
inherentbuilt in, naturalexternal (from outside)
soberserious, calmwild, carefree
  • Climbing the hill was strenuous, but rolling down was effortless! strenuous ↔ effortless
  • Typewriters are obsolete; laptops are modern. obsolete = no longer used
  • A hedgehog's spikes are inherent: they are part of it from birth. inherent = belongs inside naturally; external = comes from outside
Hedgie's trickMake a picture for each big word. Colossal sounds like Colosseum, a giant stadium. Affluent has flu…ent, like money flowing in. Obsolete: so old it's sold out of the shops.
Olympiad trap!Minute has two meanings! MIN-it = 60 seconds, but my-NEWT = extremely tiny. In word questions about size, it means tiny.
Fun factEnglish has about 30 synonyms for big: large, huge, vast, giant, gigantic, colossal, enormous, massive, immense, mammoth… That's a lot of bigness! 🐘
🧐 Quick check
Which word is the antonym of affluent?
5

🎭Feelings & shades of meaning

Many synonym and antonym questions are about feelings and how people behave. Sort them into happy and sad, calm and upset, shy and bold.

  • Happy family: blissful, joyful, elated, uplifted, cheerful
  • Sad family: melancholy, miserable, depressive (very low), gloomy
  • Calm family: composed, calm, relaxed, serene
  • Upset family: agitated, worried, nervous
  • Shy family: timid, shy, humble, modest
  • Bold family: brave, bold, confident, boastful (shows off)
  • Meera felt melancholy when her friend moved away. melancholy = sad
  • Before the race, Dev was agitated, but Kabir stayed composed. agitated ↔ composed
  • Our team was an opponent of their team: a rival. opponent = rival; the opposite is ally / partner
Hedgie's trickDraw a quick ☺️ or ☹️ next to each option. In a synonym question, pick the one with the same face as the given word. In an antonym question, pick the other face.
Olympiad trap!Words can be in the same family but not exact twins. Modest and shy are cousins, but the true antonym of modest is boastful, the person who shows off.
🧐 Quick check
Choose the synonym of miserable.
6

🕵️Synonym or antonym? Beat the decoys

The question setter puts both kinds of words in the options to catch you. Use this 3-step plan every time:

  1. Read the instruction: does it say synonym (same) or antonym (opposite)? Circle it!
  2. Say the meaning of the given word in your own words.
  3. Sort the options into ‘same’ and ‘opposite’. Then pick from the right pile.

If you don't know the word, look for clues: prefixes, word parts and sentences you have heard.

  • Synonym of sober: drunk, wild, serious, carefree sober = calm and serious; drunk, wild and carefree are opposites
  • Antonym of abandon: leave, forsake, retain, desert three options mean abandon; retain (keep) is the opposite
  • Antonym of gripping: fascinating, boring, engaging, captivating gripping = so exciting you can't stop
Hedgie's trickIn antonym questions, look for the odd one out. If three options mean nearly the same thing, the fourth one is usually your answer!
Olympiad trap!The commonest mistake: knowing the meaning but answering the wrong kind of question. Always check the instruction at the top of the section (A = synonyms, B = antonyms).
🧐 Quick check
Antonym of composed?
🗺️ Mind map

The whole chapter on one page

Tap a branch to focus on it. Can you explain each bubble to someone at home?

🃏 Flashcards

Flip & remember

Say the answer in your head before you flip. Be honest — "not yet" cards go to your Review Burrow for later.

📘 Book mission

Now practise in your workbook

Use a pencil. Do each set, then check with the answer key and tick it off here.

📗 Open the answer key
🎁 Wrap-up

Remember these

  1. A synonym means the same: vast = huge, alter = change. Use the swap test.
  2. An antonym means the opposite: shack ↔ mansion, predator ↔ prey. Use the “but” test.
  3. Prefixes un-, in-, dis-, im- often mean not: cover them up to find the opposite (disallow ↔ allow/permit).
  4. Learn big words in families: colossal, affluent, strenuous, obsolete, inherent.
  5. In antonym questions, three options are often synonyms. The odd one out is your answer.
  6. Always circle the instruction first: synonym or antonym?

🦔 Teach Hedgie!

Hedgie keeps mixing up the two words. Explain to him the difference between a synonym and an antonym, and give him one pair of each using words from today.

Explaining something in your own words is the best way to make it stick.

How do you feel about this chapter?

Take the quiz 🧭
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