Synonyms, antonyms. Compatibility of lexical units. Polysemantic words. Set expressions

Textbook basis

• Goldstein Ben, Jones Ceri, Anderson Vicki, Higgins Eoin, Akysheva Raisa, Tutbayeva Nazerke, Shaik Aidana, Tsoy Nataliya «English Eyes Open 3 for Kazakhstan. Grade 7 Student's book», 2025, pp. 34, 36, 84, 107, 110
• Goldstein Ben, Jones Ceri, Anderson Vicki, Higgins Eoin, Akysheva Raisa, Tutbayeva Nazerke, Shaik Aidana, Tsoy Nataliya «English Eyes Open 3 for Kazakhstan. Grade 7 Student's book», 2025, pp. 34, 82, 96, 105, 113
• Goldstein Ben, Jones Ceri, Anderson Vicki, Higgins Eoin, Akysheva Raisa, Tutbayeva Nazerke, Shaik Aidana, Tsoy Nataliya «English Eyes Open 3 for Kazakhstan. Grade 7 Student's book», 2025, pp. 51, 82, 95, 96, 102
• Dooley Jenny, Obee Bob «Action for Kazakhstan Grade 11 (Science Schools) Student's Book», 2020, Express Publishing / Atamura, pp. 9, 10
• Goldstein Ben, Jones Ceri, McKeegan David, Anderson Vicki, Higgins Eoin «Eyes Open 4 for Kazakhstan (Grade 8) Student's book», 2019, Kokzhiek-Gorizont, pp. 7, 9, 49, 89, 91
• Dooley J., Obee B. «Action for Kazakhstan Grade 11 Student's Book», part 1, 2020, Express Publishing / Atamura, pp. 101, 104, 106, 107, 108

Key points

• Synonyms are words with the same or a very close meaning: essential = very important, chill out = relax, set off = start on a journey.
• Antonyms are words with the opposite meaning. Many are made with negative prefixes: appear → disappear, understood → misunderstood.
• Compatibility of lexical units (collocations) — words that naturally go together: make a cake, take photos, keep in touch, catch a cold, meet a deadline. They are learned as whole units, not translated word by word.
• Polysemantic words have several meanings; the context chooses one: plain = flat land (The plains are flat) or simple.
• Set expressions are fixed phrases whose form cannot be changed: phrasal verbs (give up, look after, carry out), complex prepositional phrases (in spite of, on behalf of, with regard to).

Theory

1. How to find the meaning of a word from context. The materials give a fixed set of clues:

• a definition next to the word (often after a dash): levees — natural or man-made walls that must stop rivers from flooding;
• a synonym or a repetition of the idea in other words;
• a contrast marker (unlike, however, but): the word means the opposite of the other part;
• an example in brackets or after for example;
• word-building: a known prefix or suffix (-proof = resistant to).

Rule: first guess, then check that the meaning fits the whole sentence and paragraph. Do not take the first dictionary meaning automatically.

2. Synonyms and their differences. Synonyms are rarely 100% equal: they differ in register and collocation. Get and obtain, need and require, put off and postpone mean the same, but the first word is informal and the second is formal. In a formal text replace vague words: not very good, but convincing, significant, reliable.

3. Antonyms. An antonym can be a different word (formal — informal is a prefix pair, cheap — expensive is a word pair) or a word with a negative prefix: un- (unsure), dis- (disappear), mis- (misunderstood — understood wrongly).

4. Collocations. English uses fixed verb + noun pairs:

make	take	keep	catch / meet
make a cake	take photos	keep in touch	catch a cold
make a decision	take time for yourself	keep awake	meet a deadline
	take part in	keep watch	gain experience

Typical ENT trap: do a cake, make a photo — wrong; correct: make a cake, take a photo.

5. Polysemy. One form, several meanings: plain (flat land / simple); pick up (lift something / learn in an informal way: I picked up some French); a taste of (a short experience of something different, not only food). The task usually gives a sentence and asks which meaning is used there.

6. Set expressions.

• Phrasal verbs: verb + particle, the particle changes the meaning: take up (start a hobby), give up (stop), look after (take care of), set off (start a journey), chill out (relax), carry out (do, perform), put off (postpone), deal with (handle).
• Complex prepositional phrases work as one unit: in spite of the delay, on behalf of the class, with regard to your letter. They make a text more formal.
• Topic word fields (theme vocabulary): energy — generate, store, consume, capacity, efficiency; careers — apply for a post, gain experience, meet a deadline; disasters — hurricane, flood, homeless, natural disaster.

Examples

1. Choose the synonym of essential in "A good pair of headphones is also essential." — A) cheap B) very important C) modern. Answer: B. The sentence lists necessary things, so the meaning is "very important".
2. We set off early in the morning. Which phrase is closest? A) arrived B) started the journey C) got tired. Answer: B (set off = start on a journey).
3. Find the wrong collocation: A) take photos B) keep in touch C) do a cake D) catch a cold. Answer: C — the correct form is make a cake.
4. "The plains are flat." Here plain means A) simple B) flat land C) clear. Answer: B — the word flat in the same sentence is the clue.
5. Choose the formal synonym: "We had to put off the meeting." — postpone (phrasal verb = informal, one-word Latin verb = formal).

Common mistakes

• Translating set phrases word by word: make a photo, do a cake instead of take a photo, make a cake.
• Taking the first dictionary meaning of a polysemantic word instead of the meaning required by the context.
• Treating synonyms as fully equal and mixing registers: obtain next to get in one formal letter.
• Stopping at an unknown word and losing the meaning of the whole text instead of using the definition, contrast or example nearby.
• Separating or changing a fixed phrase: the particle of a phrasal verb cannot be replaced (give up ≠ give in).

Check yourself

1. Name four context clues that help you guess a new word. — A definition, a synonym or repetition, a contrast (unlike, however), an example.
2. What does chill out mean? — Relax.
3. Correct the collocation: make photos. — Take photos.
4. Which word is formal: need or require? — Require.
5. Give the meaning of pick up in "I picked up some French on holiday." — Learned it in an informal way.