Antonyms Changing the impact of words 1 Antonyms

Antonyms Changing the impact of words 1

Antonyms We can make a dramatic change to a text by changing just one word. In the second sentence ‘cheerily’ has been substituted with an antonym – a word with an opposite meaning. Zak looked over and smiled cheerily. Zak looked over and smiled sadly. By changing the word, it tells us something else about the character, his feelings and perhaps his intentions. 2

Antonyms By substituting antonyms for words, we can make a dramatic change to our writing. character and In particular, it is effective in changing… setting 3

Antonyms For each of these sentences, think of as many antonyms as you can for the words highlighted. 1. She rode the motorbike wildly. 2. A calm sky was overhead. 3. He had a generous spirit. 4

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1. Select the word you want to change – I’ve chosen great. Antonyms 5. It offers synonyms on the right-hand side. 6. At the bottom of the list of synonyms there may be one or more antonyms. 2. Press the ‘shift’ key and F 7 together (or click on the Tools menu and select Language then Thesaurus) 3. Thesaurus box opens. 4. If the word has a number of different meanings, these can be selected from the left-hand side. Double-click on one of these for more antonyms. 6

Antonyms Here is the description of a character called Bill Sikes. He’s a thoroughly nasty character from ‘Oliver Twist’ by Charles Dickens. See if you change his character, using antonyms to replace the highlighted words. The man who gruffly shouted out these words, was a stout fellow of about five-and-thirty, in a dark velveteen coat, very soiled drab breeches, lace-up half boots, and grey cotton stockings, which enclosed a bulky pair of legs, with large calves. He had a brown hat on his head, and a dirty handkerchief round his neck, with long tattered ends that were smeared and grubby. 7 Adapted from Oliver Twist

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Antonyms At last, one beautiful evening in January, which is our most hot month, we steamed along the coast of Natal, expecting to make Durban Point by sunset. It is a lovely coast all along from East London, with its striking sandhills and wide sweeps of vivid green, and bordered by a ribbon of white surf which spouts up in spectacular pillars of foam where it hits the rocks. But just before you get to Durban there is a peculiar richness about it. There are the deep ravines cut in the hills by the heavy rains of centuries, down which the rivers gush; there is the deepest green of the bush, growing as God planted it, and the other vibrant colours of the mealie-gardens and the sugar-patches, while here and there a white house, smiling out at the calm sea, gives an air of pleasantness to the scene. 9 Adapted from King Solomon’s Mines