You can use synonyms to vary words when you are writing. Instead of always using the word "big," you can use more descriptive language: "huge," "gigantic," "enormous."

Notice the difference in the following sentences:

The bear that we saw in the woods was big.
The bear that we saw in the woods was enormous.

The second sentence is more descriptive and gives us a better idea of how big the bear was.

It is important to realize that while words may have similar meanings, they are not always interchangeable. This means that you cannot always replace a word with another just because meanings are similar.

Let's look at some examples:

Jennifer was hungry or Jennifer was famished.
"Hungry" and "famished" have similar meanings, but if Jennifer is "famished," she is very hungry.
If you are trying to communicate how hungry she is, "famished" is a better word.
Mark had a boo-boo or Mark had an injury.
"Boo-boo" is a common slang word for an injury, but even though these two words mean similar things, you would not want to use "boo-boo" in formal speech or writing.

Again, synonyms can help you vary your words when writing, but they can also help you to be more specific about what you want to say, and using a synonym that is more formal can help you when you are writing.

Antonyms

Now, we will look at antonyms.

If two words are antonyms, it means they have opposite meaning.

Let's look at some examples:

The words "build" and "destroy" have opposite meanings-they are antonyms.
The words "chilly" and "warm" have opposite meanings-they are antonyms.
The words "smooth" and "rough" have opposite meanings-they are antonyms.
The words "damp" and "dry" have opposite meanings-they are antonyms.

Again, you can use antonyms to better understand what you read and to be more descriptive when you write. For example, instead of writing, "She was not nice," use an antonym of the word "nice" to describe the girl such as "mean," or "unfriendly."

She was mean.
She was unfriendly.

You can also form antonyms by adding a prefix meaning "not" to a word. Some common prefixes that mean "not" are "un," "in," and "non."

Let's look at some examples:

Able-you can form an opposite of this word by adding "un" to make "unable."
Consistent-you can form an opposite of this word by adding "in" to make "inconsistent."
Fat-you can form an opposite of this word by adding "non" to make "nonfat."

Summary

Synonyms (think "same")

Words that have the same or similar meanings.

Some Synonyms

Chilly

Cool

Story

Tale

Tremble

Shake

Thin

Skinny

Afraid

Scared

Tardy

Late

Imitate

Copy

Antonym (think "against")

Words that have opposite meanings.

Some Antonyms

Enormous

Tiny

Feast

Snack

Take

Give

Long

Short

Wobbly

Steady

Freedom

Captivity

Temporary

Permanent