Effective Communication and Language Skills ( Synonyms, homonyms, antonyms, polysemy etc)
Introduction
Greetings and welcome to my blog! Are you ready to learn? Lets go.
As stated in last lesson, this content is designed to help steemians who in one way or the other have challenges in grammar, effective use of English and communication skills, spellings and vocabularies. Reading this with undivided attention will be of great benefit to us all.
It will help us improve our writing and communication skills as bloggers.
Meaning of Synonyms
Synonyms are words that express sameness in meaning.
Examples
- frightful - shock - horrify,
- swallow - drink - gulp,
- entire - whole - total esteem - value - honour,
- candid - frank - sincere,
- abandon - desert - leave hide - conceal,
- barren - sterile, etc.
It is particularly impossible to have two words that would mean the same. This is so because each word has a context that will be different from another that is similar in meaning.
Let us examine the following sentences:
- The food is rich (wealthy)
- The woman is barren (sterile)
- How are the mighty fallen (size)
In each of these three instances, the words in the bracket can not conveniently replace the bold in this context.
Meaning of Antonyms
Antonyms are words that are nearly opposite in meaning. They express oppositeness. We should understand that the use of one item excludes the other, especially when we talk of complementation in English. Oppositeness needs to be stated in the context of explicit norms and not determined in the absolute.
Some examples of antonyms include:
- tall - short,
- big - small,
- friend - enemy,
- good - bad,
- clever - dull.
- smart - sluggish,
- empty - full,
- wrong - right,
- coward - braves,
- quest - host,
- punctual - late,
- deep - shallow,
- innocence - guilt,
- proud - humble.
Other classes of antonyms are formed through affixation.
Examples:
- Useful = Useless
- Fruitful = Fruitless
- Obey = Disobey
- Unfit = Fit
- Amoral = Moral
- Human = Inhuman
Other still are formed by changing their prefix.
Examples:
- Import = Export
- Monologue = Dialogue
- Internal = External
- Microcosm = Macrobosm
Meaning of Homophones
This refers to words that have the same sound but have different meanings and different spellings. Examples:
- Sea - see,
- fare - fair,
- be - bee,
- wheel - will,
- fool - full,
- gone - gun,
- farther - father.
- might - mite,
- So - sew
- Fur - four
- knight - night,
- read - red,
- meet - meat, etc.
Meaning of Homonyms
In this case, words are spelt and pronounced alike but have different meanings in certain contexts.
Examples
- Pen = a place where animals are kept
- Pen = a pointed object used for writing
- Bear = a kind of animal with a thick rough fur
- Bear = to carry from one place to another
- Boil = painful infection
- Boil = to heat
- Fast = quick, rapid
- Fast = firmly fixed
- Saw = past tense of see
- Saw = an instrument used in cutting wood
- Bank = where money is kept
- Bank = shores of river
POLYSEMY
This is a meaningful relation whereby a single lexical item has several but related meanings. The important thing about a polysemous word is that one of its several senses is central, while the other senses or meanings are mere figurative or metaphorical extensions of the core sense.
For example
Mouth:-
- as part of the body
- as opening for source of river
- as opposite in a cave
Ear:-
- part of the body
- part of plant (e.g., maize)
Flight:-
- as passing through air
- as air journey power of flying
Head:-
- leader of a group
- part of the body
- part of a cow
Eye:-
- as part of body
- as hole in a needle
Foot:-
- as part of the body
- part of the mountain
CLINICS
These are words that have been used so often that they have become uninteresting, ineffective, and even irrelevant.
Examples:
◆ Over and above - above
◆ Conclusively - in conclusion
◆ As a rule - normally
◆ This day and age - today, nowadays
◆ Let's face facts - honesty, sincerely
COLLOQUIALISMS/SLANGS
Both expressions refer to some sorts of localisms. They should be avoided in formal discourse. They are simply informal words and expressions used among social groups. Colloquialisms and slang are marks of intimacy and directions.
Examples:
- You catch? = members of the same clique
- Popsy/mumsy = father/mother
- Kola = bribe
- Sugar daddy = elderly lover
- Dub = copy through cheating during exams
- Booz = drinking exams.
- Baz = smoke
This list is endless. You can add more to these ones provided you understand what they mean. Its usage is usually limited to a group or region.
★ Compound Sentence: When a sentence is joined/linked together by a co-coordinator or coordinators, we refer to it as a compound sentence.
Take these examples:
- The girl ran after the boy//and//we watch her with amusement.
- Man proposes //but//God disposes. * Men shout//and//women sob.
★ Complex Sentence: Complex sentences consist of one main clause and one or more subordinate clauses.
Examples:
- The girl who stole yesterday is here.
- If the Rector's address is interesting, we shall applaud him.
- He slapped the man because he was angry.
- Gina called me when I was asleep.
◆ Compound Complex Sentence: This is a sentence that contains two main clauses and one or more subordinate clauses.
- The Rector came/opened his file/shut them again/and went away/because he was angry/since the students were disturbing.
- I saw the girl/and made advances at her/because I was interested in her.
- Jehovah made man/and the woman/as that they could stay together/but the woman sometimes is troubles the man.
- Peter's wife had an heartache/and she was rushed to hospital/where she was asked to pay some money/which she couldn't afford.
Conclusion
That is the end of the lesson presented in this article. I believe you have learned something in this lesson as usual. Please drop your questions and suggestions at the commentsection. I will be glad to hear from you and don't forget to read lesson 1, 2, 3, 4 , 5 and 6 below.
This is a rich lesson. Homophones, homonym homographs are very confusing language topics that students interchange unknowingly in examinations thereby committing blonders... mistakes. Use of English requires a mastery of the language skills and its usage. It serves one from unnecessary errors. Well done Dear Udyliciouz. You have done a good job. I will create time to see other lesson series.
I am glad you benefited from this lesson. I really appreciate your valuable response. This is what I need and that feeling of seeing people benefiting from this post will keep me going and moved to do more. Please do read other articles, they are supper rich.
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Ma, you have done so great by publishing this great and educative article with us today, and am sure that through this article many people can learn an Effective Communication and Language Skills that will help them in their daily activities
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I learn a lot from this article dear. It is what is needed for us to be able to interact with others. Keep it up
Nice feedback from you ma'am. This feedback means a lot to me. Thank you for visiting my blog.
I enjoyed the lesson, so much fun reading through and having to pronounce the words like we use to way back in secondary school, when our English teacher will pronounce phonetically.
Oh my God, am super excited to hear from you. This is really amazing. Am getting ready to drop more on a weekly basis.
Have fun dear friend
I even try to use goggle voice to here the correct pronunciation of some words.
This teaching has refreshed my memory, and helped me recall what I have forgotten. Thank you for sharing.
Wow! I so happy to hear this. You know what? Your commnet has encouraged me to do more. Wait for it next week. 😆❤️
I am so waiting to learn more. Thank you ma'am.
This is informative and we should actually be paying for this :) I am just joking actually, but it is a lot to learn seeing that a lot of people cannot remember some of these things.
Thanks a lot for this.
Thanks so much dear for liking my work and seeing it useful. 😊
My pleasure ma'am, please keep up the good work.