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A-Z grammar terms A-Z confused pairs "parts of speech" lists

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Synonyms

What Are Synonyms? (with Examples)

A synonym is a word or phrase that can be substituted for another word or phrase in a particular context. For example, happy is a synonym of glad. We can say that happy and glad are synonymous.

Examples of Synonyms

Here are some more examples of synonyms (shaded):

• He studied law at Oxford.
• He read law at Oxford.
(In this context, the verbs to study and to read are synonyms.)


• She is an excellent student.
• She is a strong student.
(In this context, the adjectives excellent and strong are synonyms.)


• She is a real Picasso.
• She is a great artist .
(In this context, the phrases are synonyms.)

Context Is Important When Considering Synonyms

Words which are synonyms in one context might not be synonyms in another. For example:

• He was studying in the kitchen.
• He was reading in the kitchen.
(In this context, the meanings of to study and to read are not close enough to be synonyms.)


• This is an excellent cheese.
• This is a strong cheese.
(In this context, excellent and strong are not synonyms.)

Synonyms Can Be Any Part of Speech

Synonyms can be any part of speech. For example:

Adjectives

• The reason is unimportant.
• The reason is irrelevant.

Adverbs

• He eats fast.
• He eats quickly.

Conjunctions

• I should tell her as she is my sister.
• I should tell her because she is my sister.
(Note: These are known as subordinating conjunctions.

Interjections

• Yes, Captain.
• Aye, Captain.

Nouns

• Shall I take the dogs?
• Shall I take the mutts?

Prepositions

• Upon arrival, take a ticket.
• On arrival, take a ticket.

Pronouns

• I'll show you my yacht. She is a beauty.
• I'll show you my yacht. It is a beauty.

Verbs

• I need to contemplate the consequences.
• I need to consider the consequences.

A Quick Test

• This test has questions.
• You will score at least 5 points for a correct answer.
• You will score bonus points for answering the questions quickly.
• Be careful though. Wrong answers score 0 points.
• The maximum score is .

Scoring System

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