opposite words
ESL Class - How to Expand your Vocabulary with Opposites
When you learn new vocabulary, it is sometimes difficult to remember new words; you probably tend to translate or use the dictionary as the fastest way out. Trying to remember opposites is a great technique that may prevent you from constantly turning to a dictionary for either the definition or translation.
In most ESL programs, teachers teach a word through opposites, synonyms, illustrations, mimics, examples, etc. You can build your vocabulary by asking yourself if you know the opposite of one of the most important words in a sentence. It also helps to learn words in a complete sentence. This makes them much easier to remember. These are also great strategies to avoid translating in class. Why is it so important to avoid translation? Most ESL teachers believe that if you use or speak your native language in class, this will not allow you to incorporate the second language in a easy, fast, and natural way.
Learning through opposites is effective, and as mentioned above, ESL students must try to avoid translations and learn the language through the second language itself.
Below, you’ll see some examples of opposites used in business English:
1. Reject-accept: He has accepted my recommendation.
2. Demolish-build: They are demolishing an office block down by the river.
3. Attack-defend: She defended the company’s policy on the environment.
4. Withdraw-deposit: She’s gone to the bank to deposit money.
5. Accept-evade: Is he the kind of person that accepts his responsibilities?
6. Fail-succeed: I think his reorganization plan will ultimately fail.
7. Impose-lift: They’ve imposed restrictions on the use of cell phones.
8. Gain-lose: Share prices gained ground throughout the day.
9. Lose-make (money): We made a lot of money on that last deal.
10. Keep-miss: Did he miss his appointment with that journalist?
11. Lower-raise: They say the banks are going to raise interest rates.
12. Increase-reduce: I think this move will increase the deficit.
13. Complicate-simplify: Won’t the new clocking-in-system simplify things?
14. Strengthen-weaken: Getting outside finance can only weaken our position.
15. Expand-decline: Ship building has expanded in this area over the years.
16. Accept-deny: He denied that the company was in trouble.
17. Disapprove-approve: Many employees approved of the new law.
18. Defend-accuse: A defense attorney is responsible for defending his client.
19. Buy-sell: Over the last 10 years the company has bought millions of units.
20. Inform-misinform: As they were misinformed, they didn’t get the message correctly.
21. Legal-illegal: He was accused of illegal business practices.
22. Lay off-hire: A large number of staff members were hired this week.
23. Understand-misunderstand: Everyone misunderstood the new French engineer who was hired last week.
24. Agree-disagree: Not everyone agreed that working offshore the whole week was a bad idea.
25. Employed-unemployed: Many legal aliens are unemployed in this city.
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