(SKKN 2022) some methods of teaching synonym and antonym in learning vocabulary to improve skills and do GCSE exams effectively

Students’ words knowledge should be noticed while learning language.. One of the four practices is developing word awareness.Many students of upper high school have weaknesses in vocabul

PART A: INTRODUCTION

I Reasons for choosing the topic.

Vocabulary plays important role in language learning.Vocabulary is also

an essential skill for learning to read, speak, write and listen.Without sufficient vocabulary, people cannot communicate and express their feeling both in form

of spoken and written effectively The more people master vocabulary the more they can speak, write, read and listen as they want David Wilkins claimed about the vocabulary importance “Without grammar, very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed” Qi Pan claimed,

“Vocabulary is the crucial element in learning well a foreign language as one of three basic parts (phonetic, vocabulary, and grammar)” As foreign learners, the students have to learn the words first Mastery of the words meaning can help

to understand sentences, passages, or courses

Students’ words knowledge should be noticed while learning language One of the four practices is developing word awareness.Many students of upper high school have weaknesses in vocabulary.And one of the ways to enhance students’ vocabulary is using lexical items, such as synonym and antonym although there are many ways to enhance students’ vocabulary mastery, such as learning by using context clues, pictures, games, semantic mapping, paraphrasing

According to June Preszler, vocabulary and reading has a big relation.As written in the syllabus on reading skill “Students should able to response the meaning on the simple essay or text accurately and fluently related to daily-environment in descriptive and recount text” which means students should be able to comprehend the meaning of the text they read.The students were expected to be able to response the meaning of the simple text by answering the questions based on the text correctly In fact, the students get difficulties in answering the question if the question uses another word in describing what in the text is They only could answer the question that written on the text In other words, they were still confused to answer the implied simple question The words they knew will help in comprehending the text It is necessary to develop their vocabulary In this technique, I have used synonyms and antonyms to develop their vocabulary knowledge So by giving synonym and antonym in learning vocabulary can help the students know not only one word but also other words that have the same meaning and the opposite meaning on the text to comprehend easily

Therefore, based on the explanation above, I am eager to conduct a study

about “Some methods of teaching synonym and antonym in learning vocabulary to improve skills and do GCSE exams effectively”.

II Aims of the study

Considering the importance of problem identification, problems were identified as follows:

-The students are limited in using symnonym and antonym in skills and in GCSE exams

-The students get difficulties in comprehending the passage

-The students are not able to response the questions that using the different words

With the reasons above in my mind, the finding of the study can be used

by teachers, students, and other researchers in increasing students’ vocabulary For both teachers and students, this study can be useful as a technique in teaching vocabulary since the treatment of this technique is conducted continuously, it will make the students comprehend and meet the requirements

in studying language easily The teacher as a facilitator guides the students to improve their symnonyms and antonyms effectively by giving some techniques Later, it is for other researchers who may need to use and apply by using other techniques in teaching synonym and antonym

III Objects of the study

With the hope of improving the learning vocabulary through synonyms and antonyms , the study focuses on the following objects:

- Grade 12 students at high schools

- Teachers at between junior and senior high schools

- Undergraduates

- Advanced students

IV Methods of the study

To realize the aims of the study, a detailed study is used The theoretical background of the study comes from many published books written by different authors on language teaching The data collected for the study came from two sources: the students and the English teachers at upper secondary schools by making personal observations through attending classes and drawing out experiences

PART B: DEVELOPMENT

I Theoretical background

1 Definition of vocabulary:

When talking about vocabulary, it must be about the words There are many definitions of vocabulary given by experts Vocabulary is related to word

or lexis Vocabulary is list of words and its meaning John Read stated that vocabulary is about knowing the meaning of the words, accordingly the aim of vocabulary test is to expose whether the learners are able to match each word with a synonym or antonyms , an equivalent word in their own language or not The word “vocabulary” generally represents a review of the words or their arrangements in a particular language As Joklova stated that one item of vocabulary can consist of more than one word For instance, the word

“bookstore‟, it consisted of two words “book‟ and “store‟ and still express an idea The idea showed the place That word is called as word phrase

The writer summarizes that vocabulary is not just about words or lexis but also about the expression of its word and the meaning of the word that people known in the language A language will not be communicative if the people do not know what the meaning of its words is with the expression they showed

2 Kind of vocabulary:

The words that people produced are not only words, but also their own types.Vocabulary was distinguished into two types

* Active vocabulary: It means the words that student have been taught and learned and able to use They recognize the words and able to produce in spoken or written language as well In other hand, active vocabulary is the words that can recall and use at will when the situation requires it the words can

be choose and used actively from memory

* Passive Vocabulary

It means the words that student was going to recognize but when they find them, they get difficulty in producing In other hand, passive vocabulary is the word that can be listened and understand used prompts to recall its meaning kinds of word

Besides, John Read mentions two kinds of word or vocabulary below

* Function words: Function words are the words used to make sentences grammatically correct The words of this kind are article, prepositions, pronouns, conjunctions, auxiliaries

* Content words: are the words that give the contents of the story and tell the listener where to focus his or her attention They are nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs

It can be concluded, when students learn about function and content words, it can be active vocabulary if they can use and produce the words properly in daily conversation spontaneously It might be passive vocabulary if the students cannot recall the words from their mind spontaneously They have already learned about the words but they find difficulties to produce it

3 Forms of words or vocabulary:

The words or vocabulary itself comes in two forms; oral and print words while the knowledge of word also divided into two forms; receptive and productive vocabulary

Oral Vocabulary is set of the words for which the meaning is known when speak or read orally

Print vocabulary is the words for which the meaning is known when write or read silently

Receptive vocabulary is set of the words that the meaning can be assigned by individual when listening or reading

Productive vocabulary is set of the words that can be used by an individual when writing and speaking

In the teaching and learning process, the students more often listen to the teachers‟ instruction that will give them many new words to receive For beginning readers, oral vocabulary exceeds print vocabulary They will comprehend easily with more simply oral instruction

*Expressive Vocabulary

It is used to refer to the vocabularies we use to express ourselves

*Receptive Vocabulary

It used to refer to the vocabularies of listening and reading

*Meaning or Oral Vocabulary

It is combination of listening and speaking vocabulary

*Literate Vocabulary

It is about the combination of reading and writing vocabulary

It can be concluded, there are not only two types of vocabulary mentioned before, but there are many types They were classified the types of word based on the word and knowledge, also based on the sum of words used

by According to Pikulski and Templeton, vocabulary was classified into four types such as oral vocabulary, print vocabulary, receptive vocabulary, and productive vocabulary There is similarity on the types that they were mentioned between oral vocabulary and receptive vocabulary but it has different definition based on their own assumption

4 The importance of Vocabulary

Vocabulary, much more than grammar, is the key to the students understand what they heard and read; and to communicate successfully with other people Without sufficient vocabulary people cannot understand others or express their own ideas Language learning usually involves a large number of different literacy activities and practices, and without some breadth and depth

of vocabulary knowledge these are difficult to grasp or do

Thurnbury claimed about the vocabulary importance “Without grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed” He also said that by learning more words and expression will see the more improvement With words people can say anything they want, but with grammar people can only say little thing because they speak with words most

not grammar People can understand what they read or listen if they know the meaning of words, though the speaker has incorrect grammatically It is more difficulties to understand the passage or speech if they did not know the meaning of the words though spoken grammatically correct Vocabulary helps students understand and communicate with others in English The students who have unlimited vocabulary will be more easy to get and learn what they read

Vocabulary is obviously a very important element within a language as the knowledge as the overwhelming majority of meaning is carried lexically; and, therefore something to be taken into consideration both in second and foreign language teaching, although not only one that conveys meaning Rosa‟s opinion about the importance of vocabulary, she said that the students need to

be made aware of the importance of vocabulary because, in general, there is a tendency to concentrate on grammar, paying little attention to vocabulary Such

as the writer‟s experiences, from the elementary school until senior high school, when learning English concern in grammar, it less about vocabulary When talked about vocabulary, it only about looking for the meaning of the difficult words

5 Learning Vocabulary

One of the factors bringing to the unsuccessful in learning English is the students‟ lack of vocabulary Vocabulary is one of the vital elements in constructing meaningful communication Without knowing the words needed to convey their ideas and feeling the learners cannot speak and write well The student who masters a good structure seems to lose its function whenever it is not supported by the abundance of words In other words, it can be said that no matter how well students learn grammar and sounds of words, without words to express wide range of meanings, communication will become meaningless

Learning vocabulary is one of the efficient ways in improving the English students’’ comprehension “The more complex the information is, the more likely the students are to misinterpret it” It is because, for comprehending the information students must be told step by step If they get complexion in the information, they will get difficulties in understanding

In learning vocabulary, the significant point is the selection of words the teachers want to give to student In the beginner, it is quite easy to teach concrete words and then become more abstract and complex

Learning vocabulary is a rather more complex process than it might in first sight appear It might be simple when we heard about learning vocabulary

It may be thought that only learn about word and it was easy In fact, learning vocabulary is more complex because it does not mean acquiring the same amount of knowledge for every word in a language

Vocabulary learning is often divided between intentional learning and incidental learning Intentional learning as being designed, planned for, or intended by teacher or student While, incidental learning is unintentional or unplanned learning

There are five essential steps in vocabulary learning;

*Encountering new words

It means having a source for words Learning new words could be done

by reading books, listening to radio, watching television, or reading newspapers

or magazines Dictionaries are also used as source to find the new words or the old one The students also can be encouraged to generate their own word list

*Getting the word form

It is the second step in learning vocabulary visually or auditory or both to

be getting of clear image of the form of vocabulary item

the importance of having representation of the form of the word becomes apparent when the students think about what happen when try to retrieve words The importance of getting the words form appears when the students are asked

to give word definitions A major problem for the language learners and given name synophones identified problem for learners arising from words similar in forms

*Getting the word meaning

It is the third essential step in the learners‟ reported strategies is the one most often associated with the idea of vocabulary learning It includes such strategies as “asking native English speakers the words mean”, “asking people who speak native language the meaning in my mind”, and “explaining what I mean and asking someone to tell me the English word”

With the requirements of the task or situation and also with the level of the learners showed the level of distinctions Sometimes, language learners need different kind of definitions and distinctions depend on the words being learned and the reason for needing them Learners often get close to the meaning of the English words, choosing meanings that have some of the features of the test word For example, a windshield is a window, but it is a particular kind of window The other words are strong and hard, share some features with heavy, but distinct in some ways Some ways to get the word meaning are by using dictionaries and by having a bilingual friend or teacher explanation One very popular to get the words meaning practically and incidentally is through context

*Consolidating word form and meaning in memory

Many kinds of vocabulary learning drills, such a flashcards, matching exercises, crossword puzzles, and so on, strengthen the form-meaning connection It was mentioned as the example of consolidation word form and meaning in memory Cohen claimed that the more words learners can get through this step, the more words they will know overall

*Using the word

It is the final step in learning words According to Brown and Payne, some would argue that this step is not necessary if the goal is receptive knowledge word Such an argument, people may not understand the word being used, but they are able to comprehend the meaning by the context

II Overview of Synonyms and Antonyms

Synonyms and antonyms can help enrich the vocabulary of the language learner

in a quick pace if they can be used productively Knowing about the synonyms and antonyms in depth can equipe you to use them with expertise so that one can use them in widening their vocabulary in a language they are learning

1 Synonym

1.1 Definition of Synonyms

Synonyms are words that mean the same or similar things in the same language Synonymous words can serve the same purpose as their counterparts more often than not Synonyms are often used to avoid repetitiveness in language when composing long speeches or written pieces Avoiding the use of the same word over and again helps bring a polish to the language used

1.2 Synonyms: Same or Similar?

Words with the same meaning and similar meaning have a very subtle difference "Same" stands for the absolutely identical or easily replaceable counterparts of a source word But "Similar" stands for a word that is not identical but close to the one it is being compared to Words with both same and similar meanings are labelled "Synonym" and they are used in synonymous situations

1.3 When are Synonyms Used?

Synonyms depend on the context it is being used in The words can be nearly similar but they can be used in slightly or completely different contexts depending on in which situation it is usually used The adjectives, “Beautiful” and “Handsome” are synonymous in meaning and should be okay to be used in the same or similar scenarios but to compliment someone for their appearance,

“Beautiful” is used for the female and “Handsome” towards the male

1.4 Fixed Scenarios

Words with nearly similar meanings tend to be used in certain types of scenarios.Though there are subtle differences between the adjectives - adorable, pretty, gorgeous, cute, spectacular etc., they are all used to throwing compliments at people or something else There is no particular reason why babies are “cute,” little girls are “pretty,” baby boys are “adorable,” a bride is

“gorgeous” but a mountain view is “spectacular”

1.5 Habit

Habit is a big deal when it comes to language Language comes into being when people habitually keep using similar words in the same sequence or

in the same context With time, these become habit and the next generations just keep using similar sentences or phrases out of habit Sometimes, habit would decide which of the synonyms are to be used in what context even after almost being the same in meaning Certain words sound better in certain contexts and the rest are hard to sound similarly good or right in the same situation Depending on where it is being used, the words seem to revolve in flavor too

2 Antonym

2.1 Definition of Antonym

The words that make contrasting or opposite sense would be considered antonyms.Antonyms would easily stand against their counterparts Posing an opposite sense towards the word intended,antonyms keep the variety going But just like synonyms, antonyms too, play a vital part in spicing the language up and sift out the monotony from it

2.2 Antonyms: Opposite or Contrasting?

The word, "Contrast" means the slight distance in meaning with the word

it is being compared with "Opposite" stretches that distance farther away to the point where the word absolutely contradicts one another These opposite or contrasting terms both serve as antonyms Depending on what sense would work best and where, polar opposite or subtly contrasting antonyms are used in suitable contexts

2.3 When are Antonyms Used?

Let’s take a look at when and where antonyms or opposite words are used in the English language -Context

Undecided rules determine what words would be better suited in what context Antonyms play along these rules and sit where absolutely opposite or slightly opposing senses flow through It varies depending on context as to which of the antonymous terms would suit best Depending on context or whom it is indicating to or which part of their appearance is being reviewed, the antonym

of “beautiful” can be - ugly, unattractive, ordinary, disgusting or grotesque A man may be “ugly” depending on his dress up, “unattractive” in appearance and

“disgusting” in his behavior depending on the speaker/commenter’s emotions

or choice of words

2.4 Gender

Words determining the opposite gender often stand for their respective antonyms The socially accepted binary nature of gender has allowed this to

happen since there were supposedly only two types of people in the society (according to their assigned gender) and they were conventionally thought of as inherently opposite of one another in nature That's where it came from that

"Woman" should be the antonym of the word - "Man" in English Some may argue why it is not popularized that “Animal” is the antonym word for “Man” but most antonym lists would give “woman” as the answer

3 Wider Choice of Words

With a good collection of synonyms and antonyms at hand, the writer or speaker can be versatile in terms of choosing between them That would diminish the monotony from the language used in daily life Having a large enough vocabulary showcases mastery of the language and that in turn, entails

a greater level of fluency and expertise in using the right words in right contexts Without a good range of antonyms available in your vocabulary, the speeches and write-ups can lack spark

4 Determine New Words

Getting to know new words becomes easier when you know the synonym or antonym of that particular word If you know what “good” means, putting the similar meaning of the word, “well” would be easier to have entered into your vocabulary Same goes for antonyms like - bad, evil, vile, disagreeable, unacceptable etc which can enter your collection of words more easily than adding random words to the existing collection

5 Acquiring a Bigger Vocabulary

Widening the extent of your known words is a big challenge for the new learners of any language It proves to be a hard job to keep enriching the collection of words in your target language But after a certain point, an advanced level of linguistic expertise requires a vast collection of words Since synonyms and antonyms can fast track you into opening up to a wider range of vocabulary quicker, it can be a fantastic tool for language learning For the learners of the English language or any target language for that matter, learning sets of words as synonyms and/or antonyms of the same word acquired earlier

is always easier than learning completely different words with various meanings

III Some methods / activities for teaching synonyms and antonyms

Synonyms and antonyms are extremely useful to know because they enhance the overall command of language However, some of our students might lack this knowledge and get by with just a basic set of adjectives and verbs Why can’t it be left like that?

Synonyms and antonyms demonstrate our language proficiency because being able to use various shades of meanings without repeating ourselves helps

us get across more precise messages

Synonyms and antonyms are crucial for exams because exam tasks involve tons of paraphrasing The more you know, the higher your result will

be as this knowledge enables you to process information faster and be sure to have the right answers

In today’s study , we will have a look at some activities that you can use

if you want to enlarge your students’ vocabulary, prepare them better for exams

or just get rid of the ever-present ‘good’ and ‘bad’

1.Substitutes

It can work with any kind of text when you want to draw students’ attention to the variety of vocabulary and shades of meaning Take a text and substitute all target words with a couple of their basic equivalents If you are learning how to write a review, you can, for instance, replace adjectives like ‘thrilling’, ‘exciting’, ‘thought-provoking’ etc

with ‘good’ and ‘interesting’ If reported speech is in focus, do the same with the synonyms for ’say’ and ‘tell’ Then ask students to read the text and

‘upgrade’ it, substituting basic words with their more sophisticated equivalents For lower levels, you can underline or highlight the words to be replaced, higher levels can work on their own This task can be done in pairs as well

2 Symonym /antonym race

Divide your students into two teams and ask one person from each team

to come to the board Decide if you are going to practise synonyms or antonyms Then say a word, for example, ‘say’, and see which team can come

up with a synonym or antonym first The first team which writes their word down correctly will get a point Then invite two new players to the board and play another round with the same word When students run out of synonyms for ‘say’, you give them a new word

3 Quiz jar

This revision activity can be run throughout the whole year Every time you and your students come across some nice set of synonyms or a tricky pair

of antonyms, discuss it and write down a question on a small card The questions vary depending on the level and might be the following:

What’s the difference between ‘famous’ and ‘notorious’?

Can you name 3 synonyms for ‘important’?

Give as many opposites for ‘fake’ as you can

What’s the opposite of ‘short’ in ‘short dress’? And in ‘short man’?

Choose the word that is most nearly opposite in meaning to the word in capital letters:

HAZARDOUS

A.vivid B.convenient C.dangerous D.secure E.risky

Store all the question cards and don’t forget to add new ones to a jar or a box You can use them to run quizzes in teams or just revise briefly, say, at the end

of each month

4.Split crossword

This is one of my favourite activities that can be easily adapted for teaching and revising both synonyms and antonyms In split crosswords students work in pairs and explain words from their half of the crossword to each other This is, for example, what one part of such a crossword looks like:

Instead of asking students just to explain the words, you can add a twist

to that and tell them to use one-word antonymic explanations If they have to