Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[EnglishLCI]

A good way to optimize your time when learning vocabulary is learning words in pairs. How? Well, every time you learn new words, instead of learning them by heart, you can reinforce your understanding of them by watching how their meaning is limited and shaped by other words, called �opposites�.

1. Agree / disagree: He agreed with my ideas, while Susan disagreed.
2. Unlock / lock: The thieves managed to unlock the door. Anyways, it�s always useful to lock it.
3. Remember / forget: She forgot the company�s name during the interview, but remembered it later.
4. Withdraw / deposit: She went to the bank to withdraw some money that I deposited earlier.
5. Asleep / Awake: Are you asleep yet? Or are you still awake?
6. Fail / succeed: Will his son succeed in what he has failed to achieve?
7. Slow / fast: The pros and cons of having a slow car are the same as the pros and cons of having a fast car.
8. Keep / lose: Did he keep his temper under control? Or did he lose it?
9. Lose / make money: We have made a lot of money lately, which compensates for all the money we lost last year.
10. Lower / raise: I�ve heard the banks are planning to raise their interest rates. I wonder if they�ve ever lowered them.
11. Deep / shallow: Is this lake deep or shallow?
12. Increase / reduce: While temperature increases as summer approaches, it reduces as autumn comes along.
13. Complicate / simplify: Why don�t they simplify things instead of complicating them?
14. Strengthen / weaken: You need to strengthen your position before your opponent�s move weakens you more.
15. Expand / decline: Ship building has expanded in this area over the years, while other activities have declined.
16. Accept / deny: The prime minister denied what his assistants had accepted earlier.
17. Disapprove / approve: I wonder whether they approved or disapproved my opinions on the subject.
18. Smart / stupid: Even smart people can say stupid things.
19. Reachable / unreachable: He was trying to convince himself that the unreachable can become reachable.
20. Understand / misunderstand: Everyone but me misunderstood your speech. I was the only one who understood it.


We hope this brief list helps you understand how some words come �in pairs� (although a word may have different opposites!), and that it gives you a better understanding of their meaning, an essential part of your ESL Programs.

Rachel Clarkson
Rachel Clarkson is an English teacher at LCI English ESL Programs and blogger at the ESL Blog.
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LCI offers the best ESL classes through experienced teachers and high quality programs in Denver, Colorado. Check out great ESL resources and articles at www.englishlci.com/blog