Using Words with Opposite Meanings – English Standard Four

1. Meaning of Words with Opposite Meanings

Words with opposite meanings are words that express completely different or contrasting ideas. They are also called antonyms. In Kiswahili, antonyms are called maneno yenye maana zinazopingana au kuwa kinyume.

Examples of opposite words

Word	Opposite	Kiswahili meaning
Big	Small	Kubwa – Dogo
Tall	Short	Mrefu – Mfupi
Hot	Cold	Moto – Baridi
Happy	Sad	Mwenye furaha – Mwenye huzuni
Clean	Dirty	Safi – Chafu
Fast	Slow	Haraka – Polepole
Old	New	Ya zamani – Mpya
Open	Closed	Wazi – Imefungwa
Early	Late	Mapema – Kwa kuchelewa
Strong	Weak	Mwenye nguvu – Dhaifu
Full	Empty	Imejaa – Tupu
Near	Far	Karibu – Mbali
Up	Down	Juu – Chini
Inside	Outside	Ndani – Nje
Wet	Dry	Yenye maji – Kavu

2. Using Opposite Words in Sentences

We can use opposite words to describe people, animals, objects and situations.

1. The elephant is big, but the mouse is small.
2. A giraffe is tall, but a goat is short.
3. Tea is hot, but cold water is cold.
4. Amina is happy, but Juma is sad.
5. Our classroom is clean, but the store is dirty.
6. A bus is fast, but a bicycle can be slow.
7. My shoes are new, but my father’s shoes are old.
8. The door is open, but the window is closed.
9. Neema arrived early, but Juma arrived late.
10. The bottle is full, but the cup is empty.

Remember: Opposite words help us to describe differences between people, animals, objects and situations.

3. Using Opposite Words in Daily Conversations

A. At School

Teacher: Is your classroom clean?
Pupil: Yes, teacher. Our classroom is clean.
Teacher: What about the playground?
Pupil: The playground is dirty.
Teacher: Is your school near your home?
Pupil: No, teacher. My school is far from my home.

New words: Clean – Safi; Dirty – Chafu; Near – Karibu; Far – Mbali.

B. At Home

Mother: Is the water hot or cold?
Child: It is hot, mother.
Mother: Is the bottle full?
Child: No, mother. It is empty.
Mother: Please close the door.
Child: The door is already closed.

New words: Hot – Moto; Cold – Baridi; Full – Imejaa; Empty – Tupu; Open – Wazi; Closed – Imefungwa.

C. At the Market

Seller: Do you want big or small oranges?
Buyer: I want big oranges.
Seller: Are these oranges fresh?
Buyer: Yes, they are fresh. Those ones look old.
Seller: These oranges are cheap.
Buyer: Are those ones expensive?
Seller: Yes, they are expensive.

New words: Big – Kubwa; Small – Dogo; Fresh – Mbichi/Mpya; Old – Ya zamani; Cheap – Nafuu; Expensive – Ghali.

4. More Opposite Words Used in Everyday Life

Word	Opposite	Example sentence
Rich	Poor	The rich man helps the poor man.
Strong	Weak	The strong boy helps the weak boy.
Light	Heavy	This bag is light, but that one is heavy.
Easy	Difficult	English is easy, but this question is difficult.
Laugh	Cry	The baby can laugh or cry.
Give	Take	Give me the book; do not take it away.
Start	Finish	We start lessons early and finish later.
Buy	Sell	Mother buys vegetables; the seller sells them.

5. Oral Practice

Work in pairs. Ask and answer questions using opposite words.

Example 1
Pupil A: Is the bag heavy?
Pupil B: No, it is light.

Example 2
Pupil A: Is the road near the school?
Pupil B: No, it is far from the school.

Example 3
Pupil A: Is the classroom dirty?
Pupil B: No, it is clean.

Now practise with these pairs: Happy/Sad; Fast/Slow; Full/Empty; Early/Late; Big/Small.

6. Exercises

Exercise A: Match the words with their opposites.

Column A
1. Big
2. Hot
3. Happy
4. Full
5. Clean

Column B
A. Cold
B. Small
C. Empty
D. Sad
E. Dirty

Exercise B: Fill in the blanks using the correct opposite word.

Choose from: short, slow, new, open, weak.

1. A tortoise is ______, but a cheetah is fast.
2. My brother is tall, but my sister is ______.
3. This book is old, but that book is ______.
4. The window is closed, but the door is ______.
5. A strong person is not ______.

Exercise C: Choose the correct answer.

1. The opposite of happy is: A. Glad; B. Sad; C. Good; D. Nice.
2. The opposite of near is: A. Far; B. Close; C. Here; D. Around.
3. The opposite of empty is: A. Small; B. Clean; C. Full; D. Open.
4. The opposite of early is: A. First; B. Late; C. Fast; D. Soon.
5. The opposite of easy is: A. Simple; B. Good; C. Difficult; D. Short.

Exercise D: Make sentences.

Use the following pairs to make sentences showing their opposite meanings:

1. Big / Small
2. Hot / Cold
3. Clean / Dirty
4. Fast / Slow
5. Happy / Sad

7. Answer Guide

Exercise A: 1–B, 2–A, 3–D, 4–C, 5–E.

Exercise B: 1. Slow; 2. Short; 3. New; 4. Open; 5. Weak.

Exercise C: 1. B; 2. A; 3. C; 4. B; 5. C.

Exercise D: Pupils’ answers may differ. Check whether each sentence uses the words correctly.

8. Support for Slow Learners

• A teacher to use real objects and pictures to demonstrate opposite meanings.
• A teacher to introduce two opposite words at a time.
• A teacher to pronounce each word clearly and ask pupils to repeat.
• A teacher to allow pupils to match pictures with opposite words.
• A teacher to guide pupils in making simple oral sentences.
• A teacher to give additional practice using familiar objects found at home and school.

9. Learning Outcome

By the end of this lesson, a pupil should be able to:

1. Identify words with opposite meanings.
2. Match words with their correct opposites.
3. Use opposite words in simple sentences.
4. Use antonyms in spoken conversations to express contrasting ideas.