Luyện tập: Antonyms

Unit 38: Antonyms

Level: A2
Can-Do: I can identify and use words with opposite meanings to describe differences and improve my writing.
[IMAGE GENERATION PROMPT: A side-by-side comparison illustration showing an ancient ruin made of stone covered in moss, contrasted directly with a highly modern skyscrapers complex built from sleek glass and steel under a clean split sky.]

1. Core Vocabulary (Từ vựng cốt lõi)

Study the antonym pairs below. Notice how their meanings completely contrast with one another.

Word & Word Class Definition & Translation Contextual Example
ancient adjective belonging to the very distant pastcổ kính, cổ xưa We saw many ancient statues at the history museum.
modern adjective relating to the present or recent timeshiện đại The city has a lot of modern buildings made of glass.
rough adjective having an uneven or irregular surfacexù xì, ráp The bark of the old oak tree felt very rough.
smooth adjective having an even and regular surfacenhẵn nhụi, mượt The pebbles in the river are smooth and round.
generous adjective showing a readiness to give more of somethinghào phóng He is a generous man who helps everyone in need.
stingy adjective not generous; unwilling to give or spendkeo kiệt, bủn xỉn Don’t be stingy with your snacks; share them with us!
success noun the accomplishment of an aim or purposesự thành công The school concert was a great success.
failure noun lack of successsự thất bại He learned a lot of lessons from his first failure.
arrival noun the act of reaching a placesự đến nơi We waited at the airport for the arrival of the plane.
departure noun the act of leaving a placesự khởi hành The train’s departure was delayed by ten minutes.
[IMAGE GENERATION PROMPT: A clean and minimalist split graphic layout where the left side portrays an airplane touching down safely on a landing runway labeled ‘Arrival’, and the right side features an identical airplane ascending into a blue sky from a runway labeled ‘Departure’.]

2. Grammar Focus (Trọng tâm Ngữ pháp)

Point 1: Identifying Antonyms (Nhận biết Từ trái nghĩa)

Antonyms are words that have opposite or nearly opposite meanings. They are vital elements in English that allow you to express explicit contrasts and clarify descriptions effectively.

Structure: Word A (Adjective/Noun) <—> Word B (Opposite)

Key Examples:

  • Empty is the antonym of full.
  • The opposite of expensive is cheap.
  • Always and never are common antonyms.

Point 2: Using Antonyms to Show Contrast (Sử dụng Từ trái nghĩa chỉ sự tương phản)

Antonyms are frequently coupled together within single compound or complex sentences using coordinating or subordinating conjunctions like ‘but’, ‘while’, or ‘although’ to clearly compare two distinct subjects.

Structure: [Subject 1] is [Adjective], but [Subject 2] is [Antonym].

Key Examples:

  • The math test was difficult, but the English test was easy.
  • The weather was sunny today, although it was cloudy yesterday.
  • The rabbit is fast, while the turtle is slow.

3. Practice Exercises (Bài tập thực hành)

Exercise 1: Vocabulary Matching (Nối Từ) 6 Questions

Match the target words in Column A with their exact correct antonyms in Column B.

1. ancient
2. rough
3. generous
4. success
5. arrival
6. open
A. failure
B. modern
C. departure
D. smooth
E. closed
F. stingy
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
Answers: 1-B, 2-D, 3-F, 4-A, 5-C, 6-E.

Detailed Explanations:
  • 1-B: ‘ancient’ (cổ xưa) đối lập hoàn toàn với ‘modern’ (hiện đại).
  • 2-D: ‘rough’ (xù xì, gồ ghề) có từ trái nghĩa trực tiếp là ‘smooth’ (nhẵn nhụi, mịn).
  • 3-F: ‘generous’ (hào phóng, rộng rãi) tương phản với ‘stingy’ (keo kiệt, ích kỷ).
  • 4-A: ‘success’ (sự thành công) là danh từ trái nghĩa với ‘failure’ (sự thất bại).
  • 5-C: ‘arrival’ (sự đến nơi) ngược nghĩa với lịch trình ‘departure’ (sự khởi hành).
  • 6-E: ‘open’ (mở) đối lập với trạng thái ‘closed’ (đóng).
Exercise 2: Contextual Gap Fill (Điền từ vào chỗ trống) 6 Questions

Fill in each blank space using an appropriate antonym from the box below to complete the sentence balance.

modern | smooth | stingy | failure | departure | cheap
1. History books show us ancient pottery, but we use plates today.
2. While the skin of a peach is rough and fuzzy, the skin of a plum is completely .
3. She is incredibly generous with charities, but her brother is quite with money.
4. Hard work often leads to definitive success, whereas laziness usually results in total .
5. The arrival screen showed the plane landed at noon, and its scheduled is at 4:00 PM.
6. Diamonds are exceptionally expensive luxuries, but simple plastic beads are very .
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
Answers: 1. modern | 2. smooth | 3. stingy | 4. failure | 5. departure | 6. cheap

Detailed Explanations:
  • 1. modern: Dùng để đối lập mang tính mốc thời gian với từ ‘ancient’ (cổ xưa) xuất hiện ở vế trước.
  • 2. smooth: Bề mặt quả mận nhẵn nhụi, tương phản rõ rệt với bề mặt ‘rough’ (gồ ghề/nhám) của quả đào.
  • 3. stingy: Từ thích hợp nhất chỉ tính cách trái ngược với người chị ‘generous’ (hào phóng).
  • 4. failure: Kết quả lười biếng dẫn đến sự thất bại, ngược lại hoàn toàn với ‘success’ (thành công).
  • 5. departure: Màn hình hiển thị giờ bay lên/khởi hành, bổ trợ thông tin đối lập cho từ ‘arrival’ (hạ cánh).
  • 6. cheap: ‘Cheap’ (rẻ tiền) là cặp từ trái nghĩa cơ bản và chuẩn xác của ‘expensive’ (đắt đỏ).
Exercise 3: Multiple Choice Selection (Trắc nghiệm khách quan) 6 Questions

Choose the absolute best antonym for the underlined word in each context sentence.

1. The tour guide pointed towards an ancient structure built thousands of years ago.
2. After walking along the rough mountain paths, walking on paved roads felt amazing.
3. Our uncle is a very generous host who always cooks large feasts for all guests.
4. The entire tech start-up event was viewed as a massive success by the press.
5. Passengers must clear immigration documentation checkpoints upon arrival.
6. The classroom was completely empty after the final bell rang out.
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
Answers: 1. B | 2. C | 3. C | 4. D | 5. A | 6. B

Detailed Explanations:
  • 1. B (modern): ‘Modern’ trái nghĩa trực tiếp với cấu trúc ‘ancient’ (cổ xưa).
  • 2. C (smooth): Đường bằng phẳng ‘smooth’ trái nghĩa với lối đi gồ ghề ‘rough’.
  • 3. C (stingy): ‘Stingy’ (bủn xỉn) là tính từ mang nghĩa tiêu cực, đối lập từ ‘generous’.
  • 4. D (failure): Danh từ trái nghĩa duy nhất của ‘success’ (thành công) trong các lựa chọn là ‘failure’.
  • 5. A (departure): Thủ tục khi đi ‘departure’ (xuất cảnh/rời đi) đối ứng với lúc đến ‘arrival’.
  • 6. B (full): Trạng thái đầy ắp ‘full’ đối lập với căn phòng trống rỗng ’empty’.
Exercise 4: True or False Statements (Đúng hay Sai) 6 Questions

Read the structural descriptions below. Write T (True) or F (False) for each statement.

1. ‘Ancient’ and ‘modern’ can both be used as adjectives to describe buildings.
2. ‘Rough’ means exactly the same thing as ‘smooth’.
3. ‘Stingy’ is an antonym for ‘generous’.
4. ‘Success’ is an adjective, while ‘failure’ is a noun.
5. ‘Arrival’ and ‘departure’ are antonyms that relate to travel and movement.
6. Conjunctions like ‘but’ and ‘while’ can help join antonym pairs in sentences.
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
Answers: 1. T | 2. F | 3. T | 4. F | 5. T | 6. T

Detailed Explanations:
  • 1. T: Cả hai từ đều là tính từ mô tả tính chất công trình kiến trúc (cổ kính/hiện đại).
  • 2. F: Hai từ này có ý nghĩa hoàn toàn trái ngược nhau, không phải đồng nghĩa.
  • 3. T: ‘Stingy’ (ích kỷ/keo kiệt) chính là từ trái nghĩa chuẩn của ‘generous’.
  • 4. F: Cả ‘success’ và ‘failure’ đều thuộc từ loại danh từ (nouns).
  • 5. T: ‘Arrival’ (đến nơi) và ‘departure’ (khởi hành) dùng nhiều trong ngành vận tải, du lịch.
  • 6. T: Các liên từ này đóng vai trò liên kết cấu trúc tương phản trong câu ghép chỉ sự đối lập.
Exercise 5: Sentence Reordering (Sắp xếp từ thành câu hoàn chỉnh) 6 Questions

Rearrange the scrambled words to create coherent sentences utilizing contrasting antonyms correctly.

1. [ modern / is / city / but / the / ancient / history / its / is ]
2. [ table / surface / rough / is / but / this / is / smooth / that ]
3. [ he / although / rich / is / stingy / is / very / he ]
4. [ a / experiment / first / failure / was / but / second / the / success / was / a ]
5. [ we / arrival / the / checked / before / departure / time / our / scheduled ]
6. [ always / early / he / arrive / but / sister / late / is / his ]
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
Answers:
  • 1. The city is modern but its history is ancient. / Its history is ancient but the city is modern.
  • 2. This table is rough but that surface is smooth. / That surface is smooth but this table is rough.
  • 3. Although he is rich, he is very stingy. / He is very stingy although he is rich.
  • 4. The first experiment was a failure but the second was a success.
  • 5. We checked the arrival time before our scheduled departure.
  • 6. He always arrive early but his sister is late. / His sister is late but he always arrive early.

Detailed Explanations: Các câu được thiết kế dựa trên cấu trúc ngữ pháp mẫu học trong bài. Sử dụng liên từ phản ý (but, although) để kết nối hai mệnh đề có các tính từ/danh từ mang nghĩa trái ngược nhau hoàn toàn nhằm làm bật lên nội dung tương phản.
Exercise 6: Grammar Structure Selection (Lựa chọn liên từ tương phản) 6 Questions

Circle or choose the correct logical connector/word to complete the contrast sentence frames.

1. The stone castle was ancient, ( but / because ) the glass museum next to it was modern.
2. ( Although / Because ) the floor looked rough, it actually felt very smooth to touch.
3. Mark is generous with food, ( while / so ) Leo is extremely stingy.
4. Their first business venture was a failure, ( and / but ) the second project brought success.
5. We watched the plane’s departure, ( although / then ) we celebrated its safe arrival later.
6. Hot coffee is nice in winter, ( but / or ) cold juice is better during summer.
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
Answers: 1. but | 2. Although | 3. while | 4. but | 5. then | 6. but

Detailed Explanations:
  • 1. but: ‘But’ nối hai vế đối lập trực tiếp giữa tòa nhà cổ kính và bảo tàng hiện đại.
  • 2. Although: ‘Although’ đứng đầu câu chỉ sự nhượng bộ (mặc dù trông gồ ghề nhưng sờ lại mượt).
  • 3. while: ‘While’ mang tính chất so sánh song song giữa hai hành vi trái ngược của Mark và Leo.
  • 4. but: Sử dụng ‘but’ để chỉ sự đổi hướng từ kết quả thất bại sang thành công rực rỡ.
  • 5. then: Đây là hành động theo chuỗi thời gian (xem cất cánh ‘then’ sau đó ăn mừng hạ cánh).
  • 6. but: Tạo sự tương phản rõ rệt giữa đồ uống nóng mùa đông và đồ uống lạnh mùa hè.
[IMAGE GENERATION PROMPT: A decorative, stylish divider bar graphic featuring small minimalist symbols of contrast, like an open book and closed book, a sun and a crescent moon, positioned elegantly in a thin gray line.]
iGlobal AI Chat Hỏi nhanh về học tiếng Anh Sẵn sàng
Select the fields to be shown. Others will be hidden. Drag and drop to rearrange the order.
  • Image
  • SKU
  • Rating
  • Price
  • Stock
  • Availability
  • Add to cart
  • Description
  • Content
  • Weight
  • Dimensions
  • Additional information
Click outside to hide the comparison bar
Compare