Grammar & Verbal Ability • Topic 6 of 6

Synonyms, Antonyms & Word Formation

The vocabulary cluster asks for the word closest in meaning (synonym), the word opposite in meaning (antonym), or the right derived form (word formation), and on the CTET it is almost always set in a sentence so context decides the shade of meaning. For synonyms and antonyms the safe method is to read the word in its sentence, predict the meaning yourself, then match -- because many options are 'close but wrong'. For instance 'abundant' means plentiful (synonym) and its antonym is scarce; 'reluctant' means unwilling, opposite eager. Word formation tests how prefixes and suffixes build new parts of speech and meanings. Negative prefixes flip meaning: un- (happy/unhappy), in-/im-/il-/ir- (correct/incorrect, possible/impossible, legal/illegal, regular/irregular), dis- (agree/disagree), mis- (lead/mislead). Suffixes change the part of speech: -ness and -ity make nouns (kind/kindness, able/ability), -ful and -less make adjectives (care/careful/careless), -ly makes adverbs (quick/quickly), -ise/-ify make verbs (modern/modernise). The CTET reward here is precision: choose the prefix that actually pairs with the root (it is 'irregular', never 'unregular') and the synonym whose connotation fits the sentence.

✅ Solved examples

1. Choose the word closest in meaning to 'abundant' in: 'The region has abundant rainfall.'
Plentiful. 'abundant' means present in large quantity; 'plentiful' is its synonym (its antonym would be 'scarce').
2. Choose the correct negative form: The opposite of 'legal' is ____.
illegal. Roots beginning with 'l' take the prefix 'il-' (il + legal), not 'un-' or 'in-'.
3. Give the antonym of 'reluctant' in: 'She was reluctant to leave.'
Eager (or willing). 'reluctant' means unwilling/hesitant, so its opposite is eager/willing.
4. Form a noun from the adjective 'happy'.
Happiness. The suffix '-ness' turns the adjective 'happy' into a noun (note the y -> i spelling change).

✏️ Practice — try these, take hints as needed

1. Choose the synonym of 'brave' in: 'The brave soldier saved them.'
Think of a word for fearless.
Starts with C.
Courageous
2. Choose the antonym of 'ancient' in: 'They studied ancient ruins.'
Opposite of very old.
Means new / recent.
Modern
3. Choose the correct negative form: The opposite of 'regular' is ____.
Root starts with "r".
The prefix doubles the r.
irregular
4. Form an adverb from the adjective 'careful'.
Add the standard adverb suffix.
-ly turns adjectives into adverbs.
carefully

📝 Topic test — 8 questions

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