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D epartment of E ducation
N a t i o n a l C a pi t a l Re g i o n
Sc h o o l s D i v i s i o n O f f i c e o f La s Pi ñ a s C i t y
OBJECTIVES
1. Identify word relationships
2. Categorize words or expressions according to shades of meaning
3. Enhances students' vocabulary, which can help them be more precise and imaginative in
their writing
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
One way for you to expand your vocabulary and understand more word meanings is to use
semantic gradients or shades of meaning. This method of vocabulary building uses related
words that lie on a continuum.
1. depressed elated
|-----------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------
Word Bank: upset, indifferent, glad, happy
2. obese skinny
|-----------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------
Word Bank: slender, thin, chubby, hefty
3. trudged sprinted
|-----------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------
Word Bank: raced, walked, hurried, dawdled
4. microscopic gargantuan
|-----------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------
Word Bank: big, small, tiny, huge
5. careless meticulous
|-----------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------
Word Bank: haphazard, careful, tidy, casual
Task 3. Complete each sequence below. Consider the shades of meaning when putting the
words in order.
Task 4. Select a word to fill in the blank in the first sentence (#1). Then place the Word Bank
words along the semantic gradient (#2). Be prepared to consider which word best fits with the
context that is provided in the second sentence (#3).
2. trudged sprinted
|--------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
Word Bank: raced, walked, hurried, dawdled
Task 5. You can better understand shades of meaning by using similar words in context. Read
the passage below. After you read, insert onto each line one of three words listed above the
passage. Be sure to consider the shades of meaning when deciding which word best fits the
context of that part of the story.
When Beth first heard the rumor about the accident, she was __________ what
to think about it. The next two people who told her the rumor were people she did not
trust. So, then, she became a bit more__________. As more people spread the
ridiculous rumor, the more__________ she became that the story could be true.