Introduction

The antonym is a kind of a word that presents the exact opposite meaning of another word. It helps to identify the knowledge of the scholar in English and if found anything less than it could be rectified in the future. For instance, the word big suggests large size, on the other hand, small means a more limited size than that of the other one. Initially, the antonym was not only used to present the opposite meaning but it also helped to elaborate the meaning in some parts depending on the need of the scholar and the word itself. 

Discussion

Definition of Antonym

Antonyms in the literature of English are used to present the opposite meaning of a word. The word “antonym” has been taken from the French word “antonymie” which refers to the opposition of the words in the opposite sense. It sometimes helps the scholars to have the elaborate meaning of the word that they are fetching. Though there are various uses of the antonyms, mainly it is learned by the younger ones who are getting their studies in the lower classes. Everyone who knows English grammar knows that some parts of speeches play the ultimate roles throughout English grammar and literature. Hence, the nouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs have their antonyms but the rest cannot have them. Sometimes a word can have its antonyms more than two or three, or sometimes more than four as well. Still, many words have only one antonym. For example, the word small has many antonyms such as speedy, fast, quick, and many more. Initially, the antonyms are of three basic classes and those are used widely. Many antonyms are very obvious such as bad and good, white or black, and many more and some words can be altered to their antonyms by simply putting the prefixes such as UN, IRR, and many more. 

The proper meaning of antonym 

The word antonym is particularly used to oppose the meaning of a word. Nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs are the main parts of speeches that can have their antonyms and the rest of the parts of speeches cannot have it because of some grammatical reason. The word antonym also has its classifications as many others in English grammar. The classification of antonyms includes graded antonyms, relational antonyms and the, and lastly complementary antonyms. These classifications have been made to understand the core of the word. The teachers are there to elaborate each of the meanings to their fellow scholars so that they can easily understand the meaning. 

The relational antonyms are the types of antonyms that have pairs that are the responsible ones to show the relationship between the two opposite words. On one hand, it is presenting the opposite meaning of the word and on the other hand, it is showing the inner relation between those two opposite words. 

The graded antonyms are those pairs of antonyms that are responsible for presenting the variations between the two words. After getting the opposite words, it shows some changes within the two opposite words. 

The complementary antonyms are the pairs that do not have a degree in meaning. These are such as male and female and many more related to the definition. 

Differences between antonym and synonym 

It is known that antonyms are used to offer the opposite meaning of the word. Many other things in English grammar have differences too, there are some particular differences between the antonyms, and synonyms too that help the scholars to gain much prominent knowledge about English grammar. It is known that the antonyms are the ones that offer the opposite meanings of the word. On the other hand, the synonyms show the more relative and proper meanings of a particular word that needs to be the same in meaning. Choosing the proper synonym can purify the writing. The synonyms can be plugged into a sentence quite easily without changing the meaning of the sentence but the implementation of the antonym will change the whole meaning of the applied sentence. This is one of the basic and important differences between the two. While the antonyms help to sharpen the sense of the language, the synonyms help to refine the language in the writing. The words of the synonyms can be sometimes interchangeable. Sometimes two words have similar meanings but their subtle differences can affect the writing. In the case of antonyms, there are no such issues that can harm the sentence while writing.

Conclusion

The whole study indicates the needs and the antonyms in English grammar and the way it turns into the opposite meaning. In the above, the classification shows the importance of the antonyms and their various usages. The antonym is a part of the language proficiency and the examples are there so that the scholars can understand the subject. The differences between the antonym and the synonyms have been explained very clearly. It will help future scholars to differentiate between those two and their usages. These terms are taught to the learners from the very beginning of their study and thus the teacher has to explain the facts to them.