Phrasal Verb
A phrasal verb is a combination of words consisting of a verb and a preposition, or a verb and an adverb that give a different meaning to the original verb.

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Word Substitution
A word substitution is substituting a word or phrase that has the same meaning or context with another word or phrase in the same language. 

Read the text carefully!

Fashion is an entity that knows no boundaries. From an outsider’s perspective, the industry can <b>appear</b> to be all about runway models and celebrity endorsements which are often uninspired but it's counteracted by unbelievable talent, on-style trends and clothing so fashion-forward that we can’t help but jump on the bandwagon. Fashion superpowers Milan, London, New York and Paris have paved the way for the rest of the world to follow suit – pardon the pun – and now Asia is under the spotlight for new quirky trends that have the industry in awe. So much more than kimonos and knock-off handbags, Asia is taking over the industry so grab a front-row seat to the show and get ahead of the curve before someone beats you to it. From the glittering street-style in Seoul to the outrageous cartoonish outfits in Harajuku, cutting-edge clothing is found throughout this glorious continent. 

Adapted from: https://www.wingedboots.co.uk/magazine/why-asia-is-the-new-fashion-capital-of-the-world 

Which of the following is best to replace the word appear in the second sentence?

a. Arise  

b. Emerge 

c. Show 

d. Occur  

e. Seem 

The word “appear” is the synonym of arise, emerge, show, and seem. However, this kind of question asks us to find the word substitution. In order to find it, we have to choose the right word that has the same meaning or context with the word “appear”. 

The word “appear” is stated in the sentence “From an outsider’s perspective, the industry can appear to be all about runway models and celebrity endorsements ….” (Dari sudut pandang orang luar, industri ini dapat dilihat atau tampak seperti hal yang berkaitan dengan model atau dukungan selebriti…).

Option E (seem) is the best answer because it has the same meaning with the word “appear”. 

Appear & seem mean “to show up” or “to come in sight”. 

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Word Meaning

A word meaning explains the meaning of something (word or phrase). It may sound similar with synonym, but actually it’s different. 

Synonym : 

Respondents = Interviewees 

Word meaning :

Respondents = Those who participate in a survey

Example :

Why recycling is so hard 

(1) Why is getting Americans to recycle more so challenging? First, many of them don’t understand waste problems and recycling strategies. Few are aware of the environmental problems waste causes, and most have a hard time connecting individual actions to those problems.

(2) Most people don’t know where their waste goes, whether it includes recyclables or what can be made from them. They may know what day to put out curbside trash and recycling, but are unsure which materials the companies accept. In a 2019 survey of 2,000 Americans, 53% erroneously believed greasy pizza boxes could be recycled, and 68% thought the same for used plastic utensils.

(3) Another 39% of respondents cited inconvenience and poor access to recycling facilities as major barriers. California pays a 5- to 10-cent redemption fee for each beverage container, but the facilities often are inconvenient to reach. For example, the closest to my home in Los Angeles is eight miles away, which can involve driving for an hour or more. That’s not worth it for the few cans my family produces.

(4) Most U.S. consumers are opposed to pollution, of course, but research shows that they seldom view themselves as significant contributors. As taxpayers, they hold local governments responsible for recycling. Many are not sure what happens next, or whether their actions make a difference.

(adapted from: https://theconversation.com/how-to-boost-recycling-reward-consumers-with-discounts-deals-and-social-connections-124389)

What does ‘recycle’ (paragraph 1) mean? 

A. Sorting waste into categories 

B. Compiling waste for later use 

C. Transforming waste into new objects 

D. An act of reducing waste pollution 

E. Contributing to waste management 

Pembahasan :

Tipe soal ini adalah Vocabulary Question yang berfokus pada Word Meaning atau arti/definisi kata. Soal ini bertujuan untuk mencari definisi dari kata recycle yang ada pada paragraf ke-1 bacaan diatas.

Petunjuk definisi recycle terdapat di paragraf ke-2, yakni what can be made from them yang berarti apa yang bisa dibuat dari sampah. Sehingga, dapat disimpulkan bahwa recycle berarti menciptakan sesuatu yang baru dari sampah

Opsi A (Sorting waste into categories) yang berarti menyortir sampah ke dalam kategori tertentu adalah tidak tepat, karena merupakan proses dari recycle, bukan definisinya. 

Opsi B (Compiling waste for later use) atau mengumpulkan sampah untuk digunakan kemudian adalah tidak tepat.

Opsi D (An act of reducing waste pollution) atau aksi mengurangi polusi sampah adalah salah, karena merupakan tujuan recycle, bukan definisinya.

Opsi E (Contributing to waste management) atau berkontribusi dalam menanggulangi sampah salah karena bukan definisi recycle.

Jawaban yang benar adalah C (Transforming waste into new objects), yang berarti mengubah sampah menjadi benda baru.

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Antonym

An antonym is a word that has a contrast or opposite meaning with another word in the same language. There are 3 types of antonyms:

1. Relational antonym consists of word pairs that show the relationship between two opposites, but one cannot exist without the other.

Example :

Child - parent  (there can’t be a child without a parent)

Husband - wife (to be a husband, you must have a wife)

Doctor - patient

Teacher - student

Buy - sell

Give - receive

Borrow - lend

2. Complementary antonym has no middle ground between a word and its opposite. It is absolute.

Example:

Right - wrong (it can't be right or wrong at the same time)

True - false

Boy - girl

Entrance - exit

Push - pull

Dead - alive

Exterior - interior

3. Gradable antonym is an antonym that can be scaled. It typically consists of pairs of adjectives that can be qualified by adverbs, such as very, quite, extremely, etc.

For example, we can say the tickets were expensive or the tickets were cheap. However, as expensive and cheap are gradable (not absolute) antonyms, we can also qualify how expensive or cheap they were :

- The tickets were surprisingly expensive / The tickets were very expensive / The tickets were quite expensive.

- The tickets were incredibly cheap / The tickets were rather cheap / The tickets were undeniably cheap.

Further examples are :

Young - elderly

Hard - easy

Friendly - unfriendly

Hot - cold

Wet - dry

Interesting - boring

Tips for Antonym

1. Expand your vocabulary by reading more books, articles, news, or watching movies using English subtitles. You can also learn from the Thesaurus, a special dictionary containing synonyms and antonyms.

2. Try to apply new vocabulary in your daily life.

Exercise:

1. Which of the following words means the opposite of ‘commence’?

A. Begin

B. Refresh

C. Join

D. Stop

E. Break

Pembahasan:

Commence artinya memulai, jadi lawan kata atau antonim dari commence adalah berhenti; selesai.

Opsi A kurang tepat karena begin artinya memulai. Oleh karena itu, begin merupakan sinonim dari commence, bukan antonim.

Opsi B salah karena refresh artinya menyegarkan.

Opsi C kurang tepat karena join artinya ikut.

Opsi D tepat karena stop artinya berhenti.

Opsi E salah karena break artinya istirahat.

2. What is the antonym of ‘arrogant’? 

A. Friendly

B. Innocent

C. Superior

D. Bright

E. Careful

Pembahasan:

Arrogant artinya sombong; angkuh. Antonim atau  lawan kata yang tepat untuk arrogant adalah ramah; rendah hati; tidak sombong.

Opsi A tepat karena friendly artinya ramah.

Opsi B tepat karena innocent artinya polos; tidak berdosa.

Opsi C tepat karena superior artinya angkuh; sombong. Oleh karena itu, superior merupakan sinonim dari arrogant, bukan antonim.

Opsi D tepat karena bright artinya cerdas; cemerlang; bijaksana.

Opsi E tepat karena careful artinya cermat; teliti.

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Semantics

A synonym is a word that has the same or nearly the same meaning with another word in the same language. Here is the list of words with their synonyms: 

Beautiful
 

attractive, pretty, lovely, stunning
 

Funny 
 

humorous, comical, hilarious, hysterical
 

Intelligent 
 

smart, bright, brilliant, sharp
 

Strong 
 

stable, secure, solid, tough
 

Kind 
 

thoughtful, considerate, amiable, gracious
 

Angry 
 

mad, furious, irate
 

Rich 
 

affluent, wealthy, well-off, well-to-do
 

Delicious 
 

yummy, tasty, succulent, delectable
 

Make 
 

construct, build, do, perform
 

Start 
 

begin, commence
 

Finish 
 

end, complete, terminate
 

Examples : 

The butterfly is beautiful = the butterfly is pretty

The cake was delicious = the cake was yummy

Once you find questions, such as:

- The underlined word has the closest in meaning to ...

- The underlined word can be replaced with ...

you are asked to find the synonym of the word. These questions are more contextual than the question 'The synonym of the underlined word is ...'. 

To answer them, do a double check before choosing the answer. You need to pay attention to the context/situation in order to choose the appropriate word. 

TIPS: 

1. Expand your vocabulary by reading more books, articles, news, or watching movies using English subtitles. You can also learn from the Thesaurus, a special dictionary containing synonyms and antonyms.

2. Remember, to find the right synonym, you have to pay attention to the situation and conditions because not all synonym words are interchangeable or have the same meaning and connotation.

3. Try to replace one word with another. If the meaning is the same, it means they are interchangeable or have the exact same meaning.

4. Try to apply new vocabulary in your daily life.

Contoh soal

1. The synonym of effort is...

A. attempt

B. chance

C. choice

D. goal

E. achievement

Pembahasan :

Effort artinya usaha; upaya

- Jawaban A benar karena attempt artinya percobaan; usaha

- Jawaban B salah karena chance artinya kesempatan

- Jawaban C salah karena choice artinya pilihan

- Jawaban D salah karena goal artinya tujuan; sasaran; cita-cita

- Jawaban E salah karena achievement artinya prestasi; pencapaian

2. The royal wedding was the talk of the town this week due to the lavish and luxurious decorations.

Which if the following is a synonym for the word "lavish"?

A. Lithe

B. Odious

C. Opaque

D. Opulent

E. Atocious 

Pembahasan :

Lavish dalam konteks ini artinya mewah; royal

- Jawaban A salah karena lithe artinya lentur; luwes

- Jawaban B salah karena odious artinya menjijikkan

- Jawaban C salah karena opaque artinya buram; kabur; kusam

- Jawaban D benar karena opulent artinya mewah; makmur; berlimpah

- Jawaban E salah karena atrocious artinya mengerikan; kejam; jahat

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